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  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  

  THE 
  ZAYKIN 
  KAREN 
  WOMEN 
  WOULD 
  BE 
  COMELY 
  IE 
  THEY 
  WERE 
  LESS 
  UNKEMPT 
  

  

  The 
  men 
  of 
  this 
  clan 
  shave 
  their 
  heads, 
  except 
  for 
  a 
  small 
  patch 
  over 
  the 
  ears, 
  but 
  the 
  

   hair 
  of 
  the 
  women 
  is 
  generally 
  neglected. 
  Washing 
  the 
  body 
  is 
  deemed 
  an 
  affectation. 
  The 
  

   inevitable 
  coils 
  of 
  brass 
  rod 
  cover 
  the 
  forearms. 
  

  

  longed, 
  which 
  was 
  the 
  easiest 
  way 
  of 
  

   getting 
  rid 
  of 
  them, 
  or 
  if 
  all 
  the 
  villagers 
  

   themselves 
  had 
  been 
  carried 
  off, 
  the 
  pious 
  

   of 
  the 
  Lao 
  States 
  of 
  Siam 
  were 
  always 
  

   ready 
  to 
  put 
  up 
  the 
  money 
  and 
  thereby 
  

   acquire 
  merit 
  toward 
  a 
  new 
  existence. 
  

  

  TRIBES 
  DIVIDED 
  ACCORDING 
  TO 
  CLOTHES 
  

  

  The 
  White 
  Karens 
  of 
  the 
  plains 
  of 
  

   Burma 
  were 
  easily 
  converted 
  to 
  Christi- 
  

   anity, 
  and 
  their 
  pastors 
  and 
  masters 
  set 
  

   to 
  work 
  to 
  index 
  them 
  with 
  more 
  zeal 
  

   than 
  discretion. 
  

  

  The 
  so-called 
  clans 
  read 
  like 
  a 
  table 
  of 
  

   fashion-plates 
  or 
  a 
  history 
  of 
  tartans. 
  

   The 
  only 
  visible 
  distinction 
  between 
  one 
  

   clan 
  and 
  another 
  was 
  the 
  dress 
  worn, 
  and 
  

   naturally, 
  when 
  it 
  came 
  to 
  dress, 
  it 
  was 
  

   the 
  women 
  that 
  were 
  tabulated. 
  

  

  In 
  one 
  place 
  the 
  women 
  wore 
  a 
  smock 
  

   with 
  red 
  perpendicular 
  lines. 
  In 
  another 
  

   there 
  were 
  no 
  lines 
  on 
  the 
  white 
  blouse 
  ; 
  

   instead, 
  there 
  was 
  a 
  narrow 
  border 
  of 
  

   embroidery 
  at 
  the 
  bottom, 
  with 
  sub- 
  

   variants. 
  Some 
  men 
  had 
  red 
  trousers, 
  

   others 
  white, 
  with 
  radiating 
  white 
  lines, 
  

   and 
  SO 
  forth. 
  

  

  This 
  haberdashery 
  sort 
  of 
  business 
  is 
  

   catching, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  scientific. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  not 
  confined 
  to 
  the 
  Karens. 
  The 
  

   names 
  of 
  the 
  Kachin 
  tribes 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  to 
  

   the 
  north 
  of 
  Burma 
  are 
  bewildering 
  be- 
  

   yond 
  endurance, 
  and 
  the 
  Chin 
  clans 
  are 
  

   not 
  much 
  better. 
  In 
  fairness 
  to 
  the 
  white 
  

   cataloguers, 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  right 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  

   the 
  people 
  themselves 
  are 
  mostly 
  respon- 
  

   sible, 
  and 
  they 
  had. 
  apart 
  from 
  this, 
  pred- 
  

   ecessors 
  in 
  the 
  Burmese 
  who 
  recorded 
  

   such 
  blocks 
  as 
  "River 
  Sheep 
  or 
  Burmese 
  

   Karens," 
  "River 
  Kvieng 
  or 
  Talaing 
  

   Karens," 
  "Forest 
  " 
  Bees." 
  "Ogres," 
  

   "Large" 
  and 
  "Small 
  Butterfly 
  Karens," 
  

   and 
  "Wild 
  Karens." 
  These 
  may 
  be 
  more 
  

   picturesque, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  less 
  scien- 
  

   tific 
  than 
  the 
  existing 
  tables. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  hills 
  there 
  is 
  more 
  justification 
  

   for 
  this 
  sort 
  of 
  thing 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  plains, 
  

   for 
  in 
  a 
  formidable 
  tumbled-up 
  mass 
  of 
  

   peaks 
  and 
  deep 
  gorges 
  there 
  are 
  scores 
  of 
  

   people 
  who 
  have 
  never 
  been 
  more 
  than 
  

   ten 
  or 
  twenty 
  miles 
  from 
  home, 
  and 
  so 
  

   have 
  had 
  years'-long 
  opportunity 
  of 
  de- 
  

   veloping 
  special 
  village 
  patois. 
  The 
  

   Karens 
  have, 
  perhaps, 
  suffered 
  more 
  than 
  

  

  

  