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The Karen are the longest established tribal group in Thailand.
The Karen are the longest established tribal group in Thailand, excepting the Lua. They crossed the Salween River at least three hundred years ago and established themselves in the border areas. There are two main subgroups, the majority Skaw, and the Pwo in Thailand but many other affiliated groups in Burma. They speak a Tibeto-Burman language which linguists find very difficult to categorize. They tend to live in permanent settlements in the lower valleys cultiv-ating wet or paddy rice. They are probably the best forest conservers of all the minorities. They are skilled weavers and make some of the finest baskets. They probably number about 400,000 but there have been recent large influxes from Burma as the authorities there have tried to suppress a long running independence movement.
Other topics are in Hill Tribes Category
 The Lahu / Muser
Other minorities
The Lawa or Lua
The long necked Karen.
The Hmong
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