Karen people

Karen
ကညီဖိ

A Karen woman in a traditional dress
Total population
(9 million)
Regions with significant populations
Myanmar	7,000,000
Thailand	1,000,000
USA	64,759 (Came as refugee only from mid 2000s to July 1, 2015)
Australia	11,000+
Canada	5,000
Sweden	1,500
All other countries	100,000+
Languages
Karen languages, including S'gaw Karen, Pwo Karen, Karenni and Pa'O
Religion
Theravada Buddhism, Christianity, Animism

64,759 (Came as refugee only from mid 2000s to July 1, 2015)

The Karen, Kayin, Kariang or Yang people (Burmese: ကရင်လူမျိုး, pronounced: [kəjɪ̀ɴ lù mjó]; Per Ploan Poe or Ploan in Poe Karen and Pwa Ka Nyaw or Kanyaw in Sgaw Karen; Thai: กะเหรี่ยง or ยาง) refer to a number of individual Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic groups, many of which do not share a common language or culture. These Karen groups reside primarily in Karen State, southern and southeastern Myanmar. The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population with approximately 5 million people. A large number of Karen have migrated to Thailand, having settled mostly on the Thailand–Myanmar border.

The Karen groups as a whole are often confused with the Padaung tribe, best known for the neck rings worn by their women, but they are just one sub-group of Red Karens (Karenni), one of the tribes of Kayah in Kayah State, Myanmar.

Some of the Karen, led primarily by the Karen National Union (KNU), have waged a war against the central Burmese government since early 1949. The aim of the KNU at first was independence. Since 1976 the armed group has called for a federal system rather than an independent Karen State.

Karen legends refer to a 'river of running sand' which ancestors reputedly crossed. Many Karen think this refers to the Gobi Desert, although they have lived in Myanmar for centuries. The Karen constitute the third biggest ethnic population in Myanmar, after the Bamars and Shans.