Karen

The Karen do not feature prominently in Burma’s official history; even to this day there has been little written on their culture. Karen history, until the arrival of Christian missionaries, consisted mainly of unwritten bard folklore, poems and stories, which have been recited around fireplaces from generation to generation in Karen villages. What historic literature is available suggests that the Karen are of Sino-Tibetan origin.

There are a number of Karen sub-groups, with the two predominant groups the S’gaw Karen and Pwo Karen. The S’gaw presided mainly in the eastern hills of Burma and the Pwo on the plains and Irrawaddy Delta areas.

The word ‘Karen’ does not actually exist in the various Karen dialects and is thought to have originated from derogatory Thai and Burman words which were used to describe people who lived in the forests and mountains.

During the time of British colonial rule, Karen guides and levies led British forces to easy victories over the Burman monarchy. Karen were appointed to key positions in public administration and the military. This has never been forgotten or forgiven by many of the Burmese elite and fuels antagonism to this day. The introduction of Christianity was viewed by many of the Burman elite as the cause of Karen nationalism and Burman oppression.

Missionaries converted some 250 000 to 335 000 Karen and put the S’gaw Karen language into writing, enabling an education system to be established and creating the key to furthering Karen political, social and nationalistic advancement. Karen nationalism began with the establishment of the Karen National Association (KNA) in 1881, which was the forerunner to the present-day Karen National Union (KNU), established 1947. The Karen leaders called for an independent homeland, Kawthoolei, for their people when the British abandoned Burma after World War Two, but this was ignored by the Burmese government. The first armed wing of the KNU, the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), was raised in 1947. The Burmese government outlawed the KNDO in 1949 and attacked these units. Thus began the KNU’s armed struggle. The KNDO was eventually relegated to policing and taxing roles within the KNU and the main fighting role given to the newly formed Karen National Liberation Army (KLNA).

It is the KNU’s desire to earn the right of autonomy for the Karen people and the preservation of their traditions, culture and language.

Their four guiding principles are:

There shall be no surrender

The recognition of the Karen State must be completed

We shall retain our own arms

We shall decide our own political destiny.

These principles have underpinned the revolutionary spirit of the KNU and kept the movement’s rebellion alive.

Attempts by past and present Burman rulers have failed to fully assimilate many Karen people. Though the majority of Karen is Buddhist and many can only speak Burmese, they have still remained, in terms of power, political representation and social mobility, on the outer fringes of Burman society.

Tens of thousands of Karen people have been killed by Burma’s military since the revolution began. Not only KNLA soldiers, but innocent civilians intentionally targeted by the military to drive the Karen into submission. The so called Four Cuts counter insurgency operation had its four principals:

Cut off funds to insurgents

Cut off support to insurgents

Cut off recruits to insurgents

Cut off the heads of insurgents

Nothing has changed in the 20 odd years since I became involved with the KNU. Not a lot of people realise, but the Irrawaddy Delta is the home of the majority of the Karen population in Burma, some 5 million Karen live there. This was the heartland of their revolution. Hence, when the recent cyclone devastated Burma, the military leadership showed total disregard to its civilian population in this region and prevented international aid agencies and relief supplies from reaching the people in this area. Little do people realise the main reason for this. It is a monumental genocidal act by the military junta to devastate the Karen population. Of the hundreds of thousands killed in this cyclone, the majority were Karen civilians, a point missed by the international media.

The Lost Book of the Karen, or the Book of Gold, recounts Karen legend by referring to a book of holy scriptures that was lost to them at a time when they began their migration toward Burma. It was prophesised that the book would be returned to the Karen one day by a ‘White Younger Brother’ who would arrive by sea in a boat with white wings. Widely circulated folklore amongst the Karen tells of a myth about the loss of the Book of Gold. It reveals that after Y’wa had created the earth and mankind, the Book of Gold was gifted to the Karen to guide them through life. However, the Karen, being preoccupied with their farming, overlooked the collection of the Book and it was assigned to their younger White Brother, who purportedly built a boat. This was used to carry Y’wa, the Book and the White Younger Brother across the sea. At some point in this journey, Y’wa ascended into heaven. Thus, the legend goes, the Karen are awaiting the return of the younger White Brother, the Book of Gold and Y’wa.