The hill villages between the Salween and the plain of the Ping and the Wang, from Mae Sariang south to the Moei and Umphang, are Karen country.
The Karen are not yet documented on the Thai side in 1200; they appear in Pagan inscriptions (as Luce reads them) as "Tonsu" hill-men in 1165 to 1167, as Karyang in 1240 and as Cakraw (Sgaw?) slaves in 1242, all on the Burmese side. They govern themselves village by village, farm hill rice and keep the tracks between Haripunjaya and the Mon coast.
Who he is
- Title
- Village headmen of the Karen (Pwo and Sgaw)
- Since
- not known
- Born
- not known
- Family
- None named.
- Confidence
- low
English Wikipedia (Karen people), reading Luce's identifications of Pagan inscriptions.
Overlord
none; some villages in Pagan's orbit on the Burmese side
What it holds
- The hill villages of the Moei and Salween ranges on the Thai side
- The tracks over the Dawna ranges
- The ford at Mae Sot (see the Moei record)
How it was acquired
Native to the hills (by their own account; the migration dates are reconstructions).
Allies and rivals
Haripunjaya on the east; the Mon coast and Pagan on the west; the Lawa to the north.
How things stand that morning
Self-governing; no Karen chief is named; Pagan's hold on any Karen on the Salween is not shown.
Wealth
Hill rice, cloth (the Karen smock is already noted in 1240), forest goods.
Military
Village fighters; no numbers.
Threats
- Valley lords pressing on the hill tracks (later)
Places of note
- Sop Moei: Moei valley, Karen country
- Umphang: southern Dawna hills
Where the sources disagree
- Board (moei-crossing-mae-sot): "secure" for Haripunjaya. Nothing I found puts Haripunjaya at the Moei.
Evidence: Luce's reading of Pagan inscriptions (via English Wikipedia) is for the Burmese side; the Thai-side Karen of 1200 are inferred from later settlement.
On the map: A long strip of hill country along today's border; the Burmese side is the Burma researcher's.
Sources and studies
Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.