Cecil Champain Lowis

“ They are almost the only Lower Burma Karens who have preserved their tribal homogeneity. The Pwos and Sgaws are largely dwellers in the plains and foot-hills whom alien surroundings have moulded into some kind of uniformity, but they have never really coalesced. The Upper Burma Karens as a whole, partly on account of the rugged nature of their separating hills, partly as a result of their leaning towards endogamy show an ever-growing tendency to disintegrate into separate clans differing widely from each other in dress, dialect and custom. ”

“ The Zayein or Sawng-tung Karens are found in the States of Loilong and Mongpai near Karenni. They totalled about 4,500 at the last census. On pages 539—550 of the Upper Burma Gazetteer will be found a detailed account of the different small Zayein clans that go to make up this aggregate. Smocks and leg rings are the ordinary features of the women's dress in all the clans, and short trousers those of the men's attire. Bead ornaments are much affected and in some cases the women's head dresses are peculiar. Some of the men shave the head except for a small patch over the ear. ”

“ The exact total of Red Karens is thus not known, but it is probably somewhere in the neighbourhood of 30,000. The authorities quoted at page 98 deal with the Red Karens among others. The men wear short red trousers and sometimes a coat. It used to be customary for them to have a rising sun tattooed in red on the small of the back. The women are peculiar in not wearing the thindaing or smock that is ordinarily the distinctive feature of the Karen female dress. The upper portion of their dress-consists of a cloth draped over the body ”