The Karen are a major ethnic group of Burma; though several hundred thousand live in northern Thailand. Linguistically Tibeto-Burman; the Karen maintain a legend that dates them back to the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. There are several branches of Karen鈥攖he Red Karen (Karenni); Sgaw Karen and Pwo Karen. There is also the hilltribe of Padaung; better known as 'Long-neck Karen'. In present-day Myanmar; the Karen rebel army; the KNU; has continuously fought a bloody civil war with the central Burman government since 1948.