Identifier: worldsinhabitant00bett (find matches)
Title: The world's inhabitants; or, Mankind, animals, and plants; being a popular account of the races and nations of mankind, past and present, and the animals and plants inhabiting the great continents and principal islands
Year: 1888 (1880s)
Authors: Bettany, G. T. (George Thomas), 1850-1891
Subjects: Civilization Culture
Publisher: London Ward, Lock
Contributing Library: Robarts - University of Toronto
Digitizing Sponsor: University of Toronto

View Book Page: Book Viewer
About This Book: Catalog Entry
View All Images: All Images From Book
Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book.

Text Appearing Before Image:
home and family, and their women havea better moral character than some of their neighbours. Revenge is acardinal idea with them. A father on his death-bed will charge hissons to avenge him on his enemies. They are very imitative, and canreadily learn the use of tools, though they originate nothing. Various subdivisions of these people are known, as the white, red, and black Karens, from the colour of their clothes. The red Karens, how- White red ^^^^■) ^^ow wear some black clothing. They inhabit some of and hiack the best land in the interior of Burmah, and in times past K flTPTIR issued from their table-lands to plunder and kidnap in alldirections, selling most of their captives—the Burmese to the Siamese,and uce versa. Every man had a short knife ; those who had not gunshad swords or spears; with these, riding on their active ponies, theywere sufficiently formidable as cavalry. Their character is fiuther shownby the considerable amount of comfort in which they live. Their food
Text Appearing After Image:
I 334 THE INHABITANTS OF ASIA. is good, they have many implements, better tlian those of the Burmese,and tliey formerly made them all themselves. Some of the Karen tribes are Buddhists, but others are Pagan. They burn their dead, but reserve a portion of the skull to hang from . a tree, together with the clothing, armour, and ornaments of and funeral the deceased. Round these they dance and sing, after which customs, ^i^^ remains are buried. The Pagans have a sort of spirit worship, reverencing the ««f.v, or good and evil spirits of rivers, hills. plains, and trees, and sacrificing to them buffaloes, hogs, and fowls. Some of them also worship the spirits of their ancestors. The Karens usually marry within their own limited tribes, and secondcousins are preferred. Children, especially girls, are betrothed early.

Note About Images