Approximately 700,000 Pa-O people live in Southeast Asia. The large majority inhabits the south-western part of Shan State in Myanmar. The geographical centre of the Pa-O could be considered the mountains around the towns of Taunggyi and Kalaw. A smaller number of Pa-O live in Mon State, Karen State and as far south as the Tanintharyi (formerly Tenasserim) Division on the Gulf of Martahan in the southern tip of Myanmar.
An additional 900 Pa-O live inside Thailand, inhabiting four villages within the Muang District of Mae Hong Son Province. The Pa-O in Thailand fled Myanmar in 1975 because of the terrible social upheavals and human rights abuses committed by the military junta.
The Pa-O are called Taungthu by the Burmese, which means 'hill people '. The British colonialists called them Black Karen because most Pa-O women wear black or dark blue dresses. The Pa-O language shows them to be part of the great collection of Karen groups in Myanmar and Thailand, which together number as many as five million people in 20 language groups. Many Pa-O do not even know of this connection to the Karen, however, and consider themselves a unique people group.
The Pa-O believe that their ancestors 'fled north to Shan State from the Mon City of Thaton, in Lower Burma, after the overthrow of the Mon King Manuha in the eleventh century by King Anawrahta of Pagan '. This defeat took place in 1057. Today the Pa-O are the second most numerous ethnic group in Shan State after the Shan.
The people, however, still hold onto some animistic beliefs, and spirit shrines and magnificent wooden temples dot the outskirts of villages.
One key area in which the Pa-O differ from other Karen groups is in their religious beliefs. While most of the Karen are either animists or Christians, the Pa-O have been a strong Buddhist group for many centuries. Buddhism has influenced all Karen groups to some degree, but Buddhism dominates every area of the lives and communities of the Pa-O. In Myanmar, most Pa-O villages can be identified by the magnificent wooden temples that are constructed on the outskirts of their villages.
Although one estimate puts the number of Pa-O Christians at around 12,000 (1.7%), most Pa-O Buddhists have steadfastly rejected all efforts to evangelize them. One source states, 'The Pa-O people are Buddhists. They consider ordination as a novice even greater merit than ordination as a monk. During the first day of the novice ordination ceremony, called poi sang long, the sounds of drums, gongs and cymbals echo between the mountain ridges, when boys with shaved heads are taken from their homes to the temple. However, they still retain animist beliefs to some extent, but much less than the Pwo and Sgaw Karen. They worship spirits, such as the house and tree spirits and spirit shrines are located outside villages or near pagodas, where offerings can be made. '
Missionaries first translated Scripture portions into Pa-O in 1912, and the Jesus film is now available in their language.
Scripture Prayers for the Pa-O in Thailand.
Profile Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
People Name General | Pa-O |
People Name in Country | Pa-O |
Pronunciation |
pah-OH
|
Alternate Names | Black Karen; Karen; Pao Karen; Pa'o Karen; Taungthu; Tau-soo; Tau-sooo |
Population this Country | 900 |
Population all Countries | 867,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 2 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 6 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 10892 |
ROP3 Code | 101515 |
ROP25 Code | 303732 |
ROP25 Name | Karen |
Country | Thailand | ||
Region | Asia, Southeast | ||
Continent | Asia | ||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||
National Bible Society | Website | ||
Persecution Rank | Not ranked | ||
Location in Country | Mae Hong Son province. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
Country | Thailand |
Region | Asia, Southeast |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | Not ranked |
Location in Country | Mae Hong Son province.. Source: Ethnologue 2016 |
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Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent |
---|---|
Buddhism |
70.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 1.00 %) |
25.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
5.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
Primary Language | Pa'o |
Language Code | blk Ethnologue Listing |
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
Primary Language | Pa'o |
Language Code | blk Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 1 |
People Groups | Speaking Pa'o |
Primary Language: Pa'o
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1912-1964) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1961-2009) |
Bible-Complete | No |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | God's Story video | God's Story |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Pa'o | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Text / Printed Matter | The Ancient Path | Live Global |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Kerry Olson All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Video Source | Asia Harvest |
Profile Source | Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest Copyrighted © Used with permission |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |