Thailand: The Karen

The Karen are the largest of the ethnic minority of six different groups living in the mountain ranges of eastern Burma and northwestern Thailand. Karen people are ancestors of Tibetan refuges. The main profession of the Karen is farming and they migrate whenever the soil becomes depleted.  The Karen are gentle, peaceful, and cooperative people, who, like all the Hill Tribes, reserve their highest veneration for their ancestors and living elders. Each tribe is considered a district, with its own culture, religion, language, art, and dress. With Thailand undergoing rapid modern development the Karen struggle to maintain their unique culture within the increasingly encroaching modern urban society.