FACESOFTHEGLOBE: Hayma, Red Karen, Thailand

On my trip to the north of Thailand I came across a village of the native Kayan tribe (a subgroup of the Red Karen from Burma). One of the Kayan tribes traditionally at a young age start to use bronze rings to weigh their shoulders down in order for the perception of a long neck/throat. It was very interesting to see their lifestyle and hear some of the stories. There are a lot of subgroups in the Kaya with different backgrounds and clothing, not all have the long necks, but certainly those ladies stand out the most and are therefore most known. Given that this village was given as a refuge place to the Kayan tribes people I have to admit that it had a touristy feeling to it. The economy of the locals was based upon tourists purchasing products and coming through. However where else would you get in contact with some of these very interesting people? I know that these photos I will look upon and remember the Kayan tribe.

What is your name? My name is Hayma

Where do you come from? Originally we come from Burma but now I am from here.

As a little child, do you remember what was your dream job? I never really thought about it. As a woman in this tribe you always will be a housewife and take good care of your husband as well as produce local made products and sell those.

What is your profession now? I am a housewife ( I think thats a demanding job!) and also a designer and sales person "chuckles" does it sound too fancy? I sell some local made products in this stall.

Are you happy with your work life? Well it is what I am used to. It pays the bills and allows me to take care of my family. But when there is not many tourists then we suffer.

If you could relive your life what advise would you give yourself? This is difficult because I dont know what else to have. Thing is this is what I know therefore this is all there is for me. I came from a big city and had money then I would want to go to university and become a doctor to take care of the sick as there are many people who died from simple diseases. But I am from a village and a tribe to which I am proud to belong and follow the traditions.

What does happiness mean for you? Having made a good sale so I can purchase some things for me and my kids. Well I think my kids are my happiness.

If you could grant yourself one wish, what would it be? To have the Kayan people recognised and respected, allowing them to thrive and build a safe village back home.

What is the most important thing in life? Your family and background. Everything around you changes. But the one thing that remains constant is your past. You can not change it. You got to live with it. This includes your culture, your experiences and of course your family. I consider everyone in the village as family. People who love and support one another are family. We are all one. We are humans, you see dogs, are not racist or sexist, they are just dogs. We are just humans and should stop treating each other as different. Our soul, heart and mind is the same. Our colour, money, looks is different but thats just the shell of us. Inside we are one.

What advise for life can you give me? We have a saying "If you are alone it is easy for the bad spirit to come and take you away, if we stand together the bad spirit doesn't have enough power for us all". I guess this translates into have loyal friends, and be good to your family. Love one another and support one another. Nobody can buy love or true friends. Appreciate them because those are things money cant buy. Money isnt everything. Its a object we put value towards. The happiness that money gives us is the thought to be able to buy things and feel happy, but it doesnt give us true happiness, the happiness real friends and family gives. So I guess what advise I can give is dont focus on money, focus on family and good friends to support each other.