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The Karen, Kayin, Kariang or Yang people (''Per Ploan Poe'' or ''Ploan'' in Poe Karen and ''Pwa Ka Nyaw'' or ''Kanyaw'' in Sgaw Karen; ; (タイ語:กะเหรี่ยง or ยาง)) refer to a number of individual Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic groups, many of which do not share a common language or culture. These Karen groups reside primarily in Karen State, southern and southeastern Myanmar. The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population with approximately 5 million people. A large number of Karen have migrated to Thailand, having settled mostly on the Thailand–Myanmar border. The Karen groups as a whole are often confused with the Padaung tribe, best known for the neck rings worn by their women, but they are just one sub-group of Red Karens (Karenni), one of the tribes of Kayah in Kayah State, Myanmar. Some of the Karen, led primarily by the Karen National Union (KNU), have waged a war against the central Burmese government since early 1949. The aim of the KNU at first was independence. Since 1976 the armed group has called for a federal system rather than an independent Karen State. ==Origins== Karen legends refer to a 'river of running sand' which ancestors reputedly crossed. Many Karen think this refers to the Gobi Desert, although they have lived in Myanmar for centuries. The Karen constitute the third biggest ethnic population in Myanmar, after the Bamars and Shans. The term "Karen" is an umbrella term that refers to a heterogeneous lot of ethnic groups that do not share a common language, culture, religion or material characteristics. A pan-Karen ethnic identity is a relatively modern creation, established in the 1800s with the conversion of some Karens to Christianity and shaped by various British colonial policies and practices and the introduction of Christianity. "Karen" is an Anglicisation of the Burmese word "''Kayin''" (), whose etymology is unclear.〔 The word, which was originally a derogatory term referring to non-Buddhist ethnic groups, may have come from the Mon language, or is a corruption of ''Kanyan'', the name of a vanished civilization.〔 In pre-colonial times, the low-lying Burmese and Mon-speaking kingdoms recognised two general categories of Karen, the ''Talaing Kayin'' (), generally lowlanders who were recognised as the "original settlers" and essential to Mon court life, and the '' Karen'' (), highlanders who were subordinated or assimilated by the Bamar. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Karen people」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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