Empowering Communities, Securing Peace, Protecting Environment, Land and Livelihood
Community FM Radio: Warning and Informing the People of the Warzone
This short video features the collaboration between KESAN and the community from two indigenous conserved territories: the Salween Peace Park and the Thawthi Taw-Oo Indigenous Park to make the information …and news accessible to the people as well as to provide people with warning message through community FM radio program in time of war and conflict. Please watch the video for details.[+] Show More
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Community FM Radio: Warning and Informing the People of the Warzone
This short video features the collaboration between KESAN and the community from two indigenous conserved territories: the Salween Peace Park and the Thawthi Taw-Oo Indigenous Park to make the information …and news accessible to the people as well as to provide people with warning message through community FM radio program in time of war and conflict. Please watch the video for details.[+] Show More
We carry an interdependent relationship with this biodiversity and so must live harmoniously together with it.
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အီၣ်ဒ့ၣ်ကတီၤလ့, အီၣ်ညၣ်ကတီၤကွံ (Eat Fish, Preserve their Ponds)
Our Karen ancestors instructed us to use nature with care through oral teaching. One of the example is “You eat frog; protect their place, You eat fish; preserve their …ponds”. For generations, the Karen people followed this instruction. Unfortunately, civil war and displacement forced people to overlook this practice as survival became first priority during civil war. Nowadays, the Indigenous Karen communities in the Salween Peace Park as well as in many parts of Kawthoolei come together to revitalize these practices. As a result, the population of fish have increased significantly.[+] Show More
Indigenous Karen Wildlife Guardians (2): Yomujoh Community Forest Rangers
On December 2023, the third round of community forest ranger was conducted through the collaboration between the Salween Peace Park Governing Committee, Mutraw District KNU, and the Karen Environmental & …Social Action Netowrk (KESAN). The training took place in the Salween Peace Park, Mutraw district, Kawthoolei, South-eastern Burma. This specific group of community rangers were trained to protect wildlife and forest in the newly proposed wildlife sanctuary which located in two districts of Kawthoolei. Please watch the video for more detail.[+] Show More
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The 5th General Assembly of the Salween Peace Park, Mutraw District, Kawthoolei
From December 18th to 21st, 2023, the 5th session of the General Assembly and the 2nd elections for the Governing Committee were convened from December in Mutraw District/Salween Peace Park, …Kawthoolei. The four days long general assembly included election for the second term of SPP Governing Committee, reporting of the progress of previously planned works, learning from each other, sharing of traditional knowledge including traditional ways of coping with natural disaster, recital of traditional poems, singing, learning section, and planning for future activities. Please watch the video for detail.[+] Show More
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Protecting our Ancestral Lands and Rich Biodiversity (English and Burmese Subtitle)
For the Indigenous Karen people, land is not only for agriculture. Land is also not merely a commodity for sale. It is their home and community where they collectively maintain …and manage their community forests, protect wildlife, conserve watershed areas and many others. The land governance system of the Karen people incorporates traditional practices of forest, water, and biodiversity governance. Unfortunately, all the previous Burma government and the current dictator military neither respect nor recognize the indigenous land rights of the Karen people to manage their ancestral territories which hold large area for forests, a crucial resource in combating climate change.
This video presents the effort of the Karen National Union (KNU), in collaboration with the communities and Karen community-based organizations to secure the land rights of the Indigenous Karen people and other long-standing communities in the seven districts under its administration known as Kawthoolei territory. Please see the video for details.[+] Show More
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The Unique Cultural Heritage:
Celebration of Indigenous Karen People’s Traditional Wrist-Tying Ceremony in the Salween Peace Park
‘Lar Ku Ki Sue’, also known as Tar Yu Wee Kwei K’Lar by Indigenous Karen communities is a …unique traditional wrist-tying ritual ceremony which symbolizes Karen’s cultural identity, history, traditions, and cultural values of love, unity, and solidarity. This spiritual tradition is annually performed to protect the people from nature disasters and dangers.
On August 18, 2023, for the first time, the community cultural event of this traditional wrist-tying ceremony was co-organized by the Salween Peace Park’s Governing Committee, Mutraw Junior College and Karen Environmental and Social Network (KESAN). Though wrist-tying cultural ceremony was annually held by local indigenous communities separately as integral part of their spiritual tradition, this community cultural event was the first of its kind to be arranged and organized through collaborative and coordinated efforts. The goal of having this community cultural event was to achieve one of the three goal of the Salween Peace Park, cultural revitalization and survival.
Please watch the video for more detail.[+] Show More