The Karen

 

The Karen are the most populous of the ethnic minorities in Thailand and Burma. There are over five million in Burma and an estimated 400,000 in Thailand. They are of Sino-Tibetan origin and comprise many sub-groups, including the Kayah. In Thailand, those in the south are mainly Pwo Karen, while those in the north are Sgaw. The majority are Theravada Buddhist (65%), while another 15% are Christian. However, both religions are underpinned by the traditional animist culture, in which the supreme spirit is the “Lord of Land and Water” who must be propitiated in order for health and livelihood to be maintained. Health and prosperity of each individual depends on sustaining the equilibrium between the 37 ‘kala’ or spirits, which inhabit the body. To this end, the most important person in the village is the priest, whose task is to keep the spirits in good humour. The village headman takes a relatively minor role, especially since decisions must be made by consensus rather than by leadership. 

 

The Karen are the least mobile of the hill tribes. They rarely move far, keeping a stable pattern of agriculture which enables them to produce fruit and other crops which demand some degree of continuity in their cultivation. Riches and status among the Karen are based on property, not on silver or gold. The highest status is to be the owner of an elephant.

 

Tobacco is  an essential component of Karen culture, and a good pipe is a source of joy.  In courtship, a couple will exchange pipes as a symbol of their engagement. The women weave cloth for their own use, the Pwo favouring red and white, while Sgaw prefer black.  They use backstrap looms.

 

Since Independence in 1949, the Karen have been in conflict with the Burman-dominated central government in a struggle for autonomy. This desire stemmed from the promise of a Karen Homeland named “Kawthoolie” which the Karen expected to be delivered by the British when they left. In 1976, this demand was modified to a call for a federal state, but was still denied by Tatmadaw, the Burmese military government.

 

Recently, in 2021, since the illegal military takeover in Burma, conflict has been escalating once more. Attacks by Karen National Liberation Army troops on government military positions have resulted in retaliatory airstrikes on Karen villages along the Thai border and the displacement of an estimated 45,000 people. There are already 128,000 in refugee camps. The flashpoint occurred at a sleepy little village called ‘Mae Sam Laep’…