The Karen cultivate their gardens in the backcountry along nearly the entire length of the Thai-Burma border. Fitting themselves into this land in between, they have endured as a distinct yet varied people. Buddhism and Christianity are among their religions. Some have settled in the lowlands and to some extent taken up customs like those of their neighbors while others remain in the hills and retain the old ways, which nevertheless vary from one valley to the next over their considerable range. Primarily subsistence farmers, Karen earn wages working in the fields of other ethnic groups and in the logging industry. Many of the elephants in northern Thailand are owned and operated by Karen. There are several sub-groups ; the two most numerous in Thailand are Sgaw and the Pwo.

Name and Language
     In the central region of Thailand, Karen are called Kariang ; in northern Thailand, they are called Nyang. the English word Karen is used by anthropologists as a general term for a number of groups who speak closely related languages. These are not so closely related to other languages and are placed as a separate category in the Tibeto-Vurman family of Sino-Tibetan
     In Karen languages, there is no one word which embraces all these peoples ; each group has a name for itself, and this is the word meaning "people" in their language. In Sgaw, this is "pga-ka-nyaw," where g is a voiced velar fricative ; in Pwo, it is "pawng." The first Karn script was developed in 1832 by a Christian missionary in Burma and others have followed. Most Karen literate in their language are Christians.

Migration
     Most Karen now live in the hills of eastern Burma. How long they have been there is an unanswered question, but since their languages seem related to Tibeto-Burman, it is thought they must have migrated from the north at some distant time.
     Their presence in Thailand is attested only from the era of the Siamese-Burmese wars of the 18 th century. It is known, for example, that Prince Kawila sent expeditions across the Salween to gather karen into Chiang Mai and that he also accepted some Karen chiefs living along the Salween as vassals
     Today approximately a quarter of a million Karen live in Thailand, making them the most numerous of the hill tribes. In northern Thailand, the largest numbers are settled in Chiang Mai, Mae Hong Son , and Lamphun. Karen are also found in the northern provinces of Phrae, Chiang Rai, and Lampang, and in many provinces of central Thailand as well