Karen are a group of Indo-Chinese tribes living in Myanmar and there is a group of Karen settled in the Andaman Islands since 1925. The weaving traditions of the Karen in their native place and the manner in which it has undergone modification in the Andaman Islands is described. The way to take the tradition forward catering to the modern requirements are also discussed.
Garments, Mayabunder, Webi, Yarn
1. Anonymous, 2001. Karen settlement in Andaman & Nicobar Islands. Souvenir- 75th Anniversary Jubilee Celebration.
2. Banerjee, A. and Mondal, K., 2017. Karens- the low profile migrants of Andaman Islands. The Educational Review, USA, 1(2), pp.34–38. https://doi.org/10.26855/er.2017.02.003
3. Coomar, P.C., Raha, M.K. and Bui, S., 2009. Tradition and transformation in an immigrant island society (The Karen of Andaman Islands). Abhijeet Publications.
4. Desor, S., Chandi, M. and Thong, S.J.A., 2020. Place, Space, identity and transforming cuisine among the Karen of the Andamans. In Mukhopadhyay, K. (ed.), Food and Power: Expressions of food politics in South Asia. pp.324–342. SAGE Publications Pvt. Ltd. https://doi.org/10.4135/9789353886059.n16
5. Fenton, R., 2025. Cloth and art of connection with the Karen weaving circle. 2025 Festival, Youth and the Future of Culture, Art & Design, Community. Smithsonian Folklife Festival Blog.
6. Gregory, K.L., 2021. Traditional Karen blouses. Sop Moei Arts (https://sopmoeiarts.com)
7. Majumdar, S., 2024. Arrival of 12 families of Karen in Andaman: adaptation and present status of the Karen community. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research, 6(5), pp.1–4. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i05.28199
8. Marshall, H.I., 1922. The Karen people of Burma: a study in anthropology and ethnology. The Ohio State University Bulletin, 26(13),pp.332 Contributions in History and Political Science, No. 8.
9. Mittal, T., 2015. The Karen of Andaman Islands: Labour migration, Indian citizenship and development of a unique cultural identity. Thesis submitted to the Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania.
10. Sasaki, S., 2018. Karen textiles in Northern Thailand. In the textile atlas.com
11. Tamburini, D., Dyer, J., Cartwright, C. and Green, A., 2023. Changes in the production materials of Burmese textiles in the nineteenth century- dyes, mordants and fibres of Karen garments from the British Museum’s collection. Heritage Science, 11, pp.150 https://doi.org/10.1186/s40494-023-00978-5
Jayaraj, R.S.C., Chowdhury, M. and Thong, S.A., 2026. Weaving traditions of the Karens, an ethnic community of Andaman Islands. Journal of Non-Timber Forest Products, 33(1), pp.1-9. https://doi.org/10.54207/bsmps2000-2026-AK8UCS
Manuscript Received on 01 March 2026
Manuscript Revised on 25 March 2026
Manuscript Accepted on 28 March 2026
Manuscript Published on 31 March 2026
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: