The Village People of Northern Thailand

The Village people of Thailand, are they on your must-see list?  They were on mine, especially the long-neck tribes.  And that was lesson number one, there is more than the long-necks, there are many tribes and all have their own history and ethnic backgrounds.   Some are unrecognised by the Thai government, or the governments of their own homeland (usually Laos or Burma), so they’re more like the forgotten people.

The ringed ladies of the Northern Thai Villages

I wasn’t armed with the history when I went out on my day trip to see them so set off with nothing but a camera and an open-mind.  In Chiang Mai there is no shortage of trips offered to visit hill tribes, but I found what I wanted; a tour group through my hotel, who would takes us to 4 hill tribes with a Buddhist temple (built in a cave) and an orchid and butterfly farm thrown in (I’m not sure why, but everywhere in south east Asia seems to offer a visit to a butterfly farm).

There were 8 of us in a minivan, plus a driver and guide.  Our guide was good, his English was perfect and his lineage was actually from one of these hill tribes.  He must take many trips because he’s on a first name basis with the people of all the villages.

We drove north of Chiang Mai for about an hour to our first stop, a ‘Lisu‘ village in which the people who originated from Tibet.  Access to the village was via a long and dusty dirt road.  I’m not sure what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn’t expecting what happened when we got there!  We all piled out of the van and were met by a woman in her ‘tribal’ dress.  We got some photos and listened to our guide as he talked us through the layers.  Then we were free to look around the village.  Well, there is really no such thing as being free to look around - we were harassed from the very first instant - harassed to buy, buy, buy!!!

Women selling their wares from the wooden shops

In the short time from our arrival local women started appearing in their ‘shops’.  These are wooden structures covered over with a thatched roof from which they sell their wares.  While our guides final words had been that we don’t have to buy anything, and we were welcome to take lots of photos, that wasn’t the case!

We were all pressured into buying things and I had more than one woman bring up the fact I had taken photos and so I should now buy something.  Ok, that’s not totally an invalid point, because I asked our guide how much the village people get from the $30 trip cost. The answer? Nothing!! Zilch! I was surprised, for sure.  I don’t think it’s fair, but how realistic is it that tourists are going to go and buy loads of souvenirs?

Disturbingly, all the ‘wares’ which we were told are made by the locals themselves, we found for sale in the larger more commercial and whole sale Chiang Mai markets too.

A local lady finds time to realx and enjoy our visit as much as we enjoyed hers

In the second village we went to our driver introduced us to his grandmother.  This was a better experience, because we learnt more about the people, and the village wasn’t a set up of shop fronts manned by desperate women.  We were able to wander through and talk to the locals. 

The next village was only down the road but again we encountered different people with a different history.  Our driver and Guide dropped us at one end of the main road and waited for us at the other end. This time around I left my bag in the van and walked armed with camera only.  Given the share quantity of young girls, circling us like pray holding their wares up to us at eye height,  I think this was a good move!  During the walk down the road, village boundaries changed and we were in another village.  So those from the earlier village had to stop, but we got the next round.  So, I didn’t buy anything this time around, and got some nice photos of buildings and examples of village life.  However we all still got into the van with something like relief - to get away from the badgering.  And even then, we still had arms coming through the van windows dangling wares, in a last desperate attempt at a sale.

caught having a late afternoon siesta!

The final village stop was at the ‘Long necks’ village - these were the ones I really wanted to see, because I remember hearing about them when I was a child.  Alas, it was the same as the other villages, and although these women didn’t harass us as much, every single female (women and children) was ‘on show’ - sitting in her ‘shop’, hoping for (and certainly ready for) a sale.  There was no sign of ‘village life’ at all; just these shop fronts, enough to make us wonder if it was even a real village!  And only about 30km from Chiang Mai city!  We even asked the guide if, at the end of the day, the women pack up, snap off the rings around their necks, put the levi’s on and head back into town - to a more western life, but, apparently not.

While the experience was a little disappointing, the ladies of the ‘Long Neck village really were quite something to see in real life.  They came about from the likes of protection - from animal attacks, and as beautification.  Only the very young girls weren’t wearing them, it would seem from about the age of 7 they become adorned in these big, gold rings.  Once a year they are removed, for a day, and then back on they go.  It’s not just the neck either, ankles and just below the knees are also ‘ringed’.

Homes are made of wood and kept simple but purposeful

I had no problem buying some wares in return for some photos, because you can’t be a discreet photographer in these situations.  These people are only trying to make a living from tourism, much like many places in the world.  However, I wasn’t expecting the ruthless sales tactics or the excellent command of english - so be warned, you will be hounded and hassled to buy.  And like anywhere else, you can barter, but the prices aren’t necessarily any cheaper than those of the markets in Chiang Mai which sell exactly the same thing.

So for me, it was a disappointing day out.  I never meant to have expectations, but this day was a bit full on for all of us in the van.  Maybe we went with the wrong company, but I’m not sure any of the trips would differ much.  For sure, go and visit the tribes - apparently the ‘home-stay’ option is very good, and you would learn a lot more about their daily life and goings on if you did this.  Time constraints meant it wasn’t an option for me so I had to make do with a day trip.

As per usual, it’s what you make of it, enjoy!!

Comments

• margor_j says:

  As i said at the start of this piece, they originate predominantly from Burma or Laos. To say they came here purely for tourism is an interesting comment, given history.
  actually, our guide told me that he kept all the money he made (that we paid him, to see the tribal people), but they're not going to tell you that in the brochures. But thats hardly a tourists fault!
  If you look at other similar cultures - where things like education of females is not a priority, the family structure, (especially within society) and that the 'man' of the household is the breadwinner, then, of course, it goes to figure that money earned by women, will then be given to the men. Sorry, but thats not just happening in Thailand.
  We have long-necks in my hometown in new zealand, who wear rings, and no one pays to look at them.

  4 months ago

• amanda watts says:

  The women with the long neck and rings you are talking about, are not even from Thailand. They were transported from Myanmar (Burma) for tourism. People are only supporting those women torturing themselves for money that doesn't even go to them, it goes to their husbands.

  4 months ago

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