The Kayan tribe of Northern Thailand follow a unique custom that make them stand out of the rest.
Known significantly for their long necks, the Kayan tribes (also popularly called Padaung) are a part of the Kayan Lahwi tribe in Thailand.
They are also called the Karen long neck village Chiang Mai
Women of the Kayan tribes identify themselves by their forms of dress as well as wearing neck rings, brass coils that are placed around the neck, appearing to lengthen it.
Young girls begin to wear rings when they are around 5 years old. Over the years, the coil is replaced by a longer one and more turns are added.
The weight of the brass pushes the collar bone down and compresses the rib cage.
The neck itself is not lengthened; the appearance of a stretched neck is created by the defamation of the clavicle
Many ideas regarding why the coils are worn have been suggested that the rings protected women from becoming slaves; making them less attractive to other tribes or that the coils give the women resemblence to a dragon, an important figure in Kayan folklore