Most people know of the Karen people from television and magazine documentaries. Have you ever seen a long neck Karen woman?? The Karen are often referred to as the " long neck " or "giraffe " tribes. It is only the women who wear the brass rings. This tribe serves as a tourist attraction for visitors around the globe. They are refugees that fled from Burma in the late 80's and 90's. According to our tour guide, there are seven different hill tribes in Thailand; Karen, Lahu, Hmong, Lisu, Akha and Mien. Today we are visiting the Karen Hill Tribe. They usually occupy lowland areas, engaging in agriculture and planting rice. Most of the Karen women are skilled weavers. In this village where I visited --- there were only 10 families here.
The Karen wear woven v-neck tunics of various natural colors and turbans. Unmarried women wear distinctive long white v-neck tunics.
