Not waiting for the government, Myanmar’s Karen people register their own lands
Kathmandu-based journalist Sonam Lama Hyolmo writes about the Karen people's efforts to advance their struggle for self-determination by mapping and documenting their ancestral lands. This initiative, led by the Karen National Union (KNU), follows a long history of armed struggle between the Indigenous Karen people and Myanmar’s central government. So far, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other tools, over 3.5 million hectares have been mapped, thanks to the active participation of local communities. Although the Karen traditionally view land as communal, the land title certificates that have emerged from this effort have provided villagers with a new sense of security against land grabs by the government, megaprojects, and extractive industries. Viewing their relationship with the land as reciprocal and themselves as its stewards, the Karen emphasize their desire for decentralized autonomy. With military aerial attacks forcing many communities into displacement, biodiversity is further threatened as demarcation and documentation efforts are delayed. Displaced communities find themselves forced to clear areas within the Salween Peace Park, a local biodiversity hotspot, to build shelter and cultivate crops. Despite these challenges, the demarcation efforts have successfully brought communities together, allowing them to analyze the data gathered in groups. Historically, the Karen have resisted the 1948 laws stating that all natural resources belong to the government, and they have taken up arms to defend their territorial rights. Since the beginning of their territorial mapping efforts, the government has expressed interest in studying land administration and governance practices from the KNU.
