Karen men's shirts are made of homespun cotton with red or blue stripes or red with white stripes with yellow or green. They are unbleached and usually fall to the hips. Pwo Karen's shirts can reach upto the knees. A cord of red threads is sewn into the lower portion of the shirts during weaving. For special activities like funerals, young men often wear shirts with long fringes that hang to their knees.The Karen is the largest tribal group in Thailand comprising two main divisions (the Sgaw and Pwo) and smaller sub-groups. Originally thought to have come from Tibet, they migrated into Thailand from Burma during the 18th century.
