Yinbaw
The Yinbaw are thenic Karens of the Kayan sub-group. However politically they are usually regarded as Karennis. They mostly live in the plains areas of Kantarawaddy and Bawlakhe in Kayah State. They call themselves the Kang-ngan, which mean 'plain-dwellers' in the Karen language. Almost nothing else has been recorded about them in historical texts.
Like other Karens, the Yinbaws were traditionally animists, but many willingly converted to Christianity during the nineteenth century with arrival of American Baptist missionaries in Kayah State. Once a year between march and May the Yinbaws celebrate a traditional pole-raising festival called Kathowbow. The object of the festival is to ensure good luck and prevent famine or illness in the coming year. The custom is also practiced by the Kayahs, Bres and Kayans, although in many villages it has often been disrupted by continuing out breaks of fighting with government forces.
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