Mizzima: Kayan people are hoping to use their unique culture to attract foreign tourists and gain income.
That is the idea of one village in Kayah State that sees the potential following the perceived success of the “long-necked women” over the border in Thailand to rake in tourist dollars.
The women of the Kayan Lahwi, a subgroup of Kayan, traditionally wear brass neck rings that appear to lengthen their necks.
U Thein Mo, the local administrator of Daw San Bon village in Loikaw Township, has requested the Kayah State government for permission to open up his village to tourists. He says he has been asking for permission since February 2014 and will apply again this month.
U Thein Mo told Mizzima on December 19 that he is keen to promote the local culture in his village, which has a population of 343.
He said they will build a traditional house on two acres of land in the village and the women who wear brass neck coils will come to stay on a rotating basis.
The “model family” will live like the old Kayan and tourists will be able to visit and stay in the village, with the aim to derive an income for the people involved. The family will practice old farming methods including looking after poultry and pigs.
The house will be a traditional wooden structure built on stilts with a thatched roof. There will be fire stoves in the living room, kitchen and bedroom.
A similar venture has been running with reportedly mixed success in Thailand. The venture began partly as a result of Kayan people being forced to flee from Myanmar army attacks in the 1980s and 1990s. Villages were set up on the Thai side of the border where “long-neck women” became the star tourist attraction. Reports indicate that while the venture helps support the Kayan people, they have at times been exploited, and local tour operators have often been the ones who receive the bulk of the tourist income.
The Kayan, a subgroup of the Karenni people, a Tibeto-Burma ethnic minority of Myanmar, are thought to have their roots on the Tibetan plateau. Kayan are said to have settled in the Demawso area of Kayah State in 739 AD. Today they are found in Kayah State around Demawso and Loikaw, in the southern region of Shan State, in Mandalay’s Pyinmana and Kayin State’s Than Daung Township.
Myanmar is seeing a major growth in tourist arrivals, with an estimated 3 million arrivals for 2014. The Hotels and Tourism Ministry appears keen to encourage development of alternative tourist attractions and to open up new areas.
http://mizzima.com/mizzima-news/myanmar/item/16143-village-wants-to-promote-kayan-culture-to-attract-tourists
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