Karen people#Kawthoolei

File:MyanmarKayin.png in Myanmar]]

Karen legends refer to a "river of running sand" which their ancestors reputedly crossed. Many Karen believe this refers to the Gobi Desert, even though they have lived in Myanmar for centuries. Most scholars dismiss the notion of a Gobi desert crossing, but instead translate the legend as describing "rivers of water flowing with sand". This could refer to the sediment-laden Yellow River of China, the upper reaches of which are considered to be the Urheimat of Sino-Tibetan languages.{{cite journal|last=Zhang |display-authors=etal|title=Phylogenetic evidence for Sino-Tibetan origin in northern China in the Late Neolithic|journal=Nature|year=2019|volume=569|issue=7754|pages=112–115|doi=10.1038/s41586-019-1153-z|pmid=31019300|bibcode=2019Natur.569..112Z|s2cid=129946000}}

According to the legends, the Karen took a long time to cook shellfish at the river of flowing sand, until the Chinese taught the Karens to open the shells so as to acquire the meat. It is estimated by linguists Luce and Lehman that the Tibeto-Burman peoples such as the Karen migrated into present-day Myanmar between 300 and 800 CE.{{cite book |last1=Richard M. Cooler |title=The Karen Bronze Drums of Burma: Types, Iconography, Manufacture, and Use |date=1995 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=9004099336 |page=26}}

Karen refers to a heterogeneous lot of ethnic groups that do not share a common language, culture, religion, or material characteristics.{{cite journal|last=Cheesman|first=Nick|date=2 September 2002|title=Seeing 'Karen' in the Union of Myanmar|journal=Asian Ethnicity|publisher=Carfax Publishing|volume=3|issue=2|pages=199–220|doi=10.1080/14631360220132736|s2cid=145727605}} A pan-Karen ethnic identity is a relatively modern creation, established in the 19th century with the conversion of some Karen to Christianity and shaped by British colonial policies and practices.{{cite book|last=Guo|first=Rongxing|author2=Carla Freeman|title=Managing Fragile Regions: Method and Application|publisher=Springer|year=2010|page=19|isbn=978-1-4419-6435-9}}{{cite book|last=Keyes|first=Charles F.|title=Living at The Edge of Thai Society: The Karen in The Highlands of Northern Thailand|publisher=Routledge|pages=210–212|isbn=978-1-134-35907-3|date=March 2004}}

"Karen" is an Anglicisation of the Burmese word Kayin ({{lang|my|ကရင်}}), whose etymology is unclear. The word may have originally been a derogatory term referring to non-Buddhist ethnic groups, or it may derive from Kanyan, a possibly Mon name of a vanished civilisation.

In pre-colonial times, the low-lying Burmese and Mon-speaking kingdoms recognised two general categories of Karen, the Talaing Kayin ({{lang|my|တလိုင်းကရင်}}), generally lowlanders who were recognised as the "original settlers" and essential to Mon court life, and the Karen ({{lang|my|ဗမာကရင်}}), highlanders who were subordinated or assimilated by the Bamar.{{cite journal|last=Harriden |first=Jessica |year=2002 |title=Making a Name for Themselves: Karen Identity and Politicization of Ethnicity in Burma |journal=Journal of Burma Studies |volume=7 |pages=84–144 |url=http://www.niu.edu/burma/publications/jbs/vol7/Abstract4_HarridenOpt.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130704201154/http://www.niu.edu/burma/publications/jbs/vol7/Abstract4_HarridenOpt.pdf |archive-date=4 July 2013 |doi=10.1353/jbs.2002.0003 |s2cid=144325668 }}

Estimates suggest that the Karen began inhabiting what is now Myanmar approximately 2,500 years ago, migrating from regions that are now Mongolia and Tibet. They settled primarily in the hills bordering the eastern mountainous region of Myanmar.{{Cite web |title=Karen in Myanmar |url=https://minorityrights.org/communities/karen/ |access-date=2024-12-26 |website=Minority Rights Group |language=en-US}}

Research indicates that the Karen exhibit signs of genetic isolation, suggesting a distinct genetic lineage separate from neighboring populations. A study focusing on the Kayah (Red Karen) in Northern Thailand analyzed autosomal short tandem repeats (STRs) and Y-chromosomal haplogroups. The findings revealed that the Kayah people are genetically closer to other Southeast Asian populations than to those from Northeast Asia or Tibet.{{Cite journal |title=Genetic variation in Northern Thailand Hill Tribes: origins and relationships with social structure and linguistic differences |date=2007 |pmc=1963483 |last1=Besaggio |first1=D. |last2=Fuselli |first2=S. |last3=Srikummool |first3=M. |last4=Kampuansai |first4=J. |last5=Castrì |first5=L. |last6=Tyler-Smith |first6=C. |last7=Seielstad |first7=M. |last8=Kangwanpong |first8=D. |last9=Bertorelle |first9=G. |journal=BMC Evolutionary Biology |volume=7 |issue=Suppl 2 |pages=S12 |doi=10.1186/1471-2148-7-S2-S12 |doi-access=free |pmid=17767728 |bibcode=2007BMCEE...7S..12B }}

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File:Thai Earplug 5.jpg

File:2010 Karen girls Khun Yuam district.jpg, Mae Hong Son Province, Thailand.]]

File:Karen house entrance.JPG]]

The Karen constitute the third largest ethnic population in Myanmar, after the Bamars and Shans.{{cite web |url=http://www.myanmar.com/people/kayin.html |title=Kayin |date=May 2006 |publisher=Myanmar.com |access-date=28 February 2011 |archive-date=31 December 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231063554/http://myanmar.com/people/kayin.html |url-status=live }}

The Karen people live mostly in the hills bordering the eastern mountainous region and Irrawaddy delta of Myanmar,This area is generally referred to as the Karen Hills in colonial literature, especially natural history texts such as Evans (1932). primarily in Kayin State (formerly Karen State), with some in Kayah State, southern Shan State, Ayeyarwady Region, Tanintharyi Region, Bago Division and in northern{{cite news |last1=Yumnam |first1=Jiten |title=The Karen people's pursuit for survival in Northern Thailand |url=http://e-pao.net/epPageExtractor.asp?src=features.Karen_people_pursuit_for_survival_in_Northern_Thailand_By_Jiten_Yumnam.html |access-date=4 February 2021 |work=E-Pao |date=11 November 2018 |archive-date=8 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210208054303/http://e-pao.net/epPageExtractor.asp?src=features.Karen_people_pursuit_for_survival_in_Northern_Thailand_By_Jiten_Yumnam.html |url-status=live }} and western Thailand.

The total number of Karen is difficult to estimate. The last reliable census of Myanmar was conducted in 1931.[https://www.tni.org/en/briefing/ethnicity-without-meaning-data-without-context Ethnicity without Meaning, Data without Context- The 2014 Census: Identity and Citizenship in Burma/Myanmar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201028044632/https://www.tni.org/en/briefing/ethnicity-without-meaning-data-without-context |date=28 October 2020 }} 24 February 2014 www.tni.org, accessed 7 January 2020 A 2006 Voice of America article cites an estimate of seven million Karen in Myanmar.{{citation needed|date=January 2020}} There are another 400,000{{cite book|editor-last=Delang|editor-first= Claudio O. |year=2003|title=Living at the Edge of Thai Society: The Karen in the Highlands of Northern Thailand|publisher=Routledge|location=London}} Karen in Thailand, where they are by far the largest of the hill tribes. Others live in refugee camps in Thailand.[https://www.burmalink.org/background/thailand-burma-border/overview/ Home/Background/Thailand-Burma Border/Overview] www.burmalink.org, updated 6 October 2016, accessed 2 January 2020

Some Karen have left the refugee camps in Thailand to resettle elsewhere, including in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia. In 2011, the Karen diaspora population was estimated to be approximately 67,000.{{cite book|last1=Thawnghmung|first1=Ardeth Maung|title=The "Other" Karen in Myanmar: Ethnic Minorities and the Struggle without Arms|date=22 June 2013|publisher=Lexington Books|location=Lanham|isbn=978-0739184523|page=84}}

{{further|Internal conflict in Myanmar}}

Following British victories in the three Anglo-Burmese wars, Myanmar was annexed as a province of British India in 1886. Baptist missionaries introduced Christianity to Myanmar beginning in 1830, and they were successful in converting many Karen.{{cite book |first=Mikael |last=Gravers |year=2007 |chapter=Conversion and Identity: Religion and the Formation of Karen Ethnic Identity in Burma |editor-first=Mikael |editor-last=Gravers |title=Exploring Ethnic Diversity in Burma |location=Copenhagen |publisher=Nordic Institute of Asian Studies |page=228 |isbn=978-87-91114-96-0 |quote=An estimated 15-20 percent of Pwo and Sgaw Karen are Christian [...] historical confrontation of Buddhism and Christianity which was a crucial part of the colonial conquest of Burma. This confrontation, which began with Christian conversion in 1830, created an internal opposition among the Karen.}} Christian Karens were favoured by the British colonial authorities and were given opportunities not available to the Burmese ethnic majority, including military recruitment and seats in the legislature.{{cite web|last1=Silverstein|first1=Josef|title=Burma: Military Rule and the Politics of Stagnation|url=http://www.khamkoo.com/uploads/9/0/0/4/9004485/burma-military_rule_and_the_politics_of_stagnation.pdf|website=khamkoo|access-date=28 June 2017|page=16|archive-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628094023/http://www.khamkoo.com/uploads/9/0/0/4/9004485/burma-military_rule_and_the_politics_of_stagnation.pdf|url-status=live}} Some Christian Karens began asserting an identity apart from their non-Christian counterparts, and many became leaders of Karen ethno-nationalist organisations, including the Karen National Union.

In 1881 the Karen National Associations (KNA) was founded by western-educated Christian Karens to represent Karen interests with the British. Despite its Christian leadership, the KNA sought to unite all Karens of different regional and religious backgrounds into one organisation.Ardeth Maung Thawnghmung, The "Other" Karen in Myanmar: Ethnic Minorities and the Struggle without Arms (UK: Lexington Books, 2012), 29. They argued at the 1917 Montagu–Chelmsford hearings in India that Myanmar was not "yet in a fit state for self-government". Three years later, after submitting a criticism of the 1920 Craddock Reforms, they won 5 (and later 12) seats in the Legislative Council of 130 (expanded to 132) members. The majority Buddhist Karens were not organised until 1939 with the formation of a Buddhist KNA.

In 1938 the British colonial administration recognised Karen New Year as a public holiday.{{cite book|first=Martin|last=Smith|year=1991|title=Burma – Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity|publisher=Zed Books|location=London and New Jersey|pages=50–51,62–63,72–73,78–79,82–84,114–118,86,119}}{{cite journal |url=http://burmalibrary.org/docskaren/Karen%20Heritage%20Web/pdf/Karen%20Culture%202005.pdf |title=The First Karen New Year Message, 1938 |journal=Karen Heritage |volume=1 |issue=1 |access-date=11 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090319072936/http://burmalibrary.org/docskaren/Karen%20Heritage%20Web/pdf/Karen%20Culture%202005.pdf |archive-date=19 March 2009 }}

During World War II, when the Japanese occupied the region, long-term tensions between the Karen and Burma turned into open fighting. As a consequence, many villages were destroyed and massacres committed by both the Japanese and the Burma Independence Army (BIA) troops who helped the Japanese invade the country. Among the victims were a pre-war Cabinet minister, Saw Pe Tha, and his family. A government report later claimed the "excesses of the BIA" and "the loyalty of the Karens towards the British" as the reasons for these attacks. The intervention by Colonel Suzuki Keiji, the Japanese commander of the BIA, after meeting a Karen delegation led by Saw Tha Din, appears to have prevented further atrocities.

The Karen people aspired to have the regions where they formed the majority turned into a subdivision or "state" within Myanmar similar to what the Shan, Kachin and Chin peoples had been given. A goodwill mission led by Saw Tha Din and Saw Ba U Gyi to London in August 1946 failed to receive any encouragement from the British government for any separatist demands.

In January 1947 a delegation of representatives of the Governor's Executive Council headed by Aung San was invited to London to negotiate for the Aung San–Attlee Treaty, but none of the ethnic minority groups was included by the British government. The following month at the Panglong Conference, when an agreement was signed between Aung San as head of the interim Burmese government and the Shan, Kachin and Chin leaders, the Karen were present only as observers; the Mon and Arakanese were also absent.{{cite book|last1=Christie|first1=Clive J.|title=A Modern History of Southeast Asia: Decolonization, Nationalism and Separatism|date=1996|publisher=Tauris Academic Studies|location=London [u.a.]|isbn=978-1860643545|page=72|edition=Reprint.}}

The British promised to consider the case of the Karen after the war. While the situation of the Karen was discussed, nothing practical was done before the British left Myanmar. The 1947 Constitution, drawn without Karen participation due to their boycott of the elections to the Constituent Assembly, also failed to address the Karen question specifically and clearly, leaving it to be discussed only after independence. The Shan and Karenni states were given the right to secession after 10 years, the Kachin their own state, and the Chin a special division. The Mon and Arakanese of Ministerial Myanmar were not given any consideration.

In early February 1947, the Karen National Union (KNU) was formed at a Karen Congress attended by 700 delegates from the Karen National Associations, both Baptist and Buddhist (KNA, founded 1881), the Karen Central Organisation (KCO) and its youth wing, the Karen Youth Organisation (KYO), at Vinton Memorial Hall in Yangon. The meeting called for a Karen state with a seaboard, an increased number of seats (25%) in the Constituent Assembly, a new ethnic census, and a continuance of Karen units in the armed forces. The deadline of 3 March passed without a reply from the British government, and Saw Ba U Gyi, the first president of the KNU, resigned from the Governor's Executive Council the next day.

After the war ended, Myanmar was granted independence in January 1948, and the Karen, led by the KNU, attempted to co-exist peacefully with the Burman ethnic majority. Karen people held leading positions in both the government and the army. In the fall of 1948, the Burmese government, led by U Nu, began raising and arming irregular political militias known as Sitwundan. These militias were under the command of Major Gen. Ne Win and outside the control of the regular army. In January 1949, some of these militias went on a rampage through Karen communities.

The Karen National Union has maintained its structure and purpose from the 1950s onward. The KNU acts as a governmental presence for the Karen people, offering basic social services for those affected by the insurgency, such as Karen refugees or internally displaced Karen. These services include building school systems in Thailand and inside Burma,Schooling, Identity, and Nationhood: Karen Mother-Tongue-Based Education in the Thai–Burmese Border Region Soc. Sci. 2023, 12(3), 163; https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12030163 by Hayso Thako and Tony Waters providing medical services, regulating trade and commerce, and providing security through the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the KNU's army.

In late January 1949, the Army Chief of Staff, Gen. Smith Dun, a Karen, was removed from office and imprisoned. He was replaced by the Burmese nationalist Ne Win. Simultaneously a commission was looking into the Karen problem and this commission was about to report their findings to the Burmese government. The findings of the report were overshadowed by this political shift at the top of the Burmese government. The Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), formed in July 1947, then rose up in an insurgency against the government. They were helped by the defections of the Karen Rifles and the Union Military Police (UMP) units which had been successfully deployed in suppressing the earlier Burmese Communist rebellions, and came close to capturing Yangon itself. The most notable was the Battle of Insein, nine miles from Yangon, where they held out in a 111-day siege till late May 1949.

Years later, the Karen had become the largest of 20 minority groups participating in an insurgency against the military dictatorship in Yangon. During the 1980s, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) fighting force numbered approximately 20,000. After an uprising of the people of Myanmar in 1988, known as the 8888 Uprising, the KNLA had accepted those demonstrators in their bases along the border. The dictatorship expanded the army and launched a series of major offensives against the KNLA. By 2006, the KNLA's strength had shrunk to less than 4,000, opposing what is now a 400,000-man Burmese army. However, the political arm of the KNLA – the KNU – continued efforts to resolve the conflict through political means.

The conflict continues {{As of|2006|lc=on}}, with a new KNU headquarters in Mu Aye Pu, on the Burmese–Thai border. In 2004, the BBC, citing aid agencies, estimates that up to 200,000 Karen have been driven from their homes during decades of war, with 160,000 more refugees from Myanmar, mostly Karen, living in refugee camps on the Thai side of the border. The largest camp is the one in Mae La, Tak province, Thailand, where about 50,000 Karen refugees are hosted.{{cite web|url=http://www.arcmthailand.com/documents/documentcenter/Karen%20refugees%20in%20Thailand.pdf |author=Fratticcioli, Alessio |year=2011 |title=Karen Refugees in Thailand (abridged) |publisher=Asian Research Center for Migration – Institute of Asian studies (IAS), Chulalongkorn University |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107084131/http://www.arcmthailand.com/documents/documentcenter/Karen%20refugees%20in%20Thailand.pdf |archive-date=7 January 2016 }}

Reports as recently as February 2010, state that the Burmese army continues to burn Karen villages, displacing thousands of people.{{cite web|url=http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue8685.html |title=Burma army burns more than 70 houses of Karen people |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225111602/http://christiantelegraph.com/issue8685.html |archive-date=25 December 2010 }}

Many Karen, including people such as former KNU secretary Padoh Mahn Sha Lah Phan and his daughter, Zoya Phan, have accused the military government of Myanmar of ethnic cleansing.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4987224.stm |title=Asia-Pacific – Burma Karen families 'on the run' |publisher=BBC |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060630041734/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4987224.stm |archive-date=30 June 2006 |date=16 May 2006 }}{{cite web|url=http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/country.asp?s=gi&urn=Burma |title=Countries of Focus: Burma |publisher=Christian Solidarity Network |access-date=28 February 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718104206/http://dynamic.csw.org.uk/country.asp?s=gi&urn=Burma |archive-date=18 July 2011 }}{{Cite web|url=http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/1142/?PHPSESSID=3fc64258eda9d44c2|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070311043821/http://www.refugeesinternational.org/content/article/detail/1142/?PHPSESSID=3fc64258eda9d44c2|url-status=dead|title=Refugeesinternational.org|archivedate=11 March 2007}}{{cite web |url=http://wwwa.house.gov/international_relations/108/mus100103.htm |title=U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs |website=house.gov |access-date=28 June 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061010234225/http://wwwa.house.gov/international_relations/108/mus100103.htm |archive-date=10 October 2006}}{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/credo-zoya-phan-1680127.html |location=London |work=The Independent |first=Adam |last=Jacques |title=Credo: Zoya Phan |date=10 May 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607101140/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/credo-zoya-phan-1680127.html |archive-date=7 June 2009 }} The U.S. State Department has also cited the Burmese government for suppression of religious freedom.{{cite web|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2005/51506.htm |title=Burma |work=U.S. Department of State }}

A 2005 New York Times article on a report by Guy Horton into depredations by the Myanmar Army against the Karen and other groups in eastern Myanmar stated:

Using victims' statements, photographs, maps and film, and advised by legal counsel to the UN tribunal on the former Yugoslavia, he purports to have documented slave labour, systematic rape, the conscription of child soldiers, massacres and the deliberate destruction of villages, food sources and medical services.{{cite news|last1=Macgregor|first1=John|title=A witness's plea to end Myanmar abuse|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/18/world/asia/18iht-burma.html|access-date=28 June 2017|work=The New York Times|date=19 May 2005}}

Throughout the insurgency, hundreds of thousands of Karen fled to refugee camps while many others (numbers unknown) were internally displaced persons within the Karen state. The refugees were concentrated in camps along the Myanmar–Thailand border. According to refugee accounts, the camps suffered from overcrowding, disease, and periodic attacks by the Myanmar Army.{{cite book|last1=Phan|first1=Zoya|last2=Lewis|first2=Damien|title=Undaunted: A Memoir of Survival in Burma and the West|date=2013|publisher=Free Press|location=New York|isbn=978-1439102879}}

Around 400,000 Karen people are without housing, and 128,000 are living in camps on the Thailand-Burma border. According to BMC, "79% of refugees living in these camps are Karen ethnicity."{{cite journal|last1=Cook |first1=Tonya L. |last2=Shannon |first2=Patricia J. |last3=Vinson |first3=Gregory A. |last4=Letts |first4=James P. |last5=Dwee |first5=Ehtaw |title=War trauma and torture experiences reported during public health screening of newly resettled Karen refugees: a qualitative study |journal=BMC International Health and Human Rights |volume=15 |pages=8 |doi=10.1186/s12914-015-0046-y |pmid=25881236 |pmc=4414007 |date=8 April 2015 |doi-access=free }} Their lives are restricted in the camps because they usually cannot go out, and the Thai police might arrest them if they do. Employment for the Karen refugees is scarce and risky. Former refugee Hla Wah said, "No jobs [...] So if adults wanted to work, they had to leave quietly without getting caught by Thai police."{{cite web|title=On her own |url=https://multco.us/global/news/her-own |website=Multnomah County |access-date=28 June 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170108132357/https://multco.us/global/news/her-own |archive-date=8 January 2017 |date=21 August 2015 }} Wah is a Karen refugee who lived in a camp where she went to school and helped her family because her parents sought to go out to work, but they earned little money. Wah suffered from malnutrition because her parents did not have money to buy food for her nine siblings.

There is an established governance system in the camps, which are funded by the United Nations, and other donors. The Karen Refugee Committee governs the day-to-day administration of the camp under the authority of the Thai government which guards entrances and exits to the camp. Within the camp there is a robust school system for children up to high school. In some camps there are college courses organized by the Karen Refugee Committee – Education Entity.

{{main|Karen Americans}}

Beginning in 2000, the Karen started resettling in the United States and Canada.

Many Karen arrive without speaking the local language. "90% of the Karen refugees reported no knowledge of English or French on arrival."{{cite web|last1=Marchbank|first1=Jennifer|title=Karen Refugees After Five Years in Canada-Readying Communities for Refugee Resettlement|url=https://issbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Karen_Refugees_After_Five_Years_in_Canada_CS.pdf|website=Immigrant Services Society of BC (ISSofBC)|date=July 2014|access-date=28 June 2017|archive-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628094023/https://issbc.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Karen_Refugees_After_Five_Years_in_Canada_CS.pdf|url-status=live}}

An estimated 20,000 Karen live in Minnesota,{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://mnkaren.org/about/ |access-date=2025-02-24 |website=Karen Organization of Minnesota |language=en}}{{cite news|last1=Walsh|first1=James|url=http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-swears-in-nation-s-first-karen-police-officer/286310851/|title=St. Paul swears in nation's first Karen police officer|work=Star Tribune|access-date=28 June 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170329163034/http://www.startribune.com/st-paul-swears-in-nation-s-first-karen-police-officer/286310851/|archive-date=29 March 2017}} primarily Saint Paul.Saint Paul Public Library. Children's Books in Karen, Amharic, and Oromo. Retrieved from https://sppl.org/childrens-books-in-karen-amharic-and-oromo/ More than 5,000 Karen live in Nebraska,{{Cite web |last=Reist |first=Margaret |date=4 January 2014 |title=Lincoln's growing Karen community celebrates new year |url=https://journalstar.com/news/local/lincolns-growing-karen-community-celebrates-new-year/article_d5531aa8-5ec2-54f9-a5e2-8fdf3615b42c.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030145421/https://journalstar.com/news/local/lincolns-growing-karen-community-celebrates-new-year/article_d5531aa8-5ec2-54f9-a5e2-8fdf3615b42c.html |archive-date=30 October 2020 |access-date=22 April 2020 |website=JournalStar.com |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=http://www.karenksn.org/aboutus/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200924132441/https://www.karenksn.org/aboutus/index.html |archive-date=24 September 2020 |access-date=22 April 2020 |website=www.karenksn.org}} and the Karen have also resettled in Southern California and central New York.

In 2014, Ler Htoo was sworn in after graduating from the St. Paul Police Academy in Minnesota as the first Karen police officer in the United States. Mu Aye is a young Karen woman who has resettled in San Diego, CA. Aye said, "After growing up in a place like I did, I wanted to become a nurse. I wanted to help sick people [...] travel to refugee camps in Thailand and care for people who cannot afford medication." Additionally, Eh De Gray, who graduated from San Diego's Crawford High School, wants to go back to the camps and share his knowledge with the school children. Gray said, "I want to share my knowledge and experiences with them."{{cite news|last1=Yan Naing|first1=Saw|title=In Struggle and Success, California's Karen Refugees Remember Their Roots|url=https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/in-struggle-and-success-californias-karen-refugees-remember-their-roots.html|work=The Irrawaddy|access-date=28 June 2017|date=11 June 2015|archive-date=28 June 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170628094023/https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/in-struggle-and-success-californias-karen-refugees-remember-their-roots.html|url-status=live}}

{{main|Karen people in the Andaman Islands}}

There is a population of 2,500 Karen in India, mostly restricted to Mayabunder Tehsil of the Northern Andaman Islands within the union territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Nearly all of them are Baptist Protestant Christians. They retain their language to intercommunicate within community, but use Hindi as a second language to communicate with non-Karen neighbours.

{{Main|Karenic languages}}

The Karen languages, members of the Tibeto-Burman group of the Sino-Tibetan language family, consist of three mutually unintelligible branches: Sgaw, Eastern Pwo, and Western Pwo.{{cite web|url=http://stedt.berkeley.edu/html/STfamily.html |title=The Sino-Tibetan Language Family |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060813181307/http://stedt.berkeley.edu/html/STfamily.html |archive-date=13 August 2006 }}{{cite book|last1= Lewis|first1 = Paul|first2=Elaine|last2= Lewis|year=1984| title=Peoples of the Golden Triangle|url= https://archive.org/details/peoplesofgoldent0000lewi|url-access= registration| publisher = Thames and Hudson Ltd.|location = London| isbn = 978-0-500-97472-8}}

The Karen languages are almost unique among the Tibeto-Burman languages in having a subject–verb–object word order; other than Karen and Bai, Tibeto-Burman languages typically feature a subject–object–verb order. This anomaly is likely due to the influence of neighbouring Mon and Tai languages.{{cite journal| last = Matisoff| first = James A.| title = Sino-Tibetan Linguistics: Present State and Future Prospects| journal = Annual Review of Anthropology| volume = 20| issue = 1| pages = 469–504| year = 1991| doi = 10.1146/annurev.an.20.100191.002345}}

File:Buddhist Karen in Yangon.JPG

The majority of Karen are Theravada Buddhists who also practice animism, while approximately 15–30 percent are Christian.{{cite web|title=The Karen People|website=Karen Culture and Social Support Foundation|url=https://kcssf.org.au/about-us/the-karen-people/|access-date=28 November 2018|date=20 December 2015|archive-date=13 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240313005747/https://kcssf.org.au/about-us/the-karen-people/|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal|last=Keenan|first=Paul|url=http://burmalibrary.org/docskaren/Karen%20Heritage%20Web/pdf/Faith.pdf|title=Faith at a Crossroads; Religions and Beliefs of the Karen People of Burma|journal=Karen Heritage|volume=1|issue=1|archive-date=5 November 2016|access-date=11 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161105003038/http://burmalibrary.org/docskaren/Karen%20Heritage%20Web/pdf/Faith.pdf|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|url=https://minorityrights.org/minorities/karen/|title=Karen|date=19 June 2015|website=Minority Rights Group|access-date=6 July 2023|archive-date=27 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327114214/https://minorityrights.org/minorities/karen/|url-status=live}} Lowland Pwo-speaking Karens tend to be more orthodox Buddhists, whereas highland Sgaw-speaking Karens tend to be heterodox Buddhists who profess strong animist beliefs.

Karen animism is defined by a belief in ကလၤ k'lar (soul), thirty-seven spirits that embody every individual. Misfortune and sickness are believed to be caused by k'lar that wander away, and death occurs when all thirty-seven klar leave the body.

Karen Buddhists are the most numerous of the Karens and account for around 65 percent of the total Karen population.{{cite journal |last=Hayami |first=Yoko |year=2011 |title=Pagodas and Prophets: Contesting Sacred Space and Power among Buddhist Karen in Karen State |journal=The Journal of Asian Studies |volume=70 |issue=4 |pages=1083–1105 |doi=10.1017/S0021911811001574 |jstor=41349984 |hdl=2433/152402 |s2cid=52888240 |url=https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2433/152402/1/S0021911811001574.pdf |archive-date=25 September 2019 |access-date=25 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925183443/https://repository.kulib.kyoto-u.ac.jp/dspace/bitstream/2433/152402/1/S0021911811001574.pdf |url-status=live }} The Buddhist influence came from the Mon who were dominant in Lower Burma until the middle of the 18th century. Buddhist Karen are found mainly in Kayin State, Mon State, Yangon, Bago and Tanintharyi Region. There are Buddhist monasteries in most Karen villages, and the monastery is the centre of community life. Merit-making activities, such as alms giving, are central to Karen Buddhist life.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/KirstenEA-Karen%20Buddhism.htm |title=Elements of Pwo Karen Buddhism |last=Andersen |first=Kirsten Ewers |year=1978 |website=The Scandinavian Institute of Asian Studies |location=Copenhagen |access-date=14 April 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120501120056/http://www.ibiblio.org/obl/docs/KirstenEA-Karen%20Buddhism.htm |archive-date=1 May 2012 }}

Buddhism was brought to Pwo-speaking Karens in the late-1700s, and the Yedagon Monastery atop Mount Zwegabin became the leading center of Karen language Buddhist literature. Many millennial sects were founded throughout the 1800s, led by Karen Buddhist minlaung rebels.{{cite book|last=Thawnghmung|first=Ardeth Maung|title=The 'Other' Karen in Myanmar|publisher=Lexington Books|year=2011|isbn=978-0-7391-6852-3}} Two sects, Telakhon (or Telaku) and Leke, were founded in the 1860s. The Telaku sect, founded in Kyaing and considered a Buddhist sect, is a mixture of spirit worship, Karen customs and worship of the future Buddha Metteyya. The Leke sect was founded on the western banks of the Thanlwin River, and is no longer associated with Buddhism (as followers do not venerate Buddhist monks).

Followers believe that the future Buddha will return to Earth if they maintain their moral practices (following the Dharma and precepts), and they practice vegetarianism, hold Saturday services and construct distinct pagodas. Several Buddhist socioreligious movements, both orthodox and heterodox, have arisen in the past century. Duwae, a type of pagoda worship, with animistic origins, is also practised.

There are several prominent Karen Buddhist monks, including Thuzana (S'gaw) and Zagara, who was conferred the Agga Maha Saddammajotika title by the Burmese government in 2004. The Karen of Thailand{{cite web|url=http://www.chiangmai1.com/chiang_mai/karen.shtml |title=The Karen Hilltribe in Chiang Mai |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120620130715/http://www.chiangmai1.com/chiang_mai/karen.shtml |archive-date=20 June 2012 }} have their own religion, but some have converted to Buddhism through the efforts of missionaries.{{Cite web |last=Studio |first=Zubvector |title=The WFB's Dhammaduta Activity in Om-koi District, Chiangmai Province |url=https://www.wfbhq.org/news-detail.php?id=002000230 |access-date=2024-01-12 |website=www.wfbhq.org |language=en |archive-date=12 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240112154343/https://www.wfbhq.org/news-detail.php?id=002000230 |url-status=live }}

File:IMG JudsonChurch.JPG Memorial Baptist Church is the main place of worship for the Karen community in Mandalay, Myanmar.]]

Tha Byu, the first convert to Christianity in 1828, was baptised by Rev. George Boardman, an associate of Adoniram Judson, founder of the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society. Today there are Christians belonging to the Catholic Church and various Protestant denominations. Some of the largest Protestant denominations are Baptists and Seventh-day Adventists.{{cite web|url=http://karenadventistchurch.org// |title=Karen Seventh-day Adventist Church Website |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110427185048/http://karenadventistchurch.org// |archive-date=27 April 2011 }}{{cite web|url=http://asapministries.org/the-plight-of-the-karen/|title=Adventist Southeast Asia Project|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120707041941/http://asapministries.org/the-plight-of-the-karen/|archive-date=7 July 2012}}

A popular legend among the Karen people concerns a prophecy about a book which had been lost and would be returned by a "white brother". This is held to have been fulfilled when the first American Baptist missionaries brought the Bible to the Karen people, but this legend is probably of nineteenth-century origin.{{cite book |last1=Kaloyanides |first1=Alexandra |title=Baptizing Burma: Religious Change in the Last Buddhist Kingdom |date=2023 |publisher=Columbia University Press |page=24 |isbn=9780231553315 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Oo-WEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT24 |access-date=2 October 2023 |archive-date=31 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231231012019/https://books.google.com/books?id=Oo-WEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT24 |url-status=live }}

Alongside orthodox Christianity, some of those who identify themselves as Christian also have syncretised elements of animism with Christianity. The Karen of the Irrawaddy delta are mostly Christians, whereas Buddhists tend to be found mainly in Kayin state and surrounding regions. An estimated 15 to 20 percent of Karen identify themselves as Christian today and about 90 percent of Karen people in the US are Christians.{{cite web|url=http://www.karen.org.au/karen_people.htm |title=Karen people |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128075256/http://www.karen.org.au/karen_people.htm |archive-date=28 January 2012 }} Though other estimates put the Karen Christian population as high as 30 percent.

The Karen Baptist Convention (KBC) was established in 1913. Its headquarters is in Yangon with 20 member associations throughout Myanmar. The KBC operates the KBC Charity Hospital in Insein, Yangon. The KBC also operates the Karen Baptist Theological Seminary in Insein. The seminary runs a theology program as well as a secular degree program (Liberal Arts Programme) to fulfill young Karens' intellectual and vocational needs. The Pwo Karen Baptist Convention is in Ahlone, Yangon and also operates the Pwo Karen Theological Seminary.{{cite web|url=http://www.pkts.org |title=Pwo karen Theological Seminary |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429003153/http://www.pkts.org/ |archive-date=29 April 2011 }} There are other schools for Karen people in Myanmar, such as Paku Divinity School in Taungoo, Kothabyu Bible School in Pathein, and Yangon Home Mission School. The Thailand Karen Baptist Convention is in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

The Seventh-day Adventists have built several schools in the Karen refugee camps in Thailand. Eden Valley Academy in Tak and Karen Adventist Academy in Mae Hong Son are the two largest Seventh-day Adventist Karen schools.

File:Omens in the Sun.jpg

Crop rotation agriculture has been a part of Karen culture for at least several hundred years.{{cite news |last1=Ekachai |first1=Sanitsuda |title=Karen fight to keep farms in parks conflict |url=http://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/832596/karen-fight-to-keep-farms-in-parks-conflict |access-date=12 November 2018 |work=Bangkok Post |date=20 January 2016 |department=Opinion |archive-date=23 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210223154403/https://www.bangkokpost.com/opinion/opinion/832596/karen-fight-to-keep-farms-in-parks-conflict |url-status=live }}

File:Kayin dance(don dance).jpg

File:Talabaw (cropped).jpg, a traditional bamboo soup]]

The don dance is a traditional Karen performance. "Don" roughly translates to "in agreement". The dance is a series of uniform movements accompanied by music played from traditional Karen instruments. During the performance, a "Don Koh" leads the troupe of dancers. The don dance originated from the Pwo Karen, who developed it as a way to reinforce community values.{{cite web |title=Arts |url=https://www.mnkaren.org/history-culture/karen-culture/art/ |website=www.mnkaren.org |publisher=Karen Organization of Minnesota |access-date=7 February 2021 |language=en |archive-date=14 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214063211/https://www.mnkaren.org/history-culture/karen-culture/art/ |url-status=live }}

File:Traditional musical instruments of Myanmar.jpg in Naypyidaw]]

The sae klee dance or bamboo dance is a traditional Karen performance held during celebrations such as Christmas and New Year's. Performers are typically divided into two groups. One group creates a platform by holding bamboo sticks in a checkered pattern, while the other group dances on top of the platform. Dancers must be careful to avoid stepping into one of the platform's many holes.{{cite news |title=World Refugee Day – a time to celebrate |url=https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/people/sdut-world-refugee-day-celebrate-2014jun21-story.html |access-date=8 February 2021 |work=San Diego Union-Tribune |date=22 June 2014 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307193352/https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/lifestyle/people/sdut-world-refugee-day-celebrate-2014jun21-story.html |url-status=live }}

Talabaw or bamboo soup is a traditional Karen dish typically prepared with bamboo shoots, snakehead fish and basil leaves. A small amount of rice and some shreds of meat or seafood may also be added.{{Cite news |date=11 September 2019 |title=Top Ten Kayin things to experience |work=The Myanmar Times |url=https://www.mmtimes.com/news/top-ten-kayin-things-experience.html?qt-social_plugin=1 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827185136/https://www.mmtimes.com/news/top-ten-kayin-things-experience.html |archive-date=27 August 2022}}{{Cite web |last=Kyaw |first=Min Ye |date=2018-07-17 |title=Ethnic recipe: Karen Tarlapaw soup |url=https://www.myanmore.com/2018/07/ethnic-recipe-karen-tarlapaw-soup/ |access-date=2022-12-26 |website=Myanmore Magazine |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=Traditional Foods of Kayin State, Myanmar |url=https://www.mylocalpassion.com/posts/traditional-foods-of-kayin-state |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=MyLocal Passion |archive-date=27 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227094343/https://www.mylocalpassion.com/posts/traditional-foods-of-kayin-state |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |title=ရာသီစာကရင့်ရိုးရာမျှစ်တာလပေါ့ဟင်း |url=https://www.bnionline.net/mm/news-5895.html |access-date=2023-01-11 |website=BNI |language=my}} The soup was traditionally used as a supplement to rice, which was not readily or cheaply available to them.{{Cite web |last=Duwun |title=ကရင်မိသားစုတွေရဲ့ထမင်းဝိုင်းမှာ မပါမဖြစ်တာလပေါဟင်းတစ်ခွက် |url=https://www.duwun.com.mm/article/p-id49930 |access-date=2022-12-27 |website=Duwun |date=4 August 2021 |archive-date=27 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221227103633/https://www.duwun.com.mm/article/p-id49930 |url-status=live }} Talabaw is one of the most well known soups in Myanmar, and widely considered to be the essential dish of Karen cuisine.

The Karen New Year (ကညီနံၣ်ထီၣ်သီ) is one of the major holidays that the Karen people celebrate.{{Cite web|url=https://publicholidays.asia/myanmar/kayin-new-year-day/|title=Kayin New Year Day 2024 and 2025 in Myanmar|website=PublicHolidays.asia|access-date=14 November 2018|archive-date=14 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181114100223/https://publicholidays.asia/myanmar/kayin-new-year-day/|url-status=live}} The date of the Karen New Year on the Gregorian calendar varies as the Karen people use the lunar calendar. The Karen New Year usually falls on a date in December or January on the Gregorian calendar.

Karen National Day is commemorated on February 11.{{Cite web |last=Olive |first=Suzanne |date=2017-02-22 |title=69th Anniversary of Karen National Day Celebration |url=https://mnkaren.org/news/69th-anniversary-of-karen-national-day-celebration/ |access-date=2025-02-12 |website=Karen Organization of Minnesota |language=en}}

Karen Wrist Tying (ကညီလါခူးကံၢ်စု) is an important Karen holiday. This holiday is observed annually in August.

Karen Martyrs' Day (Ma Tu Ra) commemorates the Karen soldiers who have died fighting for Karen self-determination. It is observed annually on 12 August, the anniversary of the death of Saw Ba U Gyi, the first President of the Karen National Union.Rand, Nelson. "Martyr's Day in Myanmar: Karen rebellion." Asia Times. Asia Times Online, 14 Aug. 2003. Web. 28 Apr. 2016.Core, Paul. "Burma/Myanmar: Challenges of a ceasefire accord in Karen state." Journal of Current Southeast Asian Affairs 28.3 (2009): 95–105.

A species of gecko, Hemidactylus karenorum, is named in honour of the Karen people.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. {{ISBN|978-1-4214-0135-5}}. ("Karen", p. 138).

• U Thuzana
• Taung Galay Sayadaw
• Karenni
• Karen Baptist Convention
• Karen Baptist Theological Seminary
• Karen of the Andamans
• Karen Teacher Working Group
• List of Karen
• Paku Divinity School
• Rambo, 2008 film
• {{portal-inline|Myanmar}}

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{cite book| last = Marshall| first = Harry Ignatius| year = 1997| orig-year= 1922| title = The Karen People of Burma. A Study in Anthropology and Ethnology.| publisher = White Lotus}}
• {{cite book| last = Anderson| first = Jon Lee| year = 2004| orig-year= 1992| title = Guerrillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World| publisher = Penguin Books}}
• {{cite book| editor-last = Delang| editor-first = Claudio O. | year = 2003| title = Living at the Edge of Thai Society: The Karen in the Highlands of Northern Thailand| publisher = Routledge| location = London| isbn = 978-0-415-32331-4}}
• {{cite book| last = Falla| first = Jonathan| year = 1991| title = True Love and Bartholomew: Rebels of the Burmese Border | publisher = Cambridge University Press| location = Cambridge| isbn = 978-0-521-39019-4}}
• Forbes, Andrew, and Henley, David, 'Chiang Mai's Hill Peoples' in: Ancient Chiang Mai Volume 3. Chiang Mai, Cognoscenti Books, 2012. ASIN: B006IN1RNW
• {{cite book|last=Gravers|first=Mikael|title=Exploring Ethnic Diversity in Burma|year=2007|publisher=Nordic Institute of Asian Studies |location=Copenhagen|isbn=978-87-91114-96-0}}
• {{cite book| last = Phan| first = Zoya| year = 2009| title = Little Daughter: a Memoir of Survival in Burma and the West| publisher = Simon & Schuster |isbn=978-1847374202}}
• {{cite book| last = Craig| first = Charmaine| year = 2017| title = Miss Burma| publisher = Grove Press | isbn= 978-0802126450}}
• {{cite book| last = Scott| first = James C.| year = 2009| title = The Art of Not Being Governed: An Anarchist History of Upland Southeast Asia| publisher = Yale University Press| location = New Haven| isbn = 978-0-300-15228-9| url-access = registration| url = https://archive.org/details/artofnotbeinggov0000scot}}
• {{cite book|last=Silverstein|first=Josef|title=Burma: Military Rule and the Politics of Stagnation|year=1977|publisher=Cornell University press|location=Ithaca|isbn=978-0-8014-0911-0}}
• {{cite book| last = Smith| first=Martin| year = 1991| title = Burma - Insurgency and the Politics of Ethnicity| publisher = Zed Books | location = London and New Jersey| isbn= 978-0-86232-868-9}}
• {{cite book|last=Thawngmung|first=Ardeth Maung|title=The 'Other' Karen in Myanmar: Ethnic Minorities and the Struggle Without Arms |year=2012|publisher=Lexington Books|location=Lanham, UK|isbn=978-0-7391-6852-3}}
• {{cite journal |url=http://hdl.handle.net/2433/167312| title=Two Versions of Buddhist Karen History of the Late British Colonial Period in Burma: Kayin Chronicle (1929) and Kuyin Great Chronicle (1931) |last=Ikeda |first=Kazuto |date=December 2012 |publisher=Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University |journal=Southeast Asian Studies |volume=1 |issue=3| hdl=2433/167312 }}
• {{cite journal |url=https://doi.org/10.14890/minkennewseries.23.4_315 |doi=10.14890/minkennewseries.23.4_315 | script-title=ja:ビルマにおける Karen 人の説話 |trans-title=Folktales of the Karen in Burma |last=OTA |first=Tsunezo |year=1959 |language=Japanese |journal=民族學研究 (Japanese Journal of Ethnology)|volume=23 |issue=4|pages=315–323 |issn= 2424-0508 |publisher=日本民族学会 (Japanese Society of Ethnology)}}

{{refend}}

{{Commons category}}

• [http://www.dictatorwatch.org/articles/karenintro.html the Karen people of Burma] by David Tharckabaw, Roland Watson (2003)
• [http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks08/0800051.txt San C. Po, Burma and the Karens] (London 1928)
• [https://archive.today/20130112083001/http://www.karenvoice.net/ Karenvoice.net], shares the information of Karen interacting in the world from the past, struggling in Burma in the present and transiting in the world again in the future
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20110629120238/http://www.karen.org/ Karens Around the World Unite].
• [https://www.khrg.org/ Karen Human Rights Group], a new website documenting the human rights situation of Karen villagers in rural Burma
• [https://www.kawthoolei.org/ Kawthoolei] meaning "a land without evil", is the Karen name of the land of Karen people. An independent and impartial media outlet aimed to provide contemporary information of all kinds — social, cultural, educational and political
• [http://as-se.awr.org/mm/kxf/114?page=1 Adventist World Radio Karen] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811215849/http://as-se.awr.org/mm/kxf/114?page=1 |date=11 August 2011 }}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050402082000/http://www.kwekalu.net/ Kwekalu] literally "Karen Traditional Horn", the only online Karen language news outlet based in Mergui/Tavoy District of Kawthoolei
• [https://karenwomen.org Karen Women's Organization]
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzA942H0adE Karen Don Dance (YouTube)]

{{Ethnic groups in Myanmar}}

{{Ethnic groups in Thailand}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Ethnic groups in Myanmar

Category:Ethnic groups in Thailand