Karenni
Encyclopedia
Red Karen also known as Karenni, is a subgroup of the Karen people
, a Sino-Tibetan people living mostly in Kayah State
of Burma.
According to a 1983 census, the Red Karens (Karenni) consist of the following groups: Kayah, Geko (Kayan Ka Khaung, Gekho, Gaykho), Geba (Kayan Gebar, Gaybar), Padaung (Kayan Lahwi), Bres, Manu-Manaus (Manumanao), Yintale, Yinbaw, Bwe, Shan and Pao. Several of the groups (Geko, Gebar, Padaung) belong to Kayan
, a subgroup of Red Karen.
, a collection of small states, formally independent, which had feudal ties to Burma. The states were bounded on the north by the Shan state
s of Mong Pai, Hsatung
and Mawkmai
; on the east, they were bounded by Thailand
; on the south by the Papun district of Lower Burma
; and on the west a stretch of mountain
ous country, inhabited by the Bre and various other small tribes. During British rule in Burma
, Karen-Ni had a guard of military police
, which was posted at the village of Loikaw
.
The Karenni States is the name formerly given to the three states of Kantarawadi (3161 square miles or 8,187 km², pop (1931) 30,677), Kyebogyi (790 square miles or 2,046.1 km², pop (1931) 14,282) and Bawlake (568 square miles or 1,471.1 km², pop (1931) 13,802), located south of the Federated Shan State
s and east of British Burma.
The British government recognized and guaranteed the independence
of the Karenni States in an 1875 treaty with Burmese King Mindon Min
, by which both parties recognized the area as belonging neither to Burma nor to Great Britain
. Consequently, the Karenni States were never fully incorporated into British Burma. The Karenni States were recognized as tributary to British Burma in 1892, when their rulers agreed to accept a stipend from the British government. In the 1930s, the Mawchi
Mine in Bawlake was the most important source of tungsten
in the world. The Constitution of the Union of Burma in 1947 proclaimed that the three Karenni States be amalgamated into a single constituent state of the union, called Karenni State. It also provided for the possibility of secession from the Union after 10 years. In 1952, the former Shan state of Mong Pai was added, and the whole renamed Kayah State
, possibly with the intent of driving a wedge between the Karenni
(in Kayah State) and the rest of the Karen people
(in Karen State), both fighting for independence.
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
, a Sino-Tibetan people living mostly in Kayah State
Kayah State
Kayah State is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately between 18° 30' and 19° 55' north latitude and between 94°40' and 97° 93' east...
of Burma.
According to a 1983 census, the Red Karens (Karenni) consist of the following groups: Kayah, Geko (Kayan Ka Khaung, Gekho, Gaykho), Geba (Kayan Gebar, Gaybar), Padaung (Kayan Lahwi), Bres, Manu-Manaus (Manumanao), Yintale, Yinbaw, Bwe, Shan and Pao. Several of the groups (Geko, Gebar, Padaung) belong to Kayan
Kayan (Burma)
The Kayan are a subgroup of the Red Karen people, a Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Burma . The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi , Kayan Ka Khaung , Kayan Lahta, Kayan Ka Ngan...
, a subgroup of Red Karen.
Karen-Ni
Karen-Ni was the country of the Red KarensKarenni
Red Karen also known as Karenni, is a subgroup of the Karen people, a Sino-Tibetan people living mostly in Kayah State of Burma....
, a collection of small states, formally independent, which had feudal ties to Burma. The states were bounded on the north by the Shan state
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
s of Mong Pai, Hsatung
Hsatung
Hsatung was a Shan state in what is today Burma.Hsatung was a tributary of Burma until 1887, when the Shan states submitted to British rule after the fall of the Konbaung dynasty. It became a part of the unified Shan State within Burma in 1947...
and Mawkmai
Mawkmai
Mawkmai is a town and capital of Mawkmai Township in Loilen District, Shan State, Burma. Mawkmai is connected by road to Loimut in the west and Langkho in the northeast which connects with the National Road 45....
; on the east, they were bounded by Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
; on the south by the Papun district of Lower Burma
Lower Burma
Lower Burma is a geographic region of Burma and includes the low-lying Irrawaddy delta , as well as coastal regions of the country ....
; and on the west a stretch of mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
ous country, inhabited by the Bre and various other small tribes. During British rule in Burma
British rule in Burma
British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence...
, Karen-Ni had a guard of military police
Military police
Military police are police organisations connected with, or part of, the military of a state. The word can have different meanings in different countries, and may refer to:...
, which was posted at the village of Loikaw
Loikaw
Loikaw is the capital of Kayah State in Burma . It is located near the State's northern tip, just above an embayment on the Pilu River. The inhabitants are mostly Kayah...
.
Karenni States
Main article: Kayah StateKayah State
Kayah State is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately between 18° 30' and 19° 55' north latitude and between 94°40' and 97° 93' east...
The Karenni States is the name formerly given to the three states of Kantarawadi (3161 square miles or 8,187 km², pop (1931) 30,677), Kyebogyi (790 square miles or 2,046.1 km², pop (1931) 14,282) and Bawlake (568 square miles or 1,471.1 km², pop (1931) 13,802), located south of the Federated Shan State
Shan State
Shan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
s and east of British Burma.
The British government recognized and guaranteed the independence
Independence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
of the Karenni States in an 1875 treaty with Burmese King Mindon Min
Mindon Min
Mindon Min was the penultimate king of Burma from 1853 to 1878. He was one of the most popular and revered kings of Burma. Under his half brother King Pagan, the Second Anglo-Burmese War in 1852 ended with the annexation of Lower Burma by the British Empire. Mindon and his younger brother Kanaung...
, by which both parties recognized the area as belonging neither to Burma nor to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. Consequently, the Karenni States were never fully incorporated into British Burma. The Karenni States were recognized as tributary to British Burma in 1892, when their rulers agreed to accept a stipend from the British government. In the 1930s, the Mawchi
Mawchi
Mawachi a location in the Bawlake district of the Kayah State is a state of Myanmar and formerly in the Karenni States of Burma. In the 1930s, the Mawchi Mine was the most important source of tungsten in the world.-External links:...
Mine in Bawlake was the most important source of tungsten
Tungsten
Tungsten , also known as wolfram , is a chemical element with the chemical symbol W and atomic number 74.A hard, rare metal under standard conditions when uncombined, tungsten is found naturally on Earth only in chemical compounds. It was identified as a new element in 1781, and first isolated as...
in the world. The Constitution of the Union of Burma in 1947 proclaimed that the three Karenni States be amalgamated into a single constituent state of the union, called Karenni State. It also provided for the possibility of secession from the Union after 10 years. In 1952, the former Shan state of Mong Pai was added, and the whole renamed Kayah State
Kayah State
Kayah State is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately between 18° 30' and 19° 55' north latitude and between 94°40' and 97° 93' east...
, possibly with the intent of driving a wedge between the Karenni
Karenni
Red Karen also known as Karenni, is a subgroup of the Karen people, a Sino-Tibetan people living mostly in Kayah State of Burma....
(in Kayah State) and the rest of the Karen people
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
(in Karen State), both fighting for independence.