Tak-Mi-Lah (culture)

Cultural Overview

The Tak-Mi-Lah are a plains dwelling tribal peoples with a matriarchal culture. They follow migrating herds within the prairie region they call home.

Geography

The Tak-Mi-Lah tribal territory is comprised of the Central and western portion of the Plains of Tekara.

Language

Tak-Mi-Lah

The tribal peoples of the Plains of Tekara, the Malys and the Tak-Mi-Lah use trail signs of twisted grass and broken twigs to leave coded messages for each other. The two cultural groups speak different languages with little overlap, but the trail signs are remarkably similar between the two groups.

Family

Structure / Size

When camped the tents entire tribe's tents are arranged in concentric rings around the matriarch's dwelling, with successive younger generations spreading outward to the perimeter.

When the Matriarch dies, her daughters separate into distinct family groups and the tribe splits along these blood relationships, with their descendants becoming matriarchs in their own turn.

Husbands are always chosen from outside of the immediate tribe, and wear distinctive ear cuffs to denote their married status. The style of such ornaments will identify their wife.

Roles of Family Members

The Tak-Mi-Lah practice matrilineal polyandry, and view the purpose of marriage as to produce children. Given the harshness of living a nomadic lifestyle, the strategy of many fathers is believed to better ensure children make it to adulthood. Since only the mother can prove direct relation, all the husbands are invested. Young men will travel to other groups to woo and impress daughters of other clans. If one likes what she sees, and thinks he'll provide well for her children she can appeal to her mother for approval. Any prospective husband brings with him all of his personal property. Any wealth he has becomes part of his value to his new bride.

This arrangement is reinforced through their religious belief in a Mother Goddess, the magical ability of women to birth children, and socially as women hold the political power. An unmarried male may remain with his mother's family, protecting his siblings, nieces and nephews, and cousins.

Importance

As the social structure of the entire Tak-Mi-Lah people is based around the family lineage, as traced through motherhood, family is the foremost value in Tak-Mi-Lah culture. One's social status is a reflection of their direct relatedness to the Matriarch.

Influence

Family being key to social status, ones relationship with family is important to smooth social functioning. One's family needs can also dictate ones role in society.

Orphans

In every tribal group there is one woman who holds the title of Clan Creche Mother. Usually a woman unable to have offspring of her own fills the role. All parentless children become hers by tradition. After this point they are treated as though they were her biological offspring and afforded the same rights in society as any other woman's children would be. It is rare, but possible that the Creche Mother becomes the matriarch of her own clan, when the existent Matriarch dies, and the clan divides along the lines of her daughters.

Religion

Mother Sun

The Tak-Mi-Lah have their own religion, worshipping a creator mother goddess, who is a personification of the sun, with the two moons being her attendant husbands, and the other planets their children.

Primary Beliefs

All life is dependant on the heat and light of the sun. She nurtures the plants whic feed the animals, and people in turn.

It is the sun that determines day and night, but also the pace of the seasons, and thus dictates the roles of all things and organized activity in turn.

Ceremonial

Entering/Leaving a Home

The Tak-Mi-Lah touch the top of the wooden frame of their tent doors on entry and exit with the middle three fingers of their left hand. This habit is so ingrained that it is likely performed on any door they pass through, without much thought. This is rooted in a cultural belief about wishing luck upon the occupants of the tent/home, and failure to do so invites bad luck to all who dwell there. Those who lack the required hand or fingers are exempt as they carry their bad luck with them. Doors are built low enough for young children of an independent walking age to be able to touch the frame. This practice may have originated due to the design of their tents having a flap with a wooden cross brace, and raising the brace to pass through would be required by adults-sized persons even if the door is kept open in nice weather.

Persons

List of Tak-Mi-Lah Persons

Stories

First (fifty word fantasy)

See Also

Tak-Mi-Lah (language)

Tak-Mi-Lah (nation)

Tak-Mi-Lah (people)