Beliefs in Rituals and Changes in Group Life of Sa-kow Karen Ethnicity, Ban Huai Tong, Mae Win Sub-district, Mae Wang District, Chiang Mai

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study beliefs related to living and the process of livelihood changing of Sa-kow Karen ethnic group, Ban Huai Tong, Mae Win sub-district, Mae Wang district, Chiang Mai. Transcription of knowledge from community interviews using a qualitative research method from key community informants, intellectuals, formal and informal leaders and youth groups. The study found that
Sa-kow Karen ethnic group at Ban Huai Tong believed and performed 2 types of rituals: closed rituals that outsiders cannot participate, including those in the village and opened rituals that outsiders can participate in activities such as hand binding ceremony, dam ghost ceremony, wedding ceremony and the ritual has an important components which is alcohol, chicken, pigs used to raise various ghost except for the birth ceremony without alcohol because people believe that a person’s first life is pure. These beliefs still follow the Karen way of life. In addition, the occupational change from rice farming to more vegetables and fruit planting which has caused the various rituals to be changed because these rituals interfere with today’s occupations. Marriage might have caused the ritual to gradually disappear. Karen women must be the one who propose to a man, and the dowry for proposing is a pig. Therefore, Karen women have to raise pigs for the weddings.