Burma, Inle Lake, Donna Padaung, August 2007
During our trip to Burma, we had a few days on Inle Lake, Shan State. The Shan State is inhabited by people of different tribes and ethnic groups, such as the Intha, the Shan, the Pa-Ho, the Padaung. During the visit of the lake with the canoe, one of the must-visits (in the sense that the guides do their best to take you there and there's no way we have to go) is the "giraffe women" ugly name for Women Padaung who still use to stretch their necks with metal rings. With my usual Western mind, I was rather shocked that you did this idea is still to young women, not to say to girls. It really bothered me that some of these women were, so to speak, "month in the exhibition" in a specie di negozio di souvenirs, dove tutti i turisti venivano portati a vederle mentre tessevano le loro tele.
Birmania, Lago Inlè, Donna Padaung, agosto 2007
Da qualche giorno, però, ho iniziato a leggere un libro che sta cambiando (almeno parzialmente, perchè continuo a pensare che sia orrendo il fatto che vengano mostrate come animali in uno zoo) il mio modo di vedere le cose: "Il ragazzo che parlava col vento". L'autore, Pascal Khoo Thwe, è un uomo di etnia Padaung, un esule, che ha partecipato alla rivolta del 2007, riuscendo a salvarsi. Nelle prime pagine egli racconta la sua infanzia nel villaggio, nella grande casa dove le nonne erano le undisputed queens, storyteller, master of the house, wonderful characters with long necks. He explains their unbelievable tradition
" The rings are formed by a long coil made of an alloy of silver, brass and gold. Only girls born in the auspicious days of the week while the moon is growing and are chosen for wear them. These girls are starting to take animals from the age of five, when the neck is ringed for a short time daily. As they grow older, you add more rings. The rings are changed when they marry, and added spirals longer - one above and one below the main one.
(...) Our ancestors allowed us to touch the their "armor" when we were sick. You could touch the ring only to draw their magic power - to treat a disease, to bless a trip. They were like a sacred portable shrine of the family. It is a practice trative pù ancient Buddhism, but was later absorbed by religion. Women also slipped some money in their rings. For us children it was like walking among the Christmas trees, filled with family treasures and miraculous powers. (...) They were wearing white robes and black skirts with red linings and their heads wrapped in swaddling clothes pink. Wove sheets, dresses, skirts, towels and the like on a traditional loom.
Mu Kya grandmother's neck was longer than a foot. He had spent a couple of giorni prima di essere in grado di sostenere la sua testa dopo aver deciso di togliere gli anelli per sempre. Le sono state fatte speciali camicie con colletti molto alti. Eravamo soliti prenderla in giro - e adularla - dicendo che Elvis Presley aveva chiaramente copiato il suo stile ".
Birmania, Lago Inlè, Bambina Padaung, agosto 2007
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