Serving the Empire: The Karen of Burma

One of the most famous legends in the oral history of the Karen people is that of the Golden Book. It is said that the original father of the peoples of Burma had three sons; a Karen, a Burman and a white boy, who was the youngest. Each son was given a book, but the Burman’s book was eaten by white ants, and the youngest son’s book was eaten by a pig. The Burman began quarrelling with his older Karen brother for possession of his Golden Book, so he entrusted it to the youngest brother, but he sailed off overseas with it. The Karen believed that one day the white son would return from over the oceans with the Golden Book, and that life would be peaceful and contented once again. In 1813, an American Baptist Missionary, Dr. Judson, arrived in Burma. To the Karen, it seemed that the legend of the Golden Book had finally come true, and many Karen happily converted to Christianity. Thus, many of the Karen people were more willing to accept British colonisation from the 1820s, and began serving the empire. Karen menfolk were recruited into all the military and quasi-military units of British Burma, serving in the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885, the Great War and the Second World War, as well as helping to quell rebellions such as the 1930-32 Saya San uprising. Using transcripts from interviews carried out in Burma in the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as original archival documents, this book finally gives a voice to a people who loyally served the empire until independence was given to Burma in 1948.