18GG.] Social Customs &c. of the Karens. 23 



actually starved to death by not having food enough allowed them to 

 keep up their strength. 



Dress. 



The dress of Karen men, south of Toungoo, is a tunic, or frock, and 

 a wrapper ; the latter serving for a sheet to sleep in at night. Each 

 one, too, usually carries a bag slung over his shoulder. 



The tunics of different tribes and clans are distinguished by the 

 peculiar embroidery of each.* The Sgau tunic has red horizontal 

 parallel lines on a white ground. The Bghai tunic, on the contrary, 

 has the red lines perpendicular. The Pgho tunic has a broad belt of 

 embroidery at its base, and the Pahu tunic has a narrow band, and the 

 figures varied for every village, originally distinct families, so the 

 markings are equivalent to coats of aims. 



One clan of the Bghais wear tunics, but by far the larger portion of 

 the tribe wear pants, and no tunic ; and all the tribes beyond them, as 

 the Gaikho, Tarus, and Red Karens wear pants ; but each tribe or 

 clan has some variation in the stripes of figures worked on them, so 

 that, like those who wear tunics, they can be distinguished at a 

 glance, f 



Excepting the Red Karens, all the women wear a short gown, petti- 

 coat, and large turban, all variously ornamented. The Red Karen 

 women have corresponding articles of dress, but each one is merely a 

 rectangular piece of cloth. 



The dresses are made of cotton, which the women usually plant, 

 gather, clean, spin into thread, and weave into cloth. The Northern 

 Bghais and G-aikhos, who raise the silkworm, adorn their dresses with 

 a profusion of silk embroidery. 



In some of their clans, the Elder who officiates as high priest in 

 their offerings, or sacrifices, has a longer and more ornamented tunic 

 presented to him than ordinary, but nothing in their traditions has 

 been found to explain the reason. 



To describe the different modes of ornamenting their dresses, would 

 require a long article by itself, and a series of drawings. 



* There is one exception. The Mopghas wear the same tunic as the Tunic- 

 Bghais, but why, no reason is known. They speak widely different dialects. 



f There is one exception. The Northern Bghais, and the Gaikhos wear the 

 same pants. 



