Karen tribes, located in the hill tribes in Mae Hong Son province is one of the largest in the area. They are located in all of the districts as the western territory of Mae Hong Son area borders the Kaya State of Myanmar. They migrated to the Northern Thailand, and have been living here for more than 200 years.
Pwo Karen tribes and Sagaw Karen tribes are the two prominent groups of Karen. The unique aspect of the place is how the women dressed with ornaments, dress color, and the weaving techniques. For example, Pwo Karen women wear more decorative jewelry than Sagaw Karen women. Girls of both tribes wear long white shirts down to the shin.
Karen people build high platform wooden houses at altitudes of 500 m. above sea level. They live as single families, typically consisting of a father, a mother and unmarried children. Karen people earn their living by planting rice and other vegetables, or feeding pigs, chickens, oxen, buffaloes and elephants for consumption, or performing rites, vending or working for small wages.
Most of Karen tribes practice faiths with the doctrine that everything possesses a distinct spiritual essence. Some believed in other religions which are correlated with other lowland communities.
