Padaungs

   Also known as Kayans, an ethnic minority nationality related to the Karens (Kayins), speaking a Tibeto-Burman language, who live for the most part in Kayah (Karenni) State. They are most famous for their "giraffe women," who place heavy copper or brass rings around their necks (according to James G. Scott, weighing as much as much as 50-60 pounds), depressing the rib cage and elongating the neck. It is unclear why some (not all) Padaung women traditionally submitted to such disfigurement; some observers speculate that it was to make them unappealing to the Burmans (Bamars), who captured "hill tribe" women in slave raids. Since the British colonial period, the "giraffe women" have been a popular trademark of "exotic" Burma, and in recent years the tourist industry along the Thai-Burma border has been accused of exploiting them for profit. A Padaung armed group, the Kayan New Land Party, was founded in 1964 but signed a cease-fire with the State Law and Order Restoration Council in July 1994.