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 Tak-Mi-Lah speak their own language, which is evolved from the Imperial language family.

Trail Signs

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 will fill this 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 extant Matriarch dies and the clan divides along the familial 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

Pregnancy

The whole period from conception to birth is considered a sacred time for the mother. During gestation a woman is considered particularly blessed by the Mother sun, and will be given the choicest foods, and made as comfortable as possible.

Birth

When possible all the mother's husbands will gather together in prayer and reflection, while the closest female relatives of the expectant mother attend to the birth itself. Birth is considered a sacred and magical act that only women may attend.

Naming

The naming of a child is a collective decision by all fathers of the child.

Age

The Tak-Mi-Lah do not celebrate biennial birthdays, like many other cultures. they do note the stages of child's development though, and as children reach certain milestones a small ritual is performed to bless the child, and grant health and happiness through the next stage of life. the stages so marked are:

• First words - Marking the time when a child begins to verbally communicate.
• Walking - Marking the moment a child can freely stand and walk without support.
• Losing first milk tooth - A child reaching this age is ready to begin learning the physical skills necessary for their personal and the tribe's daily living.

Adulthood

Tak-Mi-Lah children are recognized as adults around the time of mid-puberty. For girls this is after their twenty-fourth menses for boys this is usually when they show two or more signs of approaching man-hood, facial and/or pubic hair, lowered voice, or a broadening of the shoulders.

Courtship

Male suitors are expected to travel to other tribes with the intent of wooing potential wives. This is an involved process, wherein a man must first convince the men of the tribe that he could be a worthy member, and provide his future wife, and the tribe in turn. After gaining social access to marriageable women, the prospective husband must convince her that he would be a good husband. This usually takes the form of declaring his strengths and virtues through storytelling, and displaying his wealth through gifts for the target of his interest. Female relatives of a woman will often have significant roles in advising on potential husbands or even competing for the affections of a young groom to be. When multiple men are seeking the same bride, the competition for her attention may take on a more sport-like tone, where they compete with each other to prove themselves the better choice. In the end, for good or ill the final decision does rest on the women herself.

Marriage

Marriages once agreed to are fairly big events, where the immediate family of both spouses gather together to bear witness to the transfer of the male and his personal property to his new tribe. sometimes two or more marriages will happen at or near the same time, with each tribe gaining new husbands from the other. The bride's current husband(s), if any, will formally welcome the new husband into their company, and present him to their wife. If no prior husband is present, then a close male relative of the bride will take on this responsibility. The couple will exchange small tokens of personal affection, and after a communal prayer for the couple's health and happiness, the bride will attach an earring to her new husband, claiming him for her own. At this point the groom is no longer considered a member of his former tribe, he belongs to his new family, and will say his good byes to his former family before retiring to the camp of his wife.

Divorce

Divorce is a serious but rare thing amongst the Tak-Mi-Lah. If a husband is truly deemed unsuitable by his wife and fellow husbands, his wife's family or the tribe in general, he may be exiled, becoming an outcast. The bride will tear the marriage earring from his ear, leaving a scar to mark him as an unworthy husband, and he will be, driven from the tribe with little to no personal property. Such men often spend the rest of their days in solitude, away from other Tak-Mi-Lah, as even their birth family and tribe may reject them and offer no home.

Death

The Tak-Mi-Lah practice burial, and will lay their dead to rest in communal burial sites. A shallow grave is cut into the prairie sod, and lined with flat stones. After the departed is placed inside, accompanied by gifts of food and tools they may need in the next life, more stones are placed on top, then a mound of dirt and sod is built atop the grave. A funerary staff will be erected atop the mound, decorated with charms, long ribbons and feathers. Such graveyards are considered holy places, and the Tak-Mi-Lah will generally avoid them except during burials, so as to not disturb the dead and give them time to travel to the afterlife.

Death of a Matriarch

When a matriarch dies it is a much more intense moment for a tribe. The death of the leader is the moment of a tribe's separation. The matriarch's body will be laid to rest in a manner similar to other tribe members, however the site of her burial will be the exact location of her tent. the mound will be built inside the tent, and then at the conclusion of the ceremony, her tent will be set aflame, to sanctify the ground in with she is interred. Such locations will form the basis of a new burial ground. The gathered tribe will remain in attendance singing songs and prayers, until the last flames are out. Then, in a sombre and quiet manner, each daughter will gather her family and blood descendants to depart as individual smaller tribes each with a new matriarch.

Inheritance

When a man marries all his personal property or wealth belongs to his wife, so there is nothing to inherit upon his death. A woman with children will have her wealth divided equally amongst her surviving daughters, with a small share going to each of her surviving husbands. Such men may seek to re-marry, usually within their current tribe, or if of advanced age, will simply attend to the needs of their daughter's families.

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 originated from the design of their tents having a flap with a wooden cross brace, of which raising the brace to pass through would be required by adult-sized persons even when the door is kept open in nice weather.

Diet

Food

The Tak-Mi-Lah eat a variety of foodstuff which is hunted and foraged on the prairie. Wild grains, vegetables, mushrooms, and roots will be gathered in season. Game meats will be hunted for as needed, and in preparation for winter.

Cultural Dishes

The Tak-Mi-Lah make a nutritious trail ration out of fats, dried meat, grains and berries. The ingredients are pounded and ground together to form a thick paste which is then stuffed into cleaned intestines, and portioned like sausages. these are carried during travel and also stored in caches throughout their territory as an emergency food.

Spice / Flavours

The Tak-Mi-Lah use locally sourced culinary herbs and spices to flavour their dishes. Typically their dishes are slightly salty, hot and sour tasting to foreign palates

Drink

Non-Alcoholic

Water, rabbuc milk, green and black teas are common. There only a few fruits that grow on the prairie in sufficient numbers to collect for nectars or juices.

Alcohol

Some Tak-Mi-Lah have adopted the crafting of mead to their nomadic lifestyle. When they can trade for wine it is a welcome addition to their diet. Such drinks are usually reserved for ceremonial purposes, due to the lack of cellars and weight while travelling.

Persons

List of Tak-Mi-Lah Persons

Stories

First (fifty word fantasy)

Mother (fifty word fantasy)

See Also

Tak-Mi-Lah (language)

Tak-Mi-Lah (nation)

Tak-Mi-Lah (people)