Karen People Research Articles

Acoustics of Karen bronze drums

Bronze drums are important to the culture of the Karen people, who live mainly in Burma and the mountainous region between Burma and Thailand. A Karen bronze drum, which is cast in one piece except for the animal adornments, consists of an overlapping tympanum that may range from 9–30 in. in diameter and a cylinder that is slightly longer than the diameter. Bronze drums have a wide variety of ritual use, both musical and nonmusical. The sound spectrum of a drum shows a dense collection of partials out to about 3 kHz. The corresponding modes of vibration, recorded using electronic TV holography, sometimes show the strongest vibration in the tympanum and sometimes in the cylindrical shell. The sound of the drum and the manner of playing will be illustrated by videotape.

Ecological study on the dynamics of soil organic matter and its related properties in shifting cultivation systems of Northern Thailand

There is a large number of hill people in northern Thailand, who practices shifting cultivation. In order to analyze the soil ecological problems involved in the transition from traditional shifting cultivation to more intensive upland farming, the authors carried out comparative studies on the dynamics of organic matter and its related properties in soils both in the traditional shifting cultivation systems adopted by Karen people and more intensive upland farming practiced by Thai and Hmong people in the area. The contents of organic matter and available N in the surface 10 cm layers of soil from the fields continuously cultivated were lower than those in soils under prolonged fallow (more than 10 y) or natural forest. Based on the rate of soil respiration, the amount of organic matter decomposed within 1 y was estimated to reach nearly 10% of that stored in the upper 50 cm layers of the soil profile in the upland crop fields. These results indicate that the organic matter-related resources markedly decreased under continuous cropping. The contents of C, N, and P in the microbial biomass of the surface 10 cm layers of soil ranged from 0.37 to 2.09 mg C g−l soil, from 22.7 to 188 µg N g−l soil, and from 6.1 to 65.7 µg P g−l soil, respectively. Since the contents of microbial C, N, and P in the surface soils were generally higher under prolonged fallow and natural forests than in the fields continuously cultivated, the microbial activity and/or the amounts of C, N, and P available for biological activity seemed to have declined under continuous upland farming. The incubation experiment to assess the N mineralization pattern showed two remarkable characteristics: 1) there was an initial time lag until active mineralization of N occurred in the soils from young fallow forest and 2) the soil burning effect was observed after burning in the fields under prolonged fallow. The active process of nitrification after N mineralization was always associated with a sharp fall in soil pH, suggesting that soil acidification was promoted and basic cations were lost from the soils. In conclusion, rapid deterioration of the soil organic matter-related properties in cropping fields can be considered to be one of the ecological reasons why upland fields must be returned to fallow again a few years after forest reclamation in traditional shifting cultivation systems. Therefore, in alternative farming systems with more intensive land use, it is essential to apply organic materials into soils to decrease the rate of soil degradation, or to improve the soil fertility, in avoiding soil acidification along with nitrification.

Karen Herland, People, Potholes and City Politics Shlomo Hasson and David Ley, Neighbourhood Organizations and the Welfar Henri Lustiger-Thaler (éd.), Political Arrangements: Power and the City Vered Amit-Talai and Henri Lustiger-Thaler (eds.), Urban Lives: Fragmentation and Resistan

Review Essay Susan D. Phillips School of Public Administration Carleton University Karen Herland, People, Potholes and City Politics (Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1992). Shlomo Hasson and David Ley, Neighbourhood Organizations and the Welfare State (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1994). Henri Lustiger-Thaler (éd.), Political Arrangements: Power and the City (Montreal: Black Rose Books, 1992). Vered Amit-Talai and Henri Lustiger-Thaler (eds.), Urban Lives: Fragmentation and Resistance (Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1994). Collectively these four volumes mark, however tentatively and unevenly, the beginning of a significant new direction in the study of Canadian urban politics. They begin to move us away from the traditional focus on structures and services to a closer examination of the relationship between urban governments and civil society. While they point us down these exciting new paths, none of these books provides an adequate road map to help us complete the journey. Nevertheless, some of the themes that emerge from these volumes are useful starting points.

Some Aspects of Liver Functions and HB antigen, antibody on the Hill Tribes in Northern Thailand

Sera collected from 100 cases of two hill tribes (the Meo and the Karen), 57 cases of people living in the highland area around ChiangDao and 255 cases of people living in the plain area around ChiangMai city were tested for transaminases S-GOT, S-GPT) and zinc sulfate test (ZTT). HBs antigen, antibody and HBc antibody were detected for 41 sera of hill tribes (23 of the Meo and 18 of the Karen). The results were as follows; 1) 70.1% of all 412 cases in northern Thailand were somehow unusual on liver functions. 2) Proportion of the abnormal level with liver functions was higher in people living in the highland area including hill tribes than those living at the plain area . 3) Proportion of the abnormal level with liver functions of the Karen people was much higher in all transaminases and ZTT than that of the Meo. 4) Young people under 10 years of age and especially those of the hill tribes showed high percentage of abnomal level with liver functions. 5) Proportions of the abnormal level were 70.2% in S-GOT and 64.4% in ZTT among all cases showed unusual level with liver functions. 6) Among the people with transaminase abnormality, S-GOT abnormalities were about three times as many as S-GPT. 7) Prevalence of HBs antigen, HBs antibody and HBc antibody were 14.6%, 36.6% and 56.1 % respectively among 41 cases of the hill tribes. 8) All of HBs antigen positive cases were in the state of high HBc antibody reservo-irs and seemed to be asymptomatic long term antigen carriers. 9) Prevalance of HB virus was 75.6% in 41 cases of the hill tribes. 10) Subtypes of HBs antigen were detected in 4 of 6 positive cases, that is, adw (1 case) and adr (3 cases).

The Karen People of Burma: A Study in Anthropology and Ethnology

The Karen People of Burma: A Study in Anthropology and Ethnology