Karenni people in the context of "List of ethnic groups in Myanmar"

The S'gaw, (S'gaw Karen: စှီၤ or ပှၤကညီဖိ, also spelled Skaw, S'gau), who refer to themselves as Paganyaw, Pga K'nyau, or K'nyaw (also spelled Pgaz Cgauz and Pakayo,), are an ethnic group of Burma and Thailand. They speak the S'gaw Karen language.

The S'gaw are a subgroup of the Karen people. They are also referred to by the exonym White Karen, a term dating from colonial times and used in contrast to the Karenni (or "Red Karen") and the Pa'O (or "Black Karen"), even though the latter often rejected the term "Karen" to refer to themselves.

The Karen (/kəˈrɛn/ kə-REN), also known as the Kayin, are an ethnolinguistic group of peoples who speak Karenic languages and are indigenous to southern and southeastern Myanmar, including the Irrawaddy delta and Kayin State. The Karen account for around 6.69% of the Burmese population. The Karen consist of approximately 20 subgroups, the largest of whom are the S'gaw and the Pwo peoples. Other Karenic-speaking peoples like the Pa'O, Karenni, and the Kayan, have formed distinct identities.

The ethnic identity of the Karen peoples has significantly been shaped by British colonial rule, Christian missionaries, decolonisation, and sociopolitical developments in Myanmar. The group as a whole is heterogeneous and disparate, as many Karenic ethnic groups do not share a common language, culture, religion, or material characteristics. A pan-Karen ethnic identity is a relatively modern creation, established in the 19th century with the conversion of some Karen to Christianity, and mediated by British colonial policies and practices.

Kayah State (Burmese: ကယားပြည်နယ်, pronounced [kəjá pjìnɛ̀]), or Karenni State, is a state of Myanmar. Situated in eastern Myanmar, it is bounded on the north by Shan State, on the east by Thailand's Mae Hong Son Province, and on the south and west by Kayin State. It lies approximately between 18° 30′ and 19° 55′ north latitude and between 96° 50′ and 97° 50′ east longitude. The area is 11,670 km (4,510 sq mi). Its capital is Loikaw (also spelt Loi-kaw). The estimated population in the 2014 Myanmar Census was 286,738, the smallest among Myanmar's seven states. It is inhabited primarily by the Karenni ethnic group, also known as Red Karen or Kayah, a Sino-Tibetan people. Even though Kayah State is the smallest state in Myanmar, it is still larger than Yangon Region.

The Kayan are a subgroup of the Red Karen (Karenni people), a Tibeto-Burman ethnic minority of Myanmar (Burma). The Kayan consists of the following groups: Kayan Lahwi (also called Padaung, ပဒေါင် [bədàʊɰ̃]), Kayan Ka Khaung (Gekho), Kayan Kadao, Kayan Lahta (Zayein people), Kayan Ka Ngan, Kayan Kakhi, and sometimes, Bwe people (Kayaw). They are distinct from and not to be confused with the Kayan people of Borneo.

Padaung (Yan Pa Doung) is a Shan term for the Kayan Lahwi (the group in which women wear brass neck rings). Kayan residents in Mae Hong Son province in northern Thailand refer to themselves as Kayan and object to being called Padaung, as corroborated by Khin Maung Nyunt in The Hardy Padaungs (1967). On the other hand, Pascal Khoo Thwe calls his people Padaung in his 2002 memoir, From the Land of Green Ghosts: A Burmese Odyssey.