Hill Tribes of Golden Triangle

The Golden Triangle is made up of hill tribes, they are a mixed descent of Thai, Burmese, and Chinese. Six distinct major people groups namely Karen, Lisu, Mein, Hmong, Akha, and Lahu struggle to preserve their culture, traditions and beliefs against a backdrop of rapidly evolving society. 

As Golden triangle is infamously known as a conduit for opium trade, it will be no secret that hill peoples have used opium much like we use tobacco or cigarette.  Pictured below is the depiction of the best way to smoke opium; 

"Heel against Buttocks": The Greatest Position for Smoking Opium among all the hill tribes in Thailand, it is believed that kneeling down with the heel pressed against the buttocks is the most satisfying position for opium smokers." 

Pots and kettles as shown in this picture are all opium smoking paraphernalia

Tribe people likewise have separate rooms for men and women. Men have in their beds two pots: one for smoking and the other for making tea while the women's quarters have burners and pots for cooking dishes.

Legendary opiums and tobacco tales:

In addition, various tribe people have their distinct legends as to the origin of opium. Some may appear a bit too bizarre for your taste. Here are a few clips:

"Lua tribe legend: A long time ago a very elderly woman died of old age. Before she died she asked that she be buried near a busy cross-road. After her funeral two tobacco plants appeared on the grave above the old woman's breasts and an opium plant grew above her loins. The villagers saw these strange plants and tasted them. henceforth, liking the tobacco more than the opium, they therefore planted it and smoked it. This preference for tobacco was because it came from the old woman's breasts and thus children, when weaned off milk, smoked tobacco instead." WOW.

 "An Akha Legend: There is an old Akha legend about the origin of opium. A long time ago there was a young girl so beautiful that she had many suitors. Of all of these, seven men impressed her. Then one day, the men came to ask for her hand in marriage. The girl did not want to choose one from among them for fear of making the others sad and jealous. She therefore decided to make love to all seven men. Even though she knew it would surely cause her death, she was happy to make the sacrifice. When she could endure it no more she asked for death and to be reincarnated as a beautiful flower. Before dying she told her relatives to take good care of her grave on which a beautiful flower would grow up from her heart. She said that whoever tasted the flower's sap would like it and want more but that it would bear both good and evil" EVIL INDEED. 

Yet another curious tale about beauty and body odour would say:

"Another Akha legend goes like this: A long time ago there was a young Akha girl who was very beautiful but who had such body odour that no man would come near her. She therefore had such a sad and lonely life that she died brokenhearted. Before dying she made a wish and asked her fellow villagers to take good care of her grave. Later, a beautiful flower grew from her grave. When anyone tried its sap they would want to taste it again and again but this sap, apart from giving amazing pleasure, also caused terrible suffering."

The Long-neck Karen tribe:

One of the tribes that struck me most is the long-necked Karen tribe, one of my hosts from our missionaries in Thailand heading the Beyond Borders Ministry, Tita Narlin, wife of Pastor Joey Dela Paz, shared her own account in the mission field especially in sharing the gospel with hill tribe people. Of all the tribes she visited, it is the long-necked Karen group that crushed her heart the most. Kids undergo gruelling transformation through the brass ring that entrap their necks pulling their spinal chord to unnatural lengths.

History records the golden era in the life of the Padaung tribe when tigers lurking within the mountains awaited for the best time to prey on the people. They have killed a number of tribespeople bringing terror within them. Hence, the tribe leader deemed it necessary to place brass neck rings and limb rings (such shall follow after a number of years, limbs such as arms and calves) of their women and children (all girls) when they hunt. They believe that it serves as protection for them from the bite of the tiger. Long since, the brass neck ring has become a fashion statement among them.

Girls as young as five years of age are subjected to this practice. "Originally, the Padaung people started putting neck rings to their girls at 5 years of age or older. Using chicken bones to identify an auspicious time, a sorceress started to put a golden could around the girl's neck. Provided by the girl's parents, the golden rod with approximately 1 centimetre diameter was put around the girl's neck through her head. A particular device was used to tighten the could around the neck. At the first time, a girl would wear around 8 neck rings. In general, the first set of rings weigh approximately 1 kilogram. Every 3 years, another 3 rings are added until woman becomes 25 years of age or gets married. Once the neck rings have been put on, they will be there through the wearer's life without taking off. 

"The longest neck brass has been recorded as 25 loops weighing around 8 kilograms. Normally, neck coils are composed of 2 set of brass rings. Sitting on the shoulders of a wearer, the first set comprising a few rings serves as a basis for the second set which is cushioned by a small pillow under the chin. The 2 sets are locked together with a bolt, the 2 sets can be separated for cleaning. 

As told by a long-necked Karen leader, the Padaung tribal people had not worn neck rings until their golden age during which the tribe was attacked by tigers. Bitten at the neck, several tribal members were killed by the animal. This had worried the tribe so much that the leader who was also a sorceress made sacrifices to wild spirits and ordered tribal girls and unmarried women to wear neck ring to prevent themselves from bad luck. Goldern ring were used first. But later when gold became rare and too expensive, they opted to (use) brass rings as seen today."

Whether you agree or disagree with them, it has been their custom and a part of the culture they have painstakingly preserved for years and it is their identity, the one thing we can not take away from them.   

xoxo