The Karen are an ethnic nationality driven from their homes by Burmese forces. These distinct people possess their own culture and political ideology that makes them stand apart from other groups.
Karen can refer to any race, class or age; anyone can become Karen at some point in their lives.
Ta Nya Gho
Karens (pronounced Kah-ren with emphasis on the second syllable) are one of the ethnic groups indigenous to Southeast Asia’s Thailand-Burma border region and can be found throughout Burma/Myanmar’s eastern mountainous regions like Kayah State (Karenni State), Ayeyarwady Division, southern Shan State and western Kawthoolei Coastal Region.
Karen people typically practice Buddhism. Many also practice animism – which combines elements of both Buddhism and animism into a single belief system – believing in spirits, ancestors and god-like beings with human attributes – along with reincarnation.
The Karen culture places great value on education; children attend school from kindergarten through adolescence. There is also an important emphasis on family in this culture: children must help out their parents with household chores after school and take responsibility for their elderly relatives in old age.
Traditional medicine is essential to Karen culture and they use herbs and other remedies as preventive measures against illnesses. Bitter and sour food preferences, turmeric medicinal properties and strong cultural traditions involving medicine make the Karen especially appealing as people transitioning out of Burma into the United States may not present such difficulties when adapting.
Malaria is a prevalent illness among Karen people and most have had malaria at some point during their lives. When something else makes them ill, such as diarrhea or chronic cough, many assume it’s malaria; when their medication doesn’t seem to help improve symptoms sufficiently, many assume their medication is ineffective; when symptoms do not improve quickly enough they may decide to drink tea and stay inside for an entire month while taking more medicine than prescribed.
When dealing with Karen people, it is wise to avoid speaking Burmese; instead it would be preferable to communicate using their native tongue (Karen). Furthermore, you should refrain from labelling them as Burmese until corrected by them or they themselves do so; these people have long felt oppressed by Burma’s military and do not identify with its country in a positive light.
Ta Go Taw
Karen people live in small clearings in the forest where they cultivate “hill rice,” raise chickens, pigs and cows as well as vegetables such as cucumbers, squash, bamboo shoots and edible wild mushrooms in their diet. Furthermore, they employ various herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, cardamom and garlic in their herbal medicine practices, with many borrowing from Indian Ayurvedic systems and alchemy practices.
The Karen are very affectionate with each other and will hold hands or hug closely; however, they do not kiss in public. Being part of a culture that prioritizes human connection over getting work done may create miscommunication between Americans who appreciate efficiency and directness in communication style and this culture which often prioritises being together over getting tasks completed.
Karens frequently employ this phrase when they feel that they have been mistreated in some way. They aren’t shy to voice their complaints in public and take out their frustration on others – particularly if it will get them the results they’re after. Additionally, any perceived privilege – whether financial or social – they possess will likely be leveraged against them to get what they want.
Recent years have witnessed devastating conflicts between the Karen and Burmese military. As a result, this has caused many Karen people to leave their villages and seek refuge as Internally Displaced Persons (IDP), some having lived there for over 20 years now. Living as an IDP can be hard and deadly as many do not receive medical care when necessary – most will succumb to malaria which, left untreated, can even prove fatal for many of those left without access to medication – it is now recognized as one of the leading causes of mortality for Karen people so when visiting Karen villages it’s essential that anti-malaria medication be brought along – they will give advice as to how best prevent and treat this deadly condition!! If visiting Karen villages be sure to bring anti-malaria medication as local health centers can also give advice as how best treat and prevent this deadly condition.!!
Ta Nya Paw
Karens (pronounced Kah-Rens), also known as Burmese or Myanmarers, are an ethnic group who live along the mountainous border region in what is currently known as Burma (Myanmar). These Karens represent just one of many ethnicities present within Burma (Myanmar).
These farmers cultivate “hill rice”. Typically, they live in small clearings in the forest and build houses from bamboo and thatch; many villagers also work outside the fields. Education is highly valued among villagers; children attend school from age five until 20 years of age before being expected to take care of elderly parents in need during their old age.
Men and women traditionally do not hold hands or kiss each other publicly in public settings, although this trend has begun to change among urban dwellers and younger generations. Although they show affection toward each other in front of elderly, it would likely be perceived as rude and disrespectful by them. Karen tends to prioritize relationships over time management – they prioritize building meaningful connections over keeping strict appointments on schedule or being late.
Most Karen are Christians, though some practice Buddhism as well. Their diet generally features bitter and sour foods as they’re thought of as preventative for illness; additionally they consume many vegetables such as eggplants, forest mushrooms and bamboo shoots as well as spices such as turmeric, ginger cardamom chiles and garlic in their food preparations.
The Karen are generally less wary of Western medicine than some other ethnic populations; however, they do harbor suspicion for vitamins and other medications. Malaria is prevalent among IDP camps, prompting many fever symptoms to be immediately assumed to be malaria rather than possibly being related to an array of illnesses – this should always be explained when working with refugee populations.
Translators should avoid mistaking Karen people for Burmese because it can be insulting and often confounds them with Burmese military oppressors. When possible, translators should use Karen names in their native tongue rather than translating directly.
Ta Paw Paw
The Karen people are an ethnic group residing on the hilly border regions between Thailand and Burma (Myanmar), primarily speaking a branch of Kayah language known as S’ghaw. Children typically attend school until marriage at around 20; then many stay home after war or natural disaster disrupt their lives to care for their parents or other members of their tribe.
Village life in Karen culture revolves around small clearings in the forest with bamboo and thatch houses, where its people reside in small clearings for food production and consumption. People eat rice, vegetables and herbs from their gardens or forests as well as raising chickens, pigs and cows as sources of protein; many families also harvest wild fruits and mushrooms from within its branches. Many Karen people still practice animism as an additional practice alongside Buddhism – it holds that spirits exist everywhere, including weather conditions, crops or even God himself – in addition to Buddhism as another religious belief held sacred.
S’ghaw is the most widely spoken dialect and accent in S’ghaw but there are numerous subdialects and regional variations; those with similar accents may miscommunicate easily so it is wise to have a translator available at all times to facilitate the process.
Karen people do not use surnames when addressing each other and only their first names are used. Instead, they address each other by their first names alone or with titles to indicate their relationship – this may cause some confusion with American culture which utilizes last names more widely. Some examples include grandparents and grandfathers; auntie or uncle; cousin and teacher as well as Saw which means Mr and Naw for Ms.
Most Karen refugees have had extensive contact with Western people and physicians, so they tend not to fear Western medicine as much as other ethnic groups do. However, those unfamiliar with Western health practices are likely to be wary of it.
