Tak-Mi-Lah (culture)

Cultural Overview

Plains dwelling tribal peoples with a matriarchal culture. They follow migrating herds within the pairie region they call home.

Language

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

Family

Structure / Size

When camped the tents (teepee like) are arranged in concentric rings with the younger generations on the perimeter.

When the matriarch dies her daughters seperate into distinct family groups, with their descendants becoming matriarchs in their own turn.

Husbands are always from outside the circle, and wear distinctive ear cuffs to denote their married status, and identify their wife.

Roles of Family Members

The Tak-Mi-Lah practice matrilineal Polyandry.

The purpose of marriage for the Tak-Mi-Lah is to produce children. given the harshness of living a nomadic lifestyle, the strategy of many fathers is to better ensure children make it to adult hood. Since only the mother can proove direct relation, all the husbands are invested. Young men will travel to other groups to woo and impress daughters of the clan. If she likes what she sees, and thinks he'll provide well for her children she can appeal to her mother for approval.

The husband to be brings with him 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.

Even an unmarried male may remain with his mother's family, protecting his siblings, neices and nephews, and cousins.

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.

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.