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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  THESE 
  SIN-SIN 
  KAREN 
  LADIES 
  TAKE 
  A 
  SOMBER 
  VIEW 
  OE 
  UEE 
  

  

  The 
  hair 
  of 
  each 
  is 
  drawn 
  through 
  a 
  bamboo 
  ring 
  and 
  confined 
  by 
  a 
  species 
  of 
  thimble 
  

   at 
  the 
  top. 
  The 
  Sin-sin 
  group 
  do 
  not 
  insist 
  on 
  marriage 
  within 
  the 
  clan, 
  and 
  the 
  women 
  have 
  

   largely 
  intermarried 
  with 
  the 
  Taungthu, 
  wear 
  cotton 
  coils 
  round 
  the 
  waist, 
  dispense 
  with 
  a 
  

   petticoat, 
  and 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  brass 
  rod 
  wear 
  a 
  silver 
  bracelet. 
  Men, 
  women, 
  and 
  children 
  of 
  

   this 
  group 
  are 
  inveterate 
  smokers, 
  their 
  pipes 
  being 
  made 
  of 
  dry 
  bamboo. 
  

  

  good 
  bit 
  ahead 
  of 
  the 
  cave-man. 
  They 
  

   are 
  not 
  cannibals 
  or 
  head-hunters 
  and 
  do 
  

   not 
  seem 
  ever 
  to 
  have 
  had 
  tastes 
  that 
  

   way. 
  They 
  are 
  not 
  all 
  of 
  them 
  quite 
  on 
  

   this 
  modest 
  level. 
  

  

  The 
  Red 
  Karens 
  and 
  Padaungs 
  are 
  a 
  

   long 
  way 
  ahead 
  of 
  the 
  others, 
  and 
  were 
  

   so 
  far 
  civilized 
  that 
  in 
  the 
  days 
  before 
  

   the 
  British 
  occupation 
  of 
  the 
  country 
  the 
  

   former 
  were 
  highly 
  organized 
  slave- 
  

   traders, 
  making 
  raids 
  into 
  the 
  Shan 
  

  

  States 
  to 
  the 
  north 
  to 
  carry 
  off 
  men, 
  

   women, 
  and 
  children, 
  whom 
  they 
  sold 
  

   over 
  the 
  eastern 
  border 
  in 
  Siam. 
  

  

  They 
  were 
  shrewd 
  enough 
  to 
  know 
  

   that 
  ecclesiastics 
  were 
  the 
  most 
  profitable 
  

   booty 
  ; 
  for, 
  since 
  both 
  the 
  Shans 
  and 
  the 
  

   Siamese 
  are 
  Buddhists, 
  good 
  money 
  was 
  

   always 
  rapidly 
  forthcoming 
  to 
  ransom 
  the 
  

   pongvis, 
  or 
  monks. 
  Sometimes 
  they 
  

   were 
  ransomed 
  by 
  the 
  people 
  of 
  the 
  

   villages 
  to 
  which 
  their 
  monasteries 
  be- 
  

  

  