For the first time in the history, the KNU’s Kawthoolei Land Committee organized a historical ceremony in Taw-Oo District to award the first certificates to five ‘Kaw’, a customary land governance system that practiced by Indigenous Karen communities. This system is not found in many places. This system is known as ‘Kaw’.
The ‘Kaw’ system is mostly practiced in upland areas. In a ‘Kaw’, the Indigenous Karen people assigned different land categories such as residential places, graveyards, watershed areas, ritual forest, forest area, wildlife protection area, community forest, fish protection ponds, etc. There are traditional rules to manage each of these different areas.
Recognizing that the ‘Kaw’ systems contribute well to its governance system, specifically in environmental, wildlife and land governance, the KNU has finally established a process to formally recognize and issue certificates for ‘Kaw’ lands. Please watch the video for more detail!