Woman of the Kayan tribe of Myanmar. The Kayan are also known as the «long-necks» or «giraffe women». While some Kayan women in the last decade have opted to stop wearing the brass rings, many continue to do so as they see this as an expression of the traditional Kayan culture and as a way to keep it alive.
Girl of the Kayan tribe of Myanmar. The origins of the custom of brass neck-rings is not clear, some say it is was to prevent fatal tiger attacks, others claim it was to imitate the long neck of dragons, from which the group’s traditional religious beliefs hold that Kayan people are descended.