Karen-språkene består av en gruppe språk som hovedsakelig snakkes i kystområdene i Thailand og i de nedre delene av Burma. Det er tre hovedkarenspråk og mange dialekter. Hovedtypene er S’gaw (uttales Skaw) Karen, Western Pwo Karen og Eastern Pwo Karen. S'gaw snakkes av over én million mennesker i Burma og Thailand. Noen ganger har folk forskjellige aksenter, noe som gjør det vanskelig å forstå hverandre. Generelt er S'gaw det vanlige språket ettersom mange Pwo Karen også snakker S'gaw. På den annen side snakker ikke S'gaw Karen nødvendigvis Pwo. Bare en liten prosentandel av Karen snakker thai. Rundt 1830 laget en amerikansk baptistmisjonær et skrevet manus for Karen, dette ble utviklet fra det burmesiske alfabetet.
Generell etikette
Tradisjonelt har ikke Karen-folk etternavn, noe som kan forårsake forvirring. I stedet brukes vilkår for slektskap vanligvis for å henvende seg til hverandre. Karenene håndhilser heller ikke eller bukker. Med erfaring fra vestlig kultur kan noen Karen håndhilse. Imidlertid kan Karen hilse med høyre hånd, støtte høyre underarm med venstre hånd, da det er et tegn på respekt å bruke begge hender.
I S'gaw Karen vil folk si god morgen (Ghaw Ler Ah Ghay), God ettermiddag (Ni Ler Ah Ghay), God kveld (Ha Ler Ah Ghay) og god natt (Na Ler Ah Ghay).
Ikke forveksle eller referer til Karen som burmesisk. Etnisk sett er de en helt annen gruppe, og mange snakker ikke burmesisk. Selv om karenene har kommet fra landet Burma, er det ikke et valg. I tillegg ble Karen drevet fra hjemmene sine av burmeserne. Derfor vil mange Karen ikke identifisere seg med burmeserne i et positivt lys. Den politiske holdningen til Karen vil variere med deres erfaring. Men i stedet for å referere til dem som burmesere med mindre personen korrigerer deg, er det mye bedre å referere til folk etter deres etniske gruppe (Karen, Chin, Karenni, Kachin, Shan osv.).
I Karen-kulturen anses det å være direkte som uhøflig. Den amerikanske kommunikasjonsmåten som å være direkte, bruk av høy tale og kroppsspråk kan være ubehagelig for de fleste Karen. Beslutninger tas vanligvis ved konsensus og konfrontasjon unngås. Konflikt kan løses i en gruppe eller av en mellommann. Visninger av sinne respekteres ikke og bør unngås. Innenfor amerikansk kultur kan høflighet noen ganger føre til misforståelser, da Karen kanskje ikke direkte sier om deres behov ikke blir møtt eller om de er uenige.
Kvinner er veldig kjærlige med hverandre, det samme er menn med menn. Eksempler inkluderer å holde hender eller klemme, men ikke kysse. Disse hengivenhetene indikerer ikke en kjønnspreferanse. I offentligheten er det uvanlig eller tradisjonelt at kvinner og menn berører.
Tips for å bygge rapport med en Karen-person eller flyktning fra Burma:
- Bruk vennlige hilsener.
- Smil ofte og snakk med en stille, myk stemme.
- Spør om deres religion, kultur.
- Gi oppmuntring på skolen eller på jobben ved å komplimentere deres vilje til å lære.
- Ikke nærm deg spørsmål for direkte. Du må kanskje omformulere spørsmål annerledes hvis du ikke får svar.
FAQs
How many Karen refugees are in Minnesota? ›
The Karen came to MN due to ethnic cleansing and genocide from the Burmese Military Dictatorship. The Karen settled in Minnesota due the open policy on receiving refugees. Currently there are estimated to be over 17,000 Karen people living in the Minnesota.
Where do Karen people live in Minnesota? ›Many live in Saint Paul and Maplewood. Around 90-95% of Karen people immigrating into the U.S. are Christian. There are often many celebrations in Saint Paul and Maplewood for the Karen New Year.
Where are Karen refugees from? ›The Karen people began to inhabit what eventually became Burma about two thousand years ago. They traveled from Tibet and China and settled largely in the hills bordering the eastern mountainous region of Burma.
How many people in Minnesota speak Karen? ›More than 20,000 Karen people live in Minnesota, making it the largest Karen community in the country.
What is the religion of the Karen refugees? ›The Karen have five known religious beliefs: Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, the Lehkai, and Telahkon. Of these five, the majority of Karen are Animist, Buddhist, or Christian. There are many Karen refugees who are Christian in the United States.
Which state has the most Karen people? ›- Minnesota. Believed to be the state with the largest Karen population, most Karen who live in Minnesota reside in the Twin Cities area although the exact population is unclear. ...
- New York. Many of the major metropolitan areas of upstate New York have significant Karen populations. ...
- Nebraska. ...
- Indiana. ...
- Other states.
There are three main Karen languages and many dialects. The main types are S'gaw (pronounced Skaw) Karen, Western Pwo Karen and Eastern Pwo Karen. S'gaw is spoken by over one million people in Burma, and Thailand.
What is the mental health of the Karen community? ›Many Karen refugees in Minnesota were exposed to torture and war trauma. As a result, they experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and various physical ailments.
How tall are the Karen people? ›The Karen are of medium height. On the plains they average about five feet, four inches, in stature, and in the hills they are about three inches shorter. The women are smaller than the men. [3-1] The hill people have the harder struggle for a livelihood and are also more liable to attacks of malaria.
What is the religion of the Karen people? ›The Karen have five known religious beliefs: Animism, Buddhism, Christianity, the Lehkai, and Telahkon. Of these five, the majority of the Karen are Animist, Buddhist, or Christian. Christian Karen make up the leadership of the resistance to the Burmese.
Are Karen people indigenous? ›
The Hmong, the Karen, the Lisu, the Mien, the Akha, the Lahu, the Lua, the Thin, and the Khamu are the recognised indigenous peoples of Thailand. Most of them live as fishers or as hunter-gatherers.
What does the Karen flag mean? ›It is called the frog drum because it is covered with frog skin. The three colors denote a certain meaning; red is for bravery, white for purity/sincerity, and blue for honesty. The nine rays of light streaming from the rising sun indicate the nine regions from which Karen people trace their origins.
What are some fun facts about the Karen tribe? ›The Karen are the only tribe in Thailand to own and work with elephants. They have a long standing history and relationship with elephants, who they used to work in the forests. They are famous as highly skilled mahouts, and in fact, most of the mahouts in the elephants camps in Chiang Mai today, are Karen hill tribe.
What are the culture of Karen people? ›Most Karen people are subsistence farmers, living in small mountain villages, and growing rice and vegetables and raising animals. Some Karen people live in the Irrawaddy Delta in central Burma, and thousands of Karen were killed by Cyclone Nargis in 2008. Traditionally Karen people practised Animism (spirit worship).
What are some interesting facts about Karen people? ›The Karen speak a separate language from most Burmese, use their own ancient writing system and calendar and have traditionally opposed the military junta. Many are Christians. The Karens have a reputation of unfriendliness and hostility. Karen villages in Thailand are usually not very welcoming to tourists.
How many Hmong refugees are in Minnesota? ›More than 60,000 Hmong currently live in Minnesota, in addition to the nearly 1,900 refugees who had arrived as of mid-November 2004.
Who has the highest immigrant population in Minnesota? ›In 2018, the largest groups of foreign-born Minnesotans were born in Mexico (about 64,500); Somalia (33,500); India (30,200); Laos, including Hmong (24,400); Vietnam (18,600); China, excluding Hong Kong and Taiwan (18,600); Ethiopia (21,900); and Thailand, including Hmong (18,500).
Who are the largest immigrant groups in Minnesota today? ›Minnesota's largest immigrant groups
Mexican immigrants remain Minnesota's largest immigrant group, but the number of Mexican immigrants living in the state declined over the past decade. Somali immigrants are the second-largest immigrant group in Minnesota.
The federal refugee resettlement process doesn't include the 90,000 Afghans and 62,000 Ukrainians who evacuated to the United States under emergency conditions. More than 600 Ukrainians have resettled in Minnesota in the last year, as well as 1,200 Afghans since August 2021.