Neck ring

A photo of aKayanwoman wearing neck rings

The Celtic goldSnettishham Torc,England, 1st century BC

Neck rings,orneck-rings,are any form of stiffjewelleryworn as an ornament around theneckof an individual, as opposed to a loosenecklace.Many cultures and periods have made neck rings, with both males and females wearing them at various times.

Of the two most notable types, one is thetorc,an often heavy and valuable ornament normally open at the throat. These were worn by various early cultures but are especially associated with the ancientCeltsof theEuropean Iron Age,where they were evidently a keyindicator of wealth and status,mostly worn by men.

The other type is one or more spiral metal coils of many turns, often worn only by married women.

Illusion of elongation

In a fewAfricanandAsian cultures,neck rings are worn usually to create the appearance that the neck has been stretched.

The custom of wearing neck rings is related to anideal of beauty:an elongated neck. Neck rings push theclavicleandribsdown.The neck stretching is mostly illusory: the weight of the rings twists thecollarboneand eventually the upper ribs at an angle 45 degrees lower than what is natural, causing the illusion of an elongated neck. Thevertebraedo not elongate, though the space between them may increase as theintervertebral discsabsorb liquid.

The custom requires that the girls who wear the neck rings start beforepuberty,in order to get the body used to them. These heavy coils can weigh as much as 11 pounds (5 kg).

Role of tourism

Tourismis often considered to encourage the use of neck ringsin Myanmar,as they are a popular attraction for tourists.

Kayan

A Kayan Lahwi girl in 2004

Padaung(Kayan Lahwi) women of theKayan peoplebegin to wear neck coils from as young as age two. The length of the coil is gradually increased to as much as twenty turns. The weight of the coils will eventually place sufficient pressure on theclavicles(collarbone) to cause them to deform and create an impression of a longer neck.

Small Kayan girls may wear brass collars from the age of two to five years old, as it is more comfortable to deform the collarbone and upper ribs slowly. The alternative, an accelerated process at around the age of twelve, when girls first begin to compete for the attention of boys, is painful.Marco Polofirst described the practice to Western culture in c. 1300. Refugee practitioners inThailandwere first accessible to tourists in 1984.

Ndebele

Traditional Ndebele dress

TheSouth Ndebele peoplesof Africa also wear neck rings as part of their traditional dress and as a sign of wealth and status. Only married women are allowed to wear the rings, calleddzilla.Metal rings are also worn on different parts of the body, not just the neck. Traditionally these rings are given to a wife by her husband, and not removed until the husband's death; however, these rings are individual and do not function as a body modification.The rings are usually made of copper or brass, usually stacked in multiples of 3.

See also

• Foot binding
• Genital cutting (disambiguation)
• Genital modification and mutilation
• Body modification
• Stretching (body piercing)
• Body piercing

External links

• Page about Karen tradition
• Page about Kayan Lahwi neck rings
• PadaungNational Geographic film