The study investigates Sgaw Karen communities in Chiang Mai from 1989 to 1999 on their negotiation for religious practices and changes in order to explain the changes in conventional rituals under the changing socio-economic and political conditions. The population is divided into animistic, Christian and Buddhist groups. It is found that traditional rituals can be discarded, improved or adapted to suit the current needs of individuals or communities, depending on complex circumstances beyond their control and changes of local power relationships, e.g., state officials, formal village leaders and the implementation of centralized state policies. Furthermore, religious organizations have imparted new perspectives and attitudes to the Karen, significantly changing their conventional ritual practices.