The Karen Hilltribe
Karen Hill Tribe are the largest of all the minority groups in Thailand comprising in total of around 300 t
housand. They are divided
into three main assemblages.
The Red Karen or Kayah is one such group. Another is the Black Karen or Pgo and the third one is the White Karen or Sgaw. Although some tribes continue to practice animistic and Buddhist teachings, many have converted to Christianity.The Karen can easily be recognized by their woven v-neck tunics and turbans of diverse natural colours.
Women who are not married will wear distinctive long white v-neck tunics. You will find the Karen engaging in agriculture such as tea and rice cultivation in the lowland areas. This tribe is environmentally conscious and will often be seen practicing crop rotation to help preserve the forests. The ones staying at home attending to the children are experts in the art of weaving.
And we are only talking about the metal on their necks! Now what about all the hardware on their arms and legs. These girls would certainly have a difficult time trying to go through customs at any airport. Removing the rings could seriously delay flights so be prepared for a long haul should one want to board your plane.
Okay! I know that I am just fooling around here but it makes you think that some of us are lucky enough to be able to travel worldwide with modern transport and not have to trek around on foot most of the time. Can you imagine having to live in a remote village or worse, a refugee camp all your life? I should think not.
Another would be, how long the neck has grown or perhaps even, how sturdy the neck is once the rings are removed.Some say that the rings cannot be removed as the ladies would no longer be able to hold their heads high. Well some young girls seen in the villages have had their hardware removed and you can clearly see their elongated necks yet somehow they seem to be perfectly happy at play. Their are many disputes regarding this.
According
to a Ripley's believe-it-or-not documentary film, one Karen women had
her rings removed only to complain of intense pain and immediately asked
to have her rings re-attached. It is said that the wearing of brass
rings helps to project their tribal identity. Long Neck Women or Giraffe Women are some of the words often used to describe these elongated necks of the Karen Tribe.
Anyway Thai's are very well known for their hospitality and this army will surely give you a smile as they wave you on. This well travelled road is fairly reasonably for most of the way. A little further up from the village you will come across the Paduang Karen Tribe refugee camp. Many tourists arrive here to get a glimpse into the lives of these fascinating long neck dwellers. Taking photographs will probably be the order of the day here.
The area around the refugee village is a hive of activity with farmers tending to their fields, women in the village helping men construct new roofs for their huts, adolescents studying under their homes and little old ladies carrying their daily pickings in wicker baskets on their heads along a stretch of dirt and dusty road.
The Karen, like our American Indians, do not recognize the political borders of the regions in which they live. Thus you will find both tribal sects transversing across the borders into Burma and Tibet for family and economical purposes. This leaves no little problem to the operation of border patrols in the countries involved. Many times in their history they been caught between warring factions in their traditional habitats and been forced to feed and clothe rebel forces and regular troops alike or suffer death.
Currently there have been no large migrations of Karen into Thailand. However there are the occasional nomadic movements of whole Burmese Karen villages over the border when the harsh military government of Burma presses and unrest with which it burdens these people.
It was the people called the Yuan of the Thai Payap that helped the Karen move into Thailand and near another Thai tribal group called the Thai Lawa (Lua). Today many Karen villages are near the hospitable Lawa settlements and there has been a natural exchange of cultural ethics and crafts. Like most of Thailand, dissimilar peoples live peacefully near each other.
New Year's eve ceremony (Nee Saw Ko)
"Nee Saw Ko," is Karen for "New Year's eve." This tradition is put on each year during the month of January, following the end of season harvest. New Year's is a very important event for the Karen, as it is the time of year when friends and relatives who have moved away, either for work or because of marriage, will all return home to celebrate. Essential items which should be prepared before the big day include:
The ceremony is called, "consuming the first alcohol" (Aw see ko), and begins with gathering all of the bottles together before the Hee Ko. The Hee Ko will utter a petitionary prayer and then drizzle the alcohol into a glass, after which everyone will be invited to drink in procession. The bottles will be opened in accordance to the order in which they arrived.
The Hee Ko will be the first one to take a sip and then the glass will be passed around, with each person taking a sip, until it has made its way around to everyone and returned to the Hee Ko. The Hee Ko will pour out any remaining alcohol in the glass while reciting a prayer of petition and asking for blessing for the host, the owner of the bottle of alcohol and his family. The process will be repeated with each successive bottle until everyone in attendance has been blessed. Sometimes, if the village is particularly large, the ceremony may go on into the morning.
New Year's morning
Karen will wake up bright and early to begin making preparations for all the ceremonies to be held the next day. Chickens and pigs will be killed for use as sacrificial offerings. They will be set on a knee-high table along with a bottle of alcohol. Next, a ceremony will be performed to call to the spirits of one's children and grandchildren.
The elders in the family will lead the ceremony and all members of the family will be expected to be present. The elders will begin by knocking on the table with a piece of wood as it is believed this will call the spirits back to their bodies. Next, the eleders will tie pieces of string around the wrists of their children and grandchildren while reciting a petitioningary prayer to the spirits, asking to be blessed. The petition will ask that every member of the family be able to live happily and comfortably, be free from all misfortunes, dangers, and vices, and continue in good health.
After all the children have had their wrists tied, the family will dine together. After all have eaten the family will mobilize and go off in search of a party. They will go from house to house gathering people until the whole village has come together to enjoy a feast, united together. Alcohol will be poured and a prayer will be recited, asking the spirits to bless the village with the spirit of community and brotherhood. After this, everyone will drink together in merriment.
Happiness and goodness will be wished on everyone in every home in the village. Of all the ceremonies held by the Karen during the New Year's festivities, the most important has to be that held on the first day of the new year. It's up to each village to decide when they will celebrate New Year's eve (Nee Saw Ko) and for how many days, but once the first day of the new year has been observed everyone will be expected to return back to work to greet the new year.
All of the above refers to Buddhist Karen (Aw Kae), but there are also a great many Karen who are Christian. The New Year's observances of this latter group are very similar, only they will be adapted to suit their Christian beliefs. The festival will start with everyone going to church and praying. Afterwards, everyone will eat together. Bellies full and spirits high, people will bring out their rice and other items collected during the harvest in order for an assessment to be made of their monetary value.
Once this item of business is out of the way, local sports competion will be held. As evening comes and sky grows dark, drama and acting will serve as entertainment for the village. No alcohol will be consumed and no one will go home drunk on this day. After the drama show is over, people will all return to their houses. During this time, villagers will each pray every night for seven straight nights. Only after these seven days have passed will it be considered a new year.
Read More http://karenhilltribe.blogspot.com/
http://www.tayara.com/club/hilltribe.htm#Karen
http://www.luxury-thailand-travel.com/karen-hill-tribe.html
http://karen.hilltribe.org/english/karen-newyear.php
Karen Hill Tribe are the largest of all the minority groups in Thailand comprising in total of around 300 t
housand. They are divided
into three main assemblages.The Red Karen or Kayah is one such group. Another is the Black Karen or Pgo and the third one is the White Karen or Sgaw. Although some tribes continue to practice animistic and Buddhist teachings, many have converted to Christianity.The Karen can easily be recognized by their woven v-neck tunics and turbans of diverse natural colours.
Women who are not married will wear distinctive long white v-neck tunics. You will find the Karen engaging in agriculture such as tea and rice cultivation in the lowland areas. This tribe is environmentally conscious and will often be seen practicing crop rotation to help preserve the forests. The ones staying at home attending to the children are experts in the art of weaving.
Karen Hill Tribe
Young Karen Girls
From a very tender age, young Karen girls start to wear brass rings around their necks, arms and legs. Once they reach adulthood, the rings around their necks can easily add up to some 26 loops all in all while weighing over two kilograms. That's a heck of a lot of heavy metal to carry around for the rest of their lives.
And we are only talking about the metal on their necks! Now what about all the hardware on their arms and legs. These girls would certainly have a difficult time trying to go through customs at any airport. Removing the rings could seriously delay flights so be prepared for a long haul should one want to board your plane.
Okay! I know that I am just fooling around here but it makes you think that some of us are lucky enough to be able to travel worldwide with modern transport and not have to trek around on foot most of the time. Can you imagine having to live in a remote village or worse, a refugee camp all your life? I should think not.
Remote Karen Refugee Village
Karen Hill Tribe
Questions Raised
The big question often asked is whether the rings can ever be removed without severe neck injuries or will the necks of these ladies simply snap. I should imagine this would depend entirely on individual circumstances. One would have to consider how long the rings have been on.Another would be, how long the neck has grown or perhaps even, how sturdy the neck is once the rings are removed.Some say that the rings cannot be removed as the ladies would no longer be able to hold their heads high. Well some young girls seen in the villages have had their hardware removed and you can clearly see their elongated necks yet somehow they seem to be perfectly happy at play. Their are many disputes regarding this.
According
to a Ripley's believe-it-or-not documentary film, one Karen women had
her rings removed only to complain of intense pain and immediately asked
to have her rings re-attached. It is said that the wearing of brass
rings helps to project their tribal identity. Long Neck Women or Giraffe Women are some of the words often used to describe these elongated necks of the Karen Tribe.
Long Neck Woman
Karen Hill Tribe
Long Necked Karen of Baan Nai Soi
Travel 25 kilometers or 15 miles from Mae Hong Son towards the Burmese border in northern Thailand and you will reach the village of Ban Nai Soi. At some point along the way you will pass a Thai check point but please don't be alarmed as the army are only on the lookout for drug smugglers and the occasional Burmese military. I sure hope that you are neither.Anyway Thai's are very well known for their hospitality and this army will surely give you a smile as they wave you on. This well travelled road is fairly reasonably for most of the way. A little further up from the village you will come across the Paduang Karen Tribe refugee camp. Many tourists arrive here to get a glimpse into the lives of these fascinating long neck dwellers. Taking photographs will probably be the order of the day here.
The area around the refugee village is a hive of activity with farmers tending to their fields, women in the village helping men construct new roofs for their huts, adolescents studying under their homes and little old ladies carrying their daily pickings in wicker baskets on their heads along a stretch of dirt and dusty road.
HISTORY:
Karen believe they came from a place they denote a "Thibi Kawbi". Some feel that this is their representation of the lands of Tibet and southern Gobi desert. However during the 18th century the Karen began to move southward, across the Salveen River from Burma to the Thai Payap (old northern kingdom of Siam).The Karen, like our American Indians, do not recognize the political borders of the regions in which they live. Thus you will find both tribal sects transversing across the borders into Burma and Tibet for family and economical purposes. This leaves no little problem to the operation of border patrols in the countries involved. Many times in their history they been caught between warring factions in their traditional habitats and been forced to feed and clothe rebel forces and regular troops alike or suffer death.
Currently there have been no large migrations of Karen into Thailand. However there are the occasional nomadic movements of whole Burmese Karen villages over the border when the harsh military government of Burma presses and unrest with which it burdens these people.
It was the people called the Yuan of the Thai Payap that helped the Karen move into Thailand and near another Thai tribal group called the Thai Lawa (Lua). Today many Karen villages are near the hospitable Lawa settlements and there has been a natural exchange of cultural ethics and crafts. Like most of Thailand, dissimilar peoples live peacefully near each other.
New year
"Nee Saw Ko," is Karen for "New Year's eve." This tradition is put on each year during the month of January, following the end of season harvest. New Year's is a very important event for the Karen, as it is the time of year when friends and relatives who have moved away, either for work or because of marriage, will all return home to celebrate. Essential items which should be prepared before the big day include:
- All different kinds of desserts, such as sweet boiled sticky rice, sweet sticky rice in bamboo, rice mixed with sweets and fats, etc. These desserts will be used in a ceremony to pay homage and respect to the spirits.
- Alcohol for use in the ceremonies and for drinking together afterwards.
The ceremony is called, "consuming the first alcohol" (Aw see ko), and begins with gathering all of the bottles together before the Hee Ko. The Hee Ko will utter a petitionary prayer and then drizzle the alcohol into a glass, after which everyone will be invited to drink in procession. The bottles will be opened in accordance to the order in which they arrived.
The Hee Ko will be the first one to take a sip and then the glass will be passed around, with each person taking a sip, until it has made its way around to everyone and returned to the Hee Ko. The Hee Ko will pour out any remaining alcohol in the glass while reciting a prayer of petition and asking for blessing for the host, the owner of the bottle of alcohol and his family. The process will be repeated with each successive bottle until everyone in attendance has been blessed. Sometimes, if the village is particularly large, the ceremony may go on into the morning.
New Year's morning
Karen will wake up bright and early to begin making preparations for all the ceremonies to be held the next day. Chickens and pigs will be killed for use as sacrificial offerings. They will be set on a knee-high table along with a bottle of alcohol. Next, a ceremony will be performed to call to the spirits of one's children and grandchildren.
The elders in the family will lead the ceremony and all members of the family will be expected to be present. The elders will begin by knocking on the table with a piece of wood as it is believed this will call the spirits back to their bodies. Next, the eleders will tie pieces of string around the wrists of their children and grandchildren while reciting a petitioningary prayer to the spirits, asking to be blessed. The petition will ask that every member of the family be able to live happily and comfortably, be free from all misfortunes, dangers, and vices, and continue in good health.
After all the children have had their wrists tied, the family will dine together. After all have eaten the family will mobilize and go off in search of a party. They will go from house to house gathering people until the whole village has come together to enjoy a feast, united together. Alcohol will be poured and a prayer will be recited, asking the spirits to bless the village with the spirit of community and brotherhood. After this, everyone will drink together in merriment.
Happiness and goodness will be wished on everyone in every home in the village. Of all the ceremonies held by the Karen during the New Year's festivities, the most important has to be that held on the first day of the new year. It's up to each village to decide when they will celebrate New Year's eve (Nee Saw Ko) and for how many days, but once the first day of the new year has been observed everyone will be expected to return back to work to greet the new year.
All of the above refers to Buddhist Karen (Aw Kae), but there are also a great many Karen who are Christian. The New Year's observances of this latter group are very similar, only they will be adapted to suit their Christian beliefs. The festival will start with everyone going to church and praying. Afterwards, everyone will eat together. Bellies full and spirits high, people will bring out their rice and other items collected during the harvest in order for an assessment to be made of their monetary value.
Once this item of business is out of the way, local sports competion will be held. As evening comes and sky grows dark, drama and acting will serve as entertainment for the village. No alcohol will be consumed and no one will go home drunk on this day. After the drama show is over, people will all return to their houses. During this time, villagers will each pray every night for seven straight nights. Only after these seven days have passed will it be considered a new year.
Read More http://karenhilltribe.blogspot.com/
http://www.tayara.com/club/hilltribe.htm#Karen
http://www.luxury-thailand-travel.com/karen-hill-tribe.html
http://karen.hilltribe.org/english/karen-newyear.php
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