"The traditions and customs of the Pa-O are little known and gradually disappearing... Telling children that they are descendants of a father who was a weiza, a supernatural being, and a mother, who was a dragon, may make for a good bedtime story, but for the ethnic Pa-O it is more than a sleep-inducing fable. Once upon a time, the dragon mother laid three eggs, the first of which gave birth to the ethnic Karen people, the second the Pa-O, and the third the ethnic Karenni and Padaung. The Pa-O derive their name from the vernacular word Pa-U, which means being helped during birth. The tale is not popular among Karen but for the Pa-O it is a legend that has been passed from generation to generation for centuries and forms the foundation of most all of their customs. In fact, the Pa-O wear their origins on their sleeve—and elsewhere..."