![]() The Karenni live not only in Burma’s smallest state, but also its least developed region and one of the most closed, since foreigners remained largely unable to visit this part of the country. It is generally thought that most Karennis are Christians, though a large percentage of the population is Buddhist. ![]() There is also a sizeable Kayah-speaking population in Shan State. Many Karenni are concentrated in Kayah State, between Shan State to the north-west and Karen State to the south-west. Their exact numbers are difficult to assert because of the absence of reliable statistics: one plausible estimate is that they may number some 250,000 people. Karenni, sometimes also known as the Red Karen (so-called because it was a favoured colour in traditional clothing) or Kayah, actually refers to a Karen grouping which includes a number of ethnic groups that speak related Tibeto-Burman languages such as Kekhu, Bre, Kayah, Yangtalai, Geba, Zayein and Paku. Like many ethnic classifications in Burma, ‘Karenni’ is a collective term constructed during the colonial era that does not represent a single ethnic group. We have a small favour to ask: if you appreciate our work, would you mind considering making a donation to support our work? The project is expected to take two years, the organising committee said.Thanks for using our World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples! We hope you find it interesting. Smaller donations have also been collected from the Karen business community in Yangon.Īlthough religious organisations have compiled English-Sgaw Karen dictionaries and Western Pwo Karen dictionaries in the past, the endeavor marks the first time a joint dictionary for English, Myanmar, Sgaw Karen, Western Pwo Karen, and Easter Pwo Karen languages is being developed. Other notable donations included K4 million from Karen businessman Saw Palar Tu and three million kyat from Karen State Border Guard Force commander Col Saw Chit Thu. The Yangon Region government has donated K5 million to support the committee’s efforts. “Our literature and culture will be more developed and successful if the Karen people from states and regions work together,” said Gar Moe Myat Myat Thu, Ayeyarwady Region’s Karen Ethnic Affairs Minister. The committee also includes two representatives from the Sgaw Karen and Pwo Karen Baptist Convention, a representative from the Karen State’s Eastern Pwo, as well as Karen State (Eastern Pwo) representatives, donors and linguistic experts. ![]() The committee includes a representative from the Karen Literature and Culture Committees of Ayeyarwady, Bago, Tanintharyi, and Yangon regions and Mon State, while the chief ministers of Ayeyarwady Region and Karen State and the Ethnic Affairs Ministers of Ayeyarwady, Bago, and Tanintharyi regions and Mon State are also serving as patrons. This book will become a historic volume that will last for a long time,” said Naw Pann Thinzar Myo, Karen Ethnic Affairs Minister for Yangon Region and chairperson of the dictionary’s organising committee. The government doesn’t have any experts on ethnic affairs so they have started relying on us more. “The Ministry of Education has shown interest in our dictionary and asked us how they can assist us. The dictionary is intended to keep an up-to-date register of the languages, as well as to make a usable resources for vocational training schools, ethnic language and literature education, and for web searches and future publications, an organizing committee representative said. An effort to compile Myanmar’s first dictionary for English, Myanmar, Sgaw Karen, Western Pwo Karen, and Eastern Pwo Karen languages is underway, the project’s organising committee said.
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