﻿AMONG 
  THE 
  HILL 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  BURMA 
  

  

  301 
  

  

  as 
  the 
  Tai 
  are 
  termed 
  Shans, 
  the 
  Ching- 
  

   paw 
  are 
  dubbed 
  Kachins, 
  the 
  Mon 
  are 
  

   labeled 
  Talaings, 
  and 
  the 
  Sho, 
  Chins. 
  

  

  Tribal 
  names 
  the 
  Karens 
  have. 
  There 
  

   are 
  three 
  main 
  tribes 
  of 
  them, 
  the 
  Sgaw, 
  

   the 
  Pwo, 
  and 
  the 
  Bghai, 
  or 
  Bwe. 
  The 
  

   Pwo 
  are 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  numerous, 
  and 
  

   if 
  to 
  them 
  are 
  added 
  the 
  Pao, 
  who 
  are 
  

   usually 
  called 
  Taungthu 
  (z. 
  e., 
  hillmen), 
  

   they 
  include 
  half 
  the 
  race. 
  But 
  the 
  Pao 
  

   obstinately 
  refuse 
  to 
  be 
  called 
  Karens. 
  

  

  The 
  Karens 
  did 
  not 
  come 
  into 
  Burma 
  

   in 
  waves, 
  or 
  hordes, 
  like 
  the 
  Burmese 
  and 
  

   the 
  Shans. 
  No 
  doubt 
  they 
  were 
  dis- 
  

   placed 
  by 
  invading 
  neighbors, 
  or 
  migrated 
  

   because 
  of 
  overpopulation, 
  but 
  they 
  came 
  

   in 
  in 
  driblets 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  masses. 
  

  

  the: 
  karen 
  tradition 
  of 
  the: 
  creation 
  

  

  The 
  people 
  may 
  be 
  taken 
  to 
  be 
  pre- 
  

   Chinese, 
  and 
  not 
  Tibetan 
  or 
  aboriginal 
  in 
  

   their 
  present 
  seats, 
  or 
  descendants 
  of 
  the 
  

   lost 
  Ten 
  Tribes, 
  as 
  some 
  enthusiastic 
  

   proselytizers 
  would 
  have 
  us 
  believe. 
  

  

  This 
  last 
  conception 
  is 
  due 
  to 
  their 
  

   traditions 
  of 
  the 
  creation 
  and 
  fall 
  of 
  man, 
  

   thus 
  translated 
  in 
  strange 
  form 
  by 
  Dr. 
  

   Mason 
  in 
  his 
  "Burma" 
  : 
  

  

  "Anciently 
  God 
  commanded, 
  but 
  Satan 
  

   appeared, 
  bringing 
  destruction. 
  

  

  "Formerly 
  God 
  commanded, 
  but 
  Satan 
  

   appeared, 
  deceiving 
  unto 
  death. 
  

  

  "The 
  woman 
  E-u 
  and 
  the 
  man 
  Tha-nai 
  

   (Adam 
  and 
  Eve) 
  pleased 
  not 
  the 
  eye 
  of 
  

   the 
  dragon. 
  

  

  "The 
  woman 
  E-u 
  and 
  the 
  man 
  Tha-nai 
  

   pleased 
  not 
  the 
  mind 
  of 
  the 
  dragon. 
  

  

  "The 
  dragon 
  looked 
  on 
  them 
  — 
  the 
  

   dragon 
  beguiled 
  the 
  woman 
  and 
  Tha-nai. 
  

  

  "How 
  is 
  this 
  said 
  to 
  have 
  happened? 
  

  

  "The 
  great 
  dragon 
  succeeded 
  in 
  deceiv- 
  

   ing, 
  deceiving 
  unto 
  death. 
  

  

  "How 
  do 
  they 
  say 
  it 
  was 
  done? 
  

  

  "A 
  yellow 
  fruit 
  took 
  the 
  great 
  dragon 
  

   and 
  gave 
  to 
  the 
  children 
  of 
  God. 
  

  

  "A 
  white 
  fruit 
  took 
  the 
  great 
  dragon 
  

   and 
  gave 
  to 
  the 
  daughter 
  and 
  son 
  of 
  God. 
  

  

  "They 
  transgressed 
  the 
  commands 
  of 
  

   God, 
  and 
  God 
  turned 
  his 
  face 
  from 
  them. 
  

  

  "They 
  transgressed 
  the 
  commands 
  of 
  

   God, 
  and 
  God 
  turned 
  away 
  from 
  them. 
  

  

  "They 
  kept 
  not 
  all 
  the 
  words 
  of 
  God 
  — 
  

   were 
  deceived, 
  deceived 
  unto 
  sickness. 
  

  

  "They 
  kept 
  not 
  all 
  the 
  law 
  of 
  God 
  — 
  

   were 
  deceived, 
  deceived 
  unto 
  death." 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  the 
  White 
  Karen 
  version. 
  The 
  

  

  Red 
  Karen 
  deals 
  with 
  creation. 
  Their 
  

   name 
  for 
  God 
  is 
  Ya-pe 
  : 
  

  

  "The 
  earth 
  at 
  its 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  created. 
  

  

  "The 
  heavens 
  at 
  their 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  

   created. 
  

  

  "Man 
  at 
  his 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  created. 
  

  

  "The 
  sun 
  at 
  its 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  created. 
  

  

  "The 
  moon 
  at 
  its 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  created. 
  

  

  "The 
  trees 
  at 
  their 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  created. 
  

  

  "The 
  bamboos 
  at 
  their 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  

   created. 
  

  

  "The 
  grass 
  at 
  its 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  created. 
  

  

  "The 
  cattle 
  at 
  their 
  origin 
  Ya-pe 
  

   created." 
  

  

  It 
  seems 
  probable 
  that 
  these 
  religious 
  

   traditions 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  derived 
  from 
  

   the 
  Nestorians, 
  who 
  were 
  prominent 
  in 
  

   China 
  during 
  the 
  Yuen 
  dynasty, 
  and 
  have 
  

   left 
  a 
  mark 
  behind 
  them 
  in 
  the 
  monument 
  

   at 
  Sianfu, 
  in 
  Shensi. 
  There 
  are 
  also 
  to 
  

   the 
  present 
  day 
  Jewish 
  villages 
  in 
  various 
  

   parts 
  of 
  China 
  that 
  possessed 
  the 
  Penta- 
  

   teuch, 
  and 
  these 
  may 
  have 
  been 
  the 
  

   source 
  of 
  the 
  Karen 
  legend 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  same 
  time 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  pointed 
  out 
  

   that 
  savage 
  fancy 
  not 
  unseldom 
  suggests 
  

   ideas 
  curiously 
  like 
  biblical 
  statements. 
  

  

  A 
  BURMESE 
  TRADITION 
  TELES 
  HOW 
  GODS 
  

   BECAME 
  MEN 
  

  

  The 
  Burmese 
  have 
  a 
  myth 
  that 
  heavenly 
  

   beings 
  came 
  down 
  from 
  the 
  skies 
  to 
  the 
  

   earth, 
  and 
  there 
  ate 
  Thalesan, 
  a 
  particu- 
  

   lar 
  kind 
  of 
  rich 
  rice, 
  which 
  gradually 
  

   made 
  them 
  gross 
  of 
  habit, 
  so 
  that 
  they 
  

   were 
  unable 
  to 
  make 
  their 
  way 
  back 
  to 
  

   the 
  higher 
  heavens 
  again, 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  be- 
  

   come 
  men 
  and 
  women 
  

   the 
  "fruit 
  of 
  that 
  forbidden 
  tree. 
  

  

  The 
  Chins 
  have 
  a 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  Tower 
  

   of 
  Babel 
  to 
  account 
  for 
  the 
  various 
  clans 
  

   that 
  inhabit 
  the 
  range 
  of 
  hills 
  looking 
  

   down 
  on 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Bengal, 
  and 
  traditions 
  

   of 
  a 
  deluge 
  are 
  found 
  everywhere. 
  

  

  The 
  Kachins 
  tell 
  a 
  story 
  of 
  the 
  passage 
  

   over 
  a 
  bridge, 
  to 
  the 
  after-life, 
  which 
  re- 
  

   calls 
  Addison's 
  "Vision 
  of 
  Mirza," 
  and 
  

   there 
  are 
  many 
  more 
  of 
  the 
  kind 
  that 
  sug- 
  

   gest 
  that 
  these 
  folk-myths 
  come 
  down 
  

   from 
  a 
  long-gone 
  past, 
  like 
  the 
  far-carried 
  

   boulders 
  of 
  the 
  Glacial 
  Age. 
  

  

  The 
  Sgaw 
  and 
  Pwo 
  of 
  the 
  plains 
  are 
  

   as 
  civilized 
  as 
  any 
  of 
  their 
  neighbors. 
  

   The 
  Bghai 
  of 
  the 
  hills 
  are 
  as 
  isolated 
  as 
  

   the 
  boulders 
  and 
  as 
  little 
  changed 
  from 
  

   their 
  original 
  state. 
  They 
  are 
  quite 
  a 
  

  

  This 
  suggests 
  

  

  