Iowa Law
First International Students
Baptist Missionaries & the Karen
In 1813, Adoniram Judson established the first mission of American Baptists in Burma.
The Bassein Karen Mission was founded in the 1830s. There are a number of different ethnic groups in Burma. The Karen (Kah-REN) have a number of different subgroups, each with their own language or dialect. The two largest are Sgaw and Pwo. Moung Edwin was a member of the Pwo Karen people.
Baptist missionaries from all over the U.S. travelled to Burma. For instance, in an edition of Historical Sketches of Iowa Baptists, a Miss L. Ella Miller, the daughter of a Reverend Thomas Miller, graduated from the University of Des Moines and went to Burma in 1877.
Shway Bo & Burmese Naming Protocol
Moung Edwin’s father, Shway Bo, was a Buddhist priest. In 1851, Shway Bo converted and became a Baptist minister. Moung Edwin was about 2 years old.
In Burmese culture, it is not uncommon for a person to modify their name to reflect a change in the course of their life. Burmese Baptist converts would often take an anglicized name to pair with their given name. “Edwin” is most likely not an anglicization of a Burmese name. It is possible his father gave him that name when he became a minister, or perhaps Moung Edwin chose it himself as he prepared to study in the U.S.
Historic Photos of Karen Mission
Baptist Study in the U.S.
Baptist missionaries brought Moung Edwin to the U.S. to attend college and seminary school. They planned for him to return to Burma and serve as a Baptist missionary among the Karen.
Moung Edwin received financial support from the Baptist Mission for his education. In addition, he travelled widely giving speeches about Burma and preaching to Baptist congregations across the U.S. After he graduated from law school, he travelled to Europe and gave lectures in many places, such as Scotland, England, Wales, Sweden and Germany, before returning to Burma.
He described his work in Burma as “a preacher and a pleader.”
Theodore Thanbyah
Moung Edwin was not the first Karen the Baptists brought to the U.S. to study and attend a seminary.
For instance, Theodore Thanbyah, a Sgaw Karen from Bassein (September 1841 - October 29, 1920), came to the U.S. and graduated from the University of Rochester in 1871. He gave an oration at graduation.
Thanbyah graduated from Rochester Theological Seminary in 1874.
After returning to Burma, Thanbyah worked with the Baptist Mission Society in various capacities, including as a teacher. He authored numerous books, including Karen Customs, Ceremonies and Poetry; The Karens: Their Persecutions and Hardships, 1824-1854; The Karens and Their Progress 1854-1914; and Karen Folk-lore Tales.
Thanbyah’s life story, The Pilgrim, was published in 1925.