he 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.

The main traditional Lao instrument is the flute-like khene (kaen) which is made of bamboo. The khene (also spelled khaen; kaen and khen) is a mouth organ of Lao origin whose pipes; which are usually made of bamboo; are connected with a small; hollowed-out hardwood reservoir into which air is blown; creating a sound similar to that of the violin.

Today associated with the Lao of Laos and Northeast Thailand; similar instruments date back to the Bronze Age of Southeast Asia. In Cambodia; it is used among the ethnic Lao population of the province of Stung Treng and is used in lakhon ken; a Cambodian dance drama genre that features the khene as the premiere instrument.