“Kox Kwai Kauv Kox Kwai “:1 Ecopoetic Symbolisation in Pgaz K’nyau Oral Poetry

This article* presents the transcription, translation, and annotation of an original performance of hta, a traditional form of oral poetry in Sgaw, the language of the Pgaz K’Nyau (Karen) people of northern Thailand. This performance was recorded during ethnopoetic fieldwork carried out in two villages in the province of Chiang Rai.2 The hta is then analysed to understand the operations of ecopoetic symbolisation that bring particular nonhumans into the domain of human language. This analysis reveals that a metaphorical mode of symbolisation is extensively used throughout the hta to overcome human/nonhuman allotopies by means of implicit or explicit semic transformations. This seems to indicate that a naturalistic mode of identification underlies the whole poem, a conclusion that calls into question the essentialising and mythifying portrayal of the Pgaz K’Nyau as pre-modern and animistic indigenous stewards.

Risk factors and prevalence of taeniasis among the Karen people of Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province, Thailand

Taeniasis remains a prevalent public health problem in Thailand. National helminthiasis surveys report only the incidence of Taenia spp. eggs. The ability to differentiate Taenia species using morphological and molecular techniques is vital for epidemiological surveys. This study detected taeniasis carriers and other helminthic infections by Kato’s thick smear technique and identified the Taenia species by multiplex PCR. The study subjects were the ethnic Karen people in Tha Song Yang District, Tak Province, Thailand, bordering Myanmar. In total, 983 faecal samples from villagers were examined for helminthiases. Interview-based questionnaires were used to gather information on possible risk factors for infection. The prevalence of helminth infections was 42.7% (420/983), including single (37.3%, 367/983) and mixed infections (5.4%, 53/983). The most common infection (19.23%, 189/983) was Ascaris lumbricoides, whereas taeniasis carriers comprised 2.8% (28/983). Multiplex PCR of Cox1 was used for species identification of Taenia tapeworms, eggs, or both in 22 taeniasis carriers. Most of the parasites (20 cases) were Taenia solium, with two cases of Taenia saginata. Taenia saginata asiatica was not found in the villagers examined. The analysis of 314 completed questionnaires showed that a statistically significant (p < 0.05) risk of taeniasis was correlated with being male, a history of being allowed to forage during childhood, a history of seeing tapeworm proglottids, and a history of raw or undercooked pork consumption. Health education programmes must seek to reduce and prevent reinfection in these communities.

Meaningfully Engaging Karen Refugee Families in Physical Activity: The Outcomes of A Culturally Specific, Co-Designed Program

Background There are numerous health and social benefits of physical activity (PA) participation, yet refugees who have settled into destination countries like Australia are less likely to play sport or exercise, or reach recommended daily PA levels if they do. There may be various correlates of PA which impact on participation, however cultural attributes and the process of cultural adaptation after resettlement, may be a key contributor, impacting on the health of resettlers. This research trialled a community-driven, culturally specific family PA program with Karen refugees settled in Australia. The aims of the program were to encourage participation through a culturally appropriate physical activity setting and provide Karen families with an opportunity to learn to be active together. Methods The grant-funded program consisted of a two-hour lifestyle educational module and a practical activity session held each week for eight weeks, including a six-month follow-up session post completion. Educational sessions covered relevant health topics, such as healthy eating, and practical activity sessions were tailored to meet Karen people’s cultural expectations and needs. All components of the intervention were co-designed with the participants. Results A total of 36 Karen adults and children varying in ages participated in the program, with an average rate of participation of 81.8% over eight weeks. The program was evaluated with surveys, interviews, and informal discussions with instructors and participants, as well as ethnographic methods of observation. Participants valued the program that met their needs. After completion of the program they requested to continue with a similar community-based PA program in the future. Conclusions This culturally appropriate and co-designed PA program effectively engaged Karen people and increased healthy lifestyle behaviours in the group, which they found valuable and meaningful. Future interventions and programs targeting resettled refugees should be co-designed with participants using culturally appropriate approaches.

Medicinal Plants for Treating Musculoskeletal Disorders among Karen in Thailand

Millions of people suffer from Musculoskeletal System Disorders (MSDs), including Karen people who work hard in the fields for their subsistence and have done so for generations. This has forced the Karen to use many medicinal plants to treat MSDs. We gathered data from 15 original references covering 27 Karen communities and we document 461 reports of the use of 175 species for treating MSDs among the Karen people in Thailand. The data were analyzed by calculating use values (UV), relative frequency of citation (RFC) and informant consensus factor (ICF). Many use reports and species were from Leguminosae and Zingiberaceae. Roots and leaves were the most used parts, while the preferred preparation methods were decoction and burning. Oral ingestion was the most common form of administration. The most common ailment was muscle pain. Sambucus javanica and Plantago major were the most important species because they had the highest and second-highest values for both UV and RFC, respectively. This study revealed that the Karen people in Thailand use various medicinal plants to treat MSDs. These are the main resources for the further development of inexpensive treatments of MSDs that would benefit not only the Karen, but all people who suffer from MSD.

High-Value Plant Species Used for the Treatment of “Fever” by the Karen Hill Tribe People

The symptom “fever” is generally not itself a terminal condition. However, it does occur with common mild to severe ailments afflicting the world population. Several allopathic medicines are available to attenuate fever by targeting the pathogen or the symptom itself. However, many people in marginal civilizations are obligated to use locally grown medicinal plants due to limited access to common pharmaceuticals. The Karen ethnic group is the biggest ethnic minority group in the hill-tribes of Thailand. They utilise a vast repertoire of medicinal plant species. Since many modern drugs were discovered out of traditional therapies, it is possible to discover new allopathic drugs in the treatment of fever and associated pathogens from the Karen people. Thus, this study aims to identify and record the ethnomedicinal plants they used for the treatment of “fever”. The names of plants used by the Thai Karen people for the treatment of fever were mined from publications on ethnomedicinal uses. Useful plant species and families were identified using the Cultural Importance Index (CI). With the mined data, 125 plant species from 52 families were identified, distributed across 25 Karen villages. A chemical cross-examination of these species provided valuable insights into chemical classes worthy of further investigation in the context of fever and associated pathogens.

Asymptomatic Human Paragonimiasis among the Karen People in Tak Province, Thailand: A Case Report

During the mobile clinic activities in Tak Province, Thailand, <i>Paragonimus</i> sp. eggs were found in a fecal sample of a 72-year-old Karen resident. <i>Paragonimus</i> DNA was amplified from the stool sample and identified to <i>P. heterotremus</i>. The patient did not have any symptoms. Apparent pulmonary lesion was not found on the chest X-ray. The patient admitted habitual consumption of semi-cooked or roasted waterfall crabs for several years. The waterfall crabs collected from stream near the village were found negative for <i>Paragonimus</i> metacercariae. In northern Thailand, paragonimiasis remains as one of the public health concerns and should be ruled out for asymptomatic pulmonary patients.

Traditional Uses of Leguminosae among the Karen in Thailand

Leguminosae (legumes) are one of the largest plant families. They are widely used for a variety of purposes by people around the world and include many important cultivated economic food crops. On local scales, legumes are commonly used by various ethnic groups. However, the data are incomplete and scattered, not least in Thailand. We found that species of legumes were important in Karen communities, so we decided to investigate in detail the traditional knowledge of legumes on a local scale among Karen people in northern Thailand. We interviewed six herbalists and eighty-four nonherbalist informants in three Karen villages in Chiang Mai province about their use of legumes, and about the local names for the species, using semistructured interviews. A total of 83 legumes species (in 45 genera) had 4443 use reports. Five of the 83 legume species had not been reported previously as used in Thailand. Most Karen use reports (43%) of legumes were for food, medicine (36%), and materials (8%), but in term of species more legumes (68 species) were used for medicine than for food (53 species). The legume genera with most used species were Crotalaria and Flemingia each with six species. The most important species are Tamarindus indica (CI = 3.38), Senegalia rugata (CI = 2.39), Glycine max (CI = 1.27) respectively.

Paku Karen Skirt-Cloths (Not) at Home

This chapter looks at forcibly relocated objects as serial migrants and asks what it might mean for them not only to be displaced but also to be “at home.” It focuses on three skirt-cloths originating among the Paku Karen people from eastern Burma (Myanmar). In relation to displacement, the example of Naw Rebecca's cloth suggests that physical migration need not have occurred for displacement to be a valid category. The skirt is both not displaced and always displaced, staying put but still a refugee because of the liminal nature of where it resides and the status of the woman who made and wears it. The other two cloths, in contrast, were undisplaced at the time of their production but became so almost immediately afterwards. Since then, they have undergone displacement processes that are physically defined by geographical space, but extended too into the temporal, sociocultural, teleological, and beyond.