Origins 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. 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.
Genetics 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. Research indicates that the Karen exhibit signs of genetic isolation, suggesting a distinct genetic lineage separate from neighbouring populations. A study focusing on the Kayah (Red Karen) in Northern Thailand analysed 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.
British colonial era 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. 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. 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. 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.
World War II 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.
Post-war 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. 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. providing medical services, regulating trade and commerce, and providing security through the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the KNU's army. Reports as recently as February 2010, state that the Burmese army continues to burn Karen villages, displacing thousands of people. 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. The
US State Department has also cited the Burmese government for suppression of
religious freedom. DKBA officially integrated into Myanmar’s military structure as the Kayin
Border Guard Force (BGF) on 18 August 2010. This transition placed the DKBA under the command of the Tatmadaw (Myanmar’s national army), effectively dissolving it as an independent insurgent group. == Language ==