1. Population:

Thailand: 438,131 in 2003, distributed between 1.912 villages.

2. Name

The Karen are the largest ethnic minority in Thailand. The central Thais call them Kariang, and the northern Thais call them Yang. In Thailand, there are two main groups of Karen, the Sgaw or S’Kaw and the Pwo, together with two smaller groups, the Pa O (Taungtu or Tongsu) and the Kayah (Karenni or Bwe).

3. Language

Language family: Sino-Tibetan; language group: Tibeto-Burman

Linguistic branch: Karenni The two main languages spoken in Thailand are Sgaw and Pwo. They are very different from each other. There are also many dialects that frequently use words from the Burmese languages of Mon and Tai Yai (the language of the Shan).

4. Origins and migration

Karen, originating from Thibi Kawbi, settled in Burma centuries ago. After crossing the Salween River in the 18th century, they moved south to Thailand, settling with the Lawa and Yuan communities, due to conflicts between Thais and Burmese.

5. Location

Thailand (the provinces of Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son, Tak, Chiang Rai, Kanchanaburi, Lampang and Sukothai).

– Burma.

6. Economy and agriculture

Karen farmers practice slash-and-burn farming, mainly growing rice on terraces, fruit, and vegetables. They use crop rotation, controlling burning and weeding to prevent soil erosion and fallow areas. The farming year is marked by festivals and special ceremonies, including the Karen New Year celebration. Animal husbandry includes raising chickens, pigs, water buffalo, and elephants.

7. Society

Karen society is matriarchal. The Karen are monogamous, and the family, i.e., a married couple and their children, constitutes the social and economic base of the tribe. So each family or household contains only one or two generations, in contrast with most of the other hill tribes, where there will be three or four generations in one house.

Marriage and divorce

In general, young men can marry the girl of their choice and can ask for her hand themselves. The agreement then

sealed by an exchange of pipes of tobacco between the families. The wedding lasts two or three days, during which there is a succession of processions and ceremonies and a great deal of eating and drinking. The bride replaces the long white dress that she wore as a girl with her new costume, which consists of a sarong and a blouse.

After they are married, the couple live for at least two years in the girl’s village, either in her parent’s house or in a house of their own. Moreover, sexual relations before marriage are forbidden, and it is not unusual for a young couple to have to pay a fine when they get married for having broken this rule.

Divorce is rare and heavily disapproved of. Adultery is even more severely condemned and is much rarer than in the other ethnic minorities because it brings the risk of being punished by the Lord of the Earth and Water in the form of bad harvests, sickness, etc.

Child-birth

When a Karen woman is pregnant, her first concern is following a special diet. She gives up drinking alcohol or eating jackfruit, which could cause skin disease in the baby.

The young woman gives birth at home in a crouching position, holding onto a rope that is tied to the main rope beam, while the midwives rub her stomach to ensure the baby comes out in the right way.

Once the baby is born, the placenta is placed inside a length of bamboo and buried. Then a priest comes and chants incantations, and a piece of white cotton is tied around the baby’s neck to ward off possible illness. A month later, a name-giving ceremony is held for the child.during which his or her ears are pierced, to show that the child is human and not a monkey.

Death and funeral rites

The Karen believe that a dead person goes to an underworld ruled by the Lord of the Earth and Water. Life there is the same as on earth, and the dead spend their time in similar occupations (farming, hunting, fishing, etc.). At a funeral, the body of the dead person is bathed, dressed in his or her best clothes, and then burned or buried in a ceremony where the women dance and sing with their faces covered in a silk veil.

8. Religious beliefs, practices and rites.

Karen, an animist group, believe in a Lord of the Earth and Water who controls natural phenomena. They have been converted to Christianity by Western missionaries and Buddhism by those living in lowland areas of Thailand or Burma. Each village has a priest responsible for maintaining harmony between the living and spirits, admitting new residents, and banishing those breaking taboos. An ancestral spirit (Bga) is honored annually, and Karens must attend ceremonies dressed in Karen costumes. Due to geographical dispersal, some Karens tattoo their bodies with protective signs. They also value the thirty souls, or Kala, that keep humans alive.

10. Villages

Karen, an animist group, believes in a Lord of the Earth and Water who masters natural phenomena. In the 20th century, many Karen were converted to Christianity by Western missionaries, while others, especially in lowland areas of Thailand or Burma, converted to Buddhism. The priest in each village maintains harmony between the living and spirits by offering offerings and ensuring the protection of family members. The ancestral spirit (Bga) is honored annually, and members dress in Karen costumes to participate in ceremonies. The Karen also value the forces that keep men alive, with thirty Kala souls that live within each human being.

11. Houses

Karen houses are built on stilts, with bamboo walls and roofs covered with thatched reeds or leaves. The house has a large veranda for cooking and weaving, a single room with a hearth, and a screen for privacy. There is no altar or central building for religious purposes, unlike in Christian villages with a church. A separate rice barn is built from the same materials, and rice can be stored in woven baskets. The grindstone used for milling rice serves as a meeting place for multiple families.