﻿IS 
  

  

  THE 
  NATIONAL 
  GEOGRAPHIC 
  MAGAZINE 
  

  

  WHITE 
  KAREN 
  TRADERS 
  

  

  The 
  man 
  on 
  the 
  left 
  wears 
  the 
  national 
  thindaing 
  (see 
  text, 
  page 
  

   317). 
  the 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  a 
  hybrid 
  European 
  suit, 
  and 
  those 
  in 
  the 
  

   middle 
  the 
  ordinary 
  coat 
  and 
  trousers 
  of 
  the 
  Shan. 
  

  

  wear 
  a 
  short 
  kirtle 
  which 
  reaches 
  within 
  

   a 
  hand's 
  breadth 
  of 
  the 
  knee, 
  but 
  some 
  

   dispense 
  with 
  this. 
  It 
  is 
  red 
  and 
  bine 
  in 
  

   stripes 
  (see 
  illustration, 
  page 
  314). 
  

  

  The 
  women 
  in 
  the 
  northern 
  section 
  of 
  

   the 
  Bre 
  tract 
  have 
  brass 
  tubing 
  coiled 
  

   round 
  the 
  leg 
  from 
  the 
  ankle 
  to 
  the 
  knee, 
  

   and 
  from 
  above 
  the 
  knee 
  to 
  half-way 
  up 
  

   the 
  thigh. 
  The 
  southern 
  Bre 
  women 
  

   have 
  to 
  content 
  themselves 
  with 
  cotton 
  

   coils 
  instead 
  of 
  brass. 
  Both 
  wear 
  large 
  

   brass 
  hoops 
  or 
  torques 
  round 
  the 
  neck, 
  

   and 
  enormous 
  ear-plugs 
  are 
  fixed 
  through 
  

   the 
  lobes 
  of 
  the 
  ears 
  (see 
  page 
  320). 
  

  

  They 
  have 
  no 
  head-dress, 
  and 
  their 
  

   hair, 
  which 
  is 
  as 
  unkempt 
  as 
  that 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  men, 
  is 
  tied 
  in 
  a 
  knot 
  

   at 
  the 
  back 
  of 
  the 
  

   head. 
  They 
  marry 
  

   very 
  early 
  — 
  the 
  girls 
  

   at 
  about 
  thirteen, 
  the 
  

   youths 
  at 
  fifteen 
  years 
  

   of 
  age. 
  

  

  THE 
  HUSBAND 
  SUR- 
  

   RENDERS 
  HIS 
  EINERY 
  

   TO 
  HIS 
  BRIDE 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  an 
  easy 
  matter 
  

   to 
  determine 
  whether 
  

   or 
  not 
  a 
  man 
  has 
  a 
  

   wife. 
  The 
  unmarried 
  

   wear 
  pebble 
  necklaces 
  

   which 
  have 
  been 
  

   handed 
  down 
  from 
  

   father 
  to 
  son 
  for 
  gen- 
  

   erations. 
  Some 
  of 
  

   them 
  are 
  valued 
  at 
  

   fifty 
  rupees, 
  which 
  is 
  

   wealth 
  for 
  these 
  hills. 
  

   Besides 
  these, 
  large 
  

   brass 
  rings 
  encircle 
  

   the 
  man's 
  neck, 
  hang 
  

   from 
  the 
  ears, 
  and 
  are 
  

   inserted 
  in 
  the 
  cotton 
  

   garters 
  on 
  his 
  legs. 
  

   The 
  northern 
  Bre 
  

   bachelor 
  adds 
  to 
  these 
  

   ornaments 
  a 
  twisted 
  

   bamboo 
  band 
  round 
  

   the 
  head, 
  studded 
  with 
  

   mother-of-pearl 
  shirt- 
  

   buttons 
  or 
  small 
  red 
  

   and 
  green 
  beads, 
  as 
  a 
  

   sort 
  of 
  setting 
  to 
  the 
  

   shards 
  of 
  large 
  green 
  

   beetles. 
  

  

  All 
  this 
  finery 
  goes 
  

   to 
  the 
  wife 
  when 
  he 
  gets 
  one, 
  and 
  as 
  a 
  

   husband 
  he 
  is 
  reduced 
  to 
  a 
  pair 
  of 
  trous- 
  

   ers, 
  a 
  blanket, 
  and 
  some 
  unornamented 
  

   black 
  rings 
  round 
  his 
  legs. 
  A 
  rudely 
  

   carved 
  wooden 
  comb 
  sometimes 
  remains 
  

   fixed 
  in 
  his 
  top-knot 
  as 
  an 
  ornament, 
  not 
  

   for 
  use. 
  

  

  Both 
  sexes 
  stain 
  their 
  teeth 
  black, 
  

   using 
  for 
  the 
  purpose 
  the 
  leaves 
  of 
  a 
  tree 
  

   which 
  the 
  Bre 
  call 
  Thtipo, 
  mixed 
  with 
  

   lime-juice. 
  

  

  The 
  staining 
  is 
  a 
  ceremonial 
  perform- 
  

   ance. 
  All 
  the 
  children 
  of 
  the 
  village, 
  at 
  

   about 
  the 
  age 
  of 
  ten, 
  are 
  taken 
  to 
  a 
  se- 
  

   cluded 
  thicket 
  at 
  sunset. 
  They 
  have 
  to 
  

   close 
  their 
  eyes, 
  cover 
  them 
  with 
  their 
  

  

  

  