The
Karen are the largest hill tribe group in
Thailand, whose population forms over half
the entire hill tribes population in Thailand.
They are divided into 4 major subgroups, two
of which are better known and particularly
distinctive. These are the Sako Karen and
the Po Karen, Karen villages are found scattered
form the northern provinces of Ching Rai,
Chiang Mai Mae Hong Son down to the south-western
part of the country - covering over 15 Quite
a large number of the Po Karen resides in
the western provinces of Mar Hong Son, Tak,
Kanchanaburi and Uthai Thani.
Costume
The Karen are known as "weaver"
not least, because weaving is their 
unique
culture and way of life. Traditional dresses
of a single Karen woman from her early teens
up to her marriage are beautifully made of
cotton. The dress may be embroidered of partly
decorated with colorful threads. A married
woman dresses differently with a two-piece
dress, the length, color and pattern of which
may vary. The dress can be decorated in various
possible ways, for example, using job's tears
or a weaving technique that produces different
designs. Compared with the Sako Karen, the
Po Karen adorn themselves more elaborately.
A
Karen man wears a v-neck, hip-length shirt
decorated with colorful stripes. Unlike women's
dress, men's clothing is not usually embroidered.
Necklace made from beads are commonly used
by both men and women, Unlike other tribes,
the Karen do not like large pieces of silver
ornaments. Aluminum and brass bracelets are
also worn especially by the Po Karen women
at arm length.
