Karen ‘Long-Neck’ woman

Karen longneck woman

An ethnic Karen woman near Chiang Mai. The Karen tribal villagers in Thailand are mainly refugees from neighboring Myanmar. A minority population in the Northern provinces of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Song, and Chiang Rai areas of Thailand. Their main source of income is from tourism visits where visitors are charged an entrance fee to the village and they sell traditional items along with a variety of other items. Originating from the Eastern mountainous region of Myanmar, they have resettled in Thailand after fleeing decades of war with the central Myanmar government. Around 400,000 Karen have settled in Thailand, making them the largest population of hill tribes in Thailand.