Читать книгу Burma and the Karens - Dr. San C. Po C.B.E. - Страница 5

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"They stood aloof, the scars remaining, Like cliffs which had been rent asunder; A dreary sea now flows between. But neither heat nor frost nor thunder, Shall wholly do away I ween, The marks of that which once hath been." Coleridge

To gauge the present-day attitude and social status of a nation a knowledge of past history is essential. The Past not only makes the Present more easily comprehensible, but it also enables one to conjecture what the future may hold in store. Just as the physician takes into consideration the family history and previous illnesses of the patient in forming his diagnosis, so must the student of history have some knowledge of past events to guide his opinion.

Whether the Karens originally migrated from Southern China, a contention which is supported by the traditions and physiological appearance of the people, or were the earliest inhabitants of Burma, only to be conquered by more powerful invaders, is not an important point, since the writer is concerned only with the Karens as they are found in Burma to-day. The position of the Karens before the advent of the British was that of a subject race in true Oriental fashion. They were treated as slaves, hence, they made their homes on the mountain-side or on tracts of land far away from the towns and larger villages occupied by the Burmans. High stockades surrounded those Karen villages, and sure death was the fate of all intruders.

Many stories have been told of Burmese cruelty to the Karens, and of Karen retaliation, in which the latter figured more as sinners than saints. Love of independence is inherent in all hill tribes, and the Karens are no exception. It figures prominently in their war-songs and in the national poems handed down from generation to generation, and a Karen will forgo many things for the privilege of having his own way or being left alone. The Karen God-tradition, so firmly believed in and strongly adhered to, was: "Our younger white brother to whom God temporarily entrusted the Book of Silver and the Book of Gold is coming back to return them to the elder Karen brother." So, when news was received that the white brother had arrived in Burma, there was no little stir in Karendom. Adoniram Judson gained the first Karen convert to Christianity in Ko Tha Byu (1828) who lost no time in spreading the gospel among his people, declaring that the long-lost "Book of God" had been brought back by the white brother, and that the Karen God-tradition was fulfilled. Consequently, a number of young men from different parts of the country went over to Arakan, and later to Moulmein, to find the Missionaries who had brought the gospel of Christ and to learn more about the truth, which it was their intention to preach among their own people. Thra Myat Kai of Kozu, the maternal grandfather of the writer, was one of them. The lot of the Karens under Burmese rule had been hard enough, but when the Burmans, made anxious by the rumours of war to be declared between Burma and Great Britain, heard that the Karens were taking up the Christian religion, they proceeded to make life unbearable for the new converts to Christianity. Persecution, religious and political, began in earnest. Karens were caught and thrown into prison, suffering untold agonies, and a few were crucified. One man, by the name of Klaw Meh was nailed to a cross, the abdomen ripped open with intestines hanging down, which the crows were picking while the poor man writhed in agony in an impossible attempt to drive away the crows. His voice gradually grew weaker until at last he died a martyr on the cross like his Master, Jesus Christ, whom he had lately embraced. The Rev. Dr. T. Thanbyah, M. A., D.D., who died only six years ago, was a witness of the scene, and whenever he had occasion to make the railway journey between Rangoon and Bassein, as the train neared Yegyi Station, he would look out of the carriage window and cry like a child. For, it was near the railway station that Thra Klaw Meh was crucified.

REV. T. THANBYA, D.D.

REV. THRA SHWE ME

There were countless instances, but to recall them is certainly not pleasant. The cruelties and oppression practised by the Burmese for generations past cannot be easily effaced from memory, and a generation or two ago Karen mothers used to still the cries of their children by saying "A Burman is coming." Even to-day, you may hear a Karen bitterly remarking: "In olden times we were ground down by the Burmese; but now, though enjoying equal rights under British Government, since almost all the Subordinate Officials in Government service are Burmese, we are really as much harassed as before."

If there is a nation which can easily adapt itself to changed conditions and circumstances it is the Burmese. This characteristic of the Burmese, incidentally, recalls the opinion of a travelled American: "If an Englishman puts himself out to please a man he can do it better than any other man on earth." A Burman is an adept in pleasing others when he chooses; unfortunately, a Karen is not, otherwise his lot would be far better than it is to-day.

Some years ago the writer had the pleasure of driving up to Kozu Village from Bassein in the company of a Deputy Commissioner, new to the station, to witness the presentation of a Union Jack and a gun by the Commissioner of the Irrawaddy Division to the Karen villagers for having supplied the largest number of soldiers (over fifty in number) just prior to and during the Great War. On the way, in the course of conversation, the Deputy Commissioner asked "Don't you think the Karens live too much on past history?" The answer was that the Karens have tried very hard to "live down" past history, but unfortunately they are being constantly reminded of it. The Deputy Commissioner was assured that it would not be long before he would personally see for himself the truth of the statement.

A few days later there was a football match between a Karen team and a Burmese team. The game was hotly contested (as it always is when Karens play against the Burmese). The Burmese were the first to score, and the play, though fast and exciting, was being cleanly fought. But when the Karens equalised, some members of the Burmese team began to resort to foul tactics, and with the incitement of the crowd in which the Burmans outnumbered the Karens by more than ten to one, the game became very rough. And when the goalkeeper of the Burmese team, on obtaining possession of the ball, deliberately kicked an attacking Karen forward in the face before getting rid of the ball, the game was stopped and awarded to the Karens by the referee. The Deputy Commissioner, who witnessed the match, had perforce to admit the truth of the statement made on the Kozu trip. Trivial as it was, the incident undoubtedly throws some light on the existing situation.

Another incident may be cited as an illustration of the annoyances to which Karens are daily being subjected by petty Burman subordinate officials. Many years ago, at the instigation of a Burmese official of the police force who alleged that those Karens who were licensed to carry guns were not using them legitimately, and that they even lent their guns to dacoits, the Deputy Commissioner ordered two Karens to bring in their guns for cancellation of their licences. But it so happened that these two men had fought under British officers during the troublous times of 1886 when Mr. St. Barbe, who was Deputy Commissioner of Bassein at the time, was shot dead by the dacoits, and had held their guns ever since for services rendered to Government at great personal risk.

At their request the writer went to the Deputy Commissioner and explained matters. The Rev. C. A. Nichols, D.D., K.I.H., who had also taken an active part in the dacoit-hunting of the year mentioned, related to the Deputy Commissioner the story of the part played by Karens in general, and particularly by the two men concerned, with the result that the Deputy Commissioner at once withdrew his order.

British officials in Burma cannot neglect past history. They will find it invaluable as a guide in their responsible task of administration, and there will be heard less often the complaint that "New Pharaohs always forget Joseph of old." They will be better able to emulate their worthy predecessors who inspired a shrewd critic to venture the following opinion of them: "Nowhere in the world, probably, is there a class of officials ... possessed of higher qualifications for their responsible duties than the officials of the British Government in India. There are among them not a few who combine with the highest ability and training the beautiful characteristics of an inward Christian life. British Burma owes much to the administrative power of chiefs like Col. Sir Arthur Phayre, Sir Ashley Eden, and not less, certainly, to the Christian wisdom combined with a rare general ability of an Aitchison, a Thomson, and a Bernard."

THRA KÉ and THRA TUKÈ