The Sqaw (or S'gaw) Karen tribe inhabits the mountains and jungle valleys of eastern Myanmar, though some spill over into India and Thailand. A small number live in Australia. They have lived in Myanmar for thousands of years and are thought to be the original inhabitants of the region. They are the largest of the Karen tribes.
Work and social status are determined by gender. Women weave clothes and blankets while their men hunt, build houses, and take care of livestock. Women carry a heavy burden yet they don’t have decision-making power in Karen society.
S’gaw Karens are subsistence farmers who eat what they grow and raise. Rice is their staple crop, but they also each vegetables, fermented bamboo shoots, and wild greens. They like fermented foods and beverages. They get their meat from their livestock. Men catch fish in nearby rivers.
Like other Karen peoples, the S’gaw celebrate Karen New Year with music, dancing, feasting, and merry-making in a festive atmosphere. Boys and girls court though reciting poetry; they exchange rhyming questions and ancestors.
The Lord has pursued the Karen people for a long time, and the first Christians among them came to faith in the 1800s. Today, there are many Karen believers, but they have been isolated from the rest of the world and decimated for the past 50 years by the brutal, evil Burmese military junta, who have killed hundreds of thousands of Karen people in one of the worst genocides in modern history. Many have fled to Thailand, India, or Australia to escape.
S’gaw Karens need more educational opportunities so they can get beyond subsistence farming. Healthcare is limited, resulting in inadequate care in emergencies.
Pray for hundreds to be raised up with a defiant faith in Christ, one that will not be shaken no matter what comes their way.
Pray for God to bring about his purpose for the S’gaw Karens.
Pray for Christians to have love, joy, peace, and patience as they tell others about the King of kings.
Pray for a powerful Holy Spirit revival to permeate their families and churches, drawing them into greater love for God and for their neighbors.
Scripture Prayers for the Karen, S'gaw in India.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
