﻿AMONG 
  THE 
  HILL 
  TRIBES 
  OF 
  BURMA 
  

  

  313 
  

  

  known, 
  the 
  Indian 
  Government 
  inter- 
  

   fered, 
  and 
  by 
  the 
  treaty 
  of 
  Sir 
  Douglas 
  

   Forsyth 
  the 
  independence 
  of 
  Karen-ni 
  

   was 
  guaranteed. 
  When, 
  therefore, 
  in 
  

   1886, 
  the 
  Burmese 
  Kingdom 
  ceased 
  to 
  

   exist, 
  it 
  appeared 
  that 
  this 
  independence 
  

   was 
  guaranteed 
  by 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  

   India 
  against 
  the 
  Government 
  of 
  India, 
  

   and 
  the 
  five 
  Karen-ni 
  States 
  remain 
  

   under 
  ruling 
  chiefs, 
  but 
  they 
  are 
  under 
  

   the 
  control 
  of 
  the 
  political 
  officer 
  of 
  the 
  

   Southern 
  Shan 
  States 
  and 
  are 
  only 
  tech- 
  

   nically 
  outside 
  British 
  India. 
  

  

  For 
  a 
  time 
  after 
  the 
  occupation 
  of 
  the 
  

   Shan 
  States 
  the 
  Red 
  Karens 
  gave 
  some 
  

   trouble, 
  and 
  ignored 
  letters 
  of 
  warning. 
  

   They 
  believed 
  that 
  British 
  troops 
  could 
  no 
  

   more 
  take 
  Sawlonthan 
  the 
  Burmese 
  could, 
  

   and 
  accordingly 
  they 
  went 
  on 
  stealing 
  cat- 
  

   tle, 
  and 
  even 
  overran 
  a 
  neighboring 
  Shan 
  

   State 
  (Mawkmai), 
  burnt 
  the 
  capital, 
  and 
  

   carried 
  off 
  slaves, 
  quite 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  

   days. 
  Accordingly 
  a 
  British 
  column 
  

   inarched 
  against 
  them, 
  and 
  the 
  resistance 
  

   collapsed 
  with 
  dramatic 
  rapidity. 
  Since 
  

   then 
  the 
  Karens 
  have 
  given 
  no 
  trouble. 
  

   From 
  swaggering 
  bullies 
  they 
  changed, 
  in 
  

   a 
  matter 
  of 
  weeks, 
  to 
  listless 
  cultivators. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  old 
  days 
  the 
  Red 
  Karen 
  never 
  

   went 
  out 
  without 
  dha 
  (sword) 
  and 
  gun, 
  

   and 
  in 
  addition 
  had 
  a 
  small 
  sheaf 
  of 
  

   spears 
  or 
  rather 
  javelins. 
  Now, 
  the 
  guns 
  

   remain 
  at 
  home, 
  only 
  to 
  be 
  used 
  when 
  

   there 
  is 
  a 
  death 
  in 
  the 
  village. 
  They 
  are 
  

   fired 
  then 
  to 
  scare 
  away 
  the 
  disembodied 
  

   spirit. 
  

  

  All 
  the 
  dead 
  are 
  looked 
  upon 
  as 
  evil- 
  

   minded 
  or, 
  at 
  all 
  events, 
  malevolent 
  char- 
  

   acters, 
  best 
  driven 
  away. 
  

  

  THE 
  DISTINCTIVE 
  KAREN 
  SPEARS 
  HAVE 
  

   VANISHED 
  

  

  The 
  Karen 
  spears 
  have 
  vanished 
  so 
  

   completely 
  that 
  the 
  hunter 
  after 
  curios 
  

   has 
  difficulty 
  in 
  getting 
  them. 
  They 
  were 
  

   of 
  a 
  very 
  distinctive 
  character, 
  sharpened 
  

   on 
  one 
  side 
  only, 
  like 
  a 
  knife-blade, 
  with 
  

   a 
  male 
  bamboo 
  shaft 
  that 
  had 
  a 
  spike 
  at 
  

   the 
  butt, 
  so 
  that 
  the 
  owner 
  could 
  stick 
  it 
  

   in 
  the 
  ground 
  when 
  he 
  was 
  hoeing 
  his 
  

   fields 
  or 
  cutting 
  his 
  crops, 
  and 
  be 
  ready 
  

   for 
  any 
  stranger. 
  

  

  But 
  the 
  Red 
  Karen 
  remains 
  a 
  heavy 
  

   drinker. 
  Early 
  prospectors 
  for 
  teak 
  for- 
  

   ests 
  used 
  to 
  say 
  that 
  a 
  genuine 
  Karen-ni 
  

   never 
  went 
  abroad 
  without 
  taking 
  a 
  bam- 
  

   boo 
  on 
  his 
  back, 
  from 
  which 
  a 
  tube 
  led 
  

  

  to 
  his 
  mouth. 
  Apparently 
  they 
  could 
  

   carry 
  their 
  liquor 
  then, 
  inside 
  and 
  out. 
  

  

  In 
  addition 
  to 
  their 
  liking 
  for 
  spirits 
  

   from 
  the 
  still, 
  the 
  Red 
  Karens 
  are 
  de- 
  

   votees 
  of 
  the 
  spirits 
  of 
  the 
  air, 
  the 
  flood 
  

   and 
  the 
  fell. 
  Latterly 
  a 
  few 
  have 
  be- 
  

   come 
  nominal 
  Buddhists, 
  and 
  some 
  have 
  

   even 
  founded 
  monasteries 
  and 
  built 
  

   pagodas, 
  but 
  none 
  of 
  them 
  give 
  up 
  their 
  

   belief 
  in 
  nats, 
  to 
  use 
  the 
  Burmese 
  word 
  

   for 
  spirits. 
  

  

  The 
  most 
  obvious 
  occasion 
  for 
  worship 
  

   is 
  when 
  any 
  of 
  the 
  family 
  fall 
  sick. 
  A 
  

   sacrifice 
  is 
  then 
  made 
  to 
  appease 
  the 
  

   wrath 
  of 
  the 
  presumably 
  aggrieved 
  spirit. 
  

   The 
  first 
  thing 
  killed 
  is 
  a 
  fowl 
  which 
  is 
  

   cheap, 
  and 
  the 
  bones 
  are 
  then 
  examined 
  

   to 
  find 
  out 
  whether 
  the 
  nat 
  would 
  like 
  

   fowls, 
  pigs, 
  dogs, 
  or 
  bullocks 
  as 
  a 
  sacri- 
  

   fice. 
  When 
  this 
  is 
  settled 
  the 
  required 
  

   animal 
  is 
  slaughtered, 
  and 
  the 
  head, 
  ears, 
  

   legs, 
  and 
  entrails 
  are 
  deposited 
  in 
  the 
  

   Nat-sin, 
  the 
  shrine 
  of 
  the 
  spirit 
  (see 
  page 
  

   300). 
  The 
  family 
  eat 
  the 
  more 
  desirable 
  

   parts 
  of 
  the 
  carcass 
  which 
  remain. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  old 
  days 
  sacrifices 
  of 
  this 
  kind 
  

   on 
  a 
  larger 
  scale, 
  since 
  the 
  whole 
  village 
  

   was 
  concerned, 
  were 
  always 
  the 
  prelude 
  

   to 
  a 
  raid, 
  or 
  a 
  warlike 
  expedition 
  against 
  

   thieving 
  neighbors. 
  

  

  CHICKEN 
  BONES 
  ARE 
  A 
  "WHERE-IS-IT 
  ?" 
  

   BOOK 
  

  

  Chickens' 
  bones 
  are 
  the 
  Red 
  Karen's 
  

   dictionary 
  and 
  "Where-Is-It 
  ?" 
  book. 
  He 
  

   consults 
  them 
  to 
  know 
  where 
  he 
  should 
  

   build 
  his 
  village 
  or 
  his 
  house 
  ; 
  whether 
  

   he 
  should 
  start 
  ort 
  a 
  journey, 
  and, 
  if 
  so, 
  

   in 
  what 
  direction, 
  on 
  what 
  day, 
  and 
  at 
  

   what 
  hour 
  ; 
  whether 
  he 
  should 
  marry 
  a 
  

   certain 
  girl, 
  and, 
  if 
  the 
  omens 
  approve, 
  

   on 
  what 
  day 
  he 
  should 
  do 
  it 
  ; 
  where 
  he 
  

   should 
  make 
  his 
  hill-clearing, 
  when 
  he 
  

   should 
  prepare, 
  sow, 
  and 
  reap 
  it 
  ; 
  in 
  fact, 
  

   he 
  does 
  nothing 
  without 
  authority 
  from 
  

   fowls' 
  bones. 
  

  

  The 
  Red 
  Karen 
  villages 
  are 
  usually 
  far 
  

   up 
  in 
  the 
  hills 
  and 
  as 
  much 
  off 
  main 
  

   roads 
  (if 
  paths 
  a 
  couple 
  of 
  feet 
  wide, 
  

   along 
  the 
  sides 
  of 
  hills 
  or 
  meandering 
  up 
  

   rocky 
  gorges 
  can 
  be 
  called 
  roads) 
  as 
  

   possible. 
  They 
  are 
  also 
  surrounded 
  by 
  

   close 
  fences 
  of 
  live 
  bush 
  growth, 
  rein- 
  

   forced 
  by 
  dry 
  thorn 
  branches 
  and 
  stakes 
  

   (see 
  page 
  295). 
  

  

  The 
  Karen-ni 
  are 
  firm 
  believers 
  in 
  

   original 
  sin, 
  and, 
  to 
  baffle 
  thieves, 
  keep 
  

  

  