Melting Pot. Embracing the Karen People

“Many Karen began to flee into refugee camps in neighboring Thailand, and many stayed in those camps for over ten years. Many of the children who are currently in Buffalo were born in the refugee camps and have never seen their motherland.”By Anna Ireland

Walking down Grant Street, it is easy to see the impact that Karen refugees have made on our city in the short time since their arrival.  As I pass the Lin Market, a newly opened Karen store, I smile at an emerging Karen woman, who gives me a cheery wave.  Posted on the window are notices for events at the Karen church, a congregation of about five hundred that meets every Sunday.  For the last three years, the Karen have hosted two annual festivals which they have opened to the Buffalo community, “The Wrist Tying Ceremony” and “Happy Karen New Year.”

Buffalo has become a magnate city for Karen refugees, not only receiving thousands directly through our local resettlement agencies, but also receiving many families who moved to Buffalo after having been resettled elsewhere.  Families have begun to purchase houses, making Buffalo their permanent home, which is now one of the largest Karen communities in the country.  Despite their growing presence and impact, the plight of the Karen refugee is relatively unknown. 

The Karen people are a minority ethnicity originating from Burma in South East Asia, currently known as Myanmar, which lies near the border of Thailand.  The Karen have been engaged in civil war in Burma for the last five generations, and with a desire for self-rule, they are fighting for the right to cede from Burma and become their own state.  Initially, the response of the Junta, the Burmese government, was to target those actively participating in the guerrilla movement. Later, the junta implemented the “Four Cuts Policy,” which was designed to cut the flow of resources being channeled to the anti-government movements.  Unfortunately, it targeted civilian populations as the main source of those resources, which resulted in a government-led ethnocide against the Karen population living in Burma.  Military troops burned homes and crops, tortured those they captured, used Karen captives as human anti-mine detectors, raped the women and ran forced labor projects.  The United Nations and the Human Rights Watch have documented the atrocities committed against the Karen. 

Many Karen began to flee into refugee camps in neighboring Thailand, and many stayed in those camps for over ten years.  Many of the children who are currently in Buffalo were born in the refugee camps and have never seen their motherland.

In 2008, the Karen began to arrive in Buffalo.  After about ten years in the camps, the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) made the decision that peace was not likely to return to Burma in a reasonable period of time, therefore, other options needed to be explored.  The decision was made by the UNHCR to remove the Karen from Thailand and resettle them to other countries, with the United States agreeing to take the largest number of Karen refugees.  The Karen that have come to Buffalo are legal refugees, ready to make a new start for themselves and their children.  In the brief period since their arrival, they have contributed to local business and have begun to buy homes. Joseph, whose first child was born in Buffalo, expresses, “I want my child to know what it means to have a home and I am going to work hard to provide that.”

As a group, the Karen are quite diverse.  Coming from a variety of religious backgrounds, they have opened not only a church, but also two monasteries.  The Karen Baptist Church, which meets on the West Side of Buffalo in the Loretto Ministry Center, has a congregation of over 300 people.  Having the ability to create a thriving religious community is an accomplishment not usually made so rapidly.  The “Wrist Tying Ceremony” is a religious ceremony that dates back to their traditional religion.  The ceremony centers on the connection between spirit and body, while also serving as a community reminder of what it means to be Karen. 

The Karen also do not speak one single language, but rather one of the many languages categorized as Karen dialects.  The importance of passing on both language and tradition are highlighted through community gatherings, especially through cultural songs and dances at all the festivals.  “We want our children to know what it means to be Karen,” says a young mother. “My baby might never see a Karen State, but she can speak the language and know why we are here.”

The Karen living in Buffalo have not forgotten those they have left behind.  “I want to be a lawyer,” states Thay Win, a determined young Karen man, “I will go back and fight for my people.  I want to get educated here, so that when I go back, I will be ready.”!