The Kayan are a group of the Karenni people, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Burma (Myanmar). They are also known as Padaung. In the 1990s, due to conflict with the military regime in Burma, many Kayan tribespeople fled into neighbouring Thailand. There they live with an uncertain legal status in the border area, in villages set up to display them to tourists who are willing to pay to admire their particular body modification, which consists of coiling lengths of brass around the necks of the women. There are around 7,000 members of the Kayan tribe BRASS COILS Women of the tribe wear ornaments known as neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck. These coils are first applied to young girls when they are around five years old. Each coil is replaced with longer coils as the weight of the brass pushes the collar bone down and compresses the rib cage. Contrary to popular belief, the neck is not actually lengthened; the illusion of a stretched neck is created by the deformation of the clavicle.[citation needed] Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested, often formed by visiting anthropologists. Some[attribution needed] believe the coils protect from tiger bites, while others[attribution needed] think they protected women from becoming slaves by making them less attractive to other tribes. Contrastingly it has been theorised that the coils originate from the desire to look more attractive by exaggerating dimorphism, as women have mo
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