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[Culture] The A'tmuzigh Tribes


Lorrick
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Among the A’tmuzigh, it is said that every grain of sand in the desert is inhabited by a spirit. A semi-nomadic farfolk tribe scouring the deserts, hopping from oasis to oasis, the elders say the A’tmuzigh are as old as the sand itself. Although political strife and conflict have whittled down their numbers, a select few tribes of the A’tmuzigh still remain. Their relative isolation has made it so few in the great cities, even those nestled amongst the desert dunes, know more than myth and legends of this tribe. City folk say they ride sandstorms and worship idols in the form of monoliths in the desert, engaged in ritual cabal with the spirits of the sand. Although some A’tmuzigh have opted to live in urban centres, those often experience ostracism, discrimination and forced conversions, pushed to the very edge of society, often finding work as mercenaries, fortune tellers and petty criminals.

 

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History

 

 

The distant past of the A’tmuzigh is hazy and shrouded in legends. With no written language to call their own, the A’tmuzigh keep track of their history through complex oral traditions, involving lengthy ceremonies passed down from generation to generation. One of these ceremonies, aptly called the Tahkayt Hezzifan, or “Long Story”, involves an elder or oracle re-enacting the A’tmuzigh’s history through poetry and dramatic gestures.

 

The Long Story begins when the world was but an ocean, vast, empty, and dark, yet constantly in flux, populated with myriad spirits. The gods, looking down from the heavens, would all claim a part of the spirits, yet could not distinguish one from another. To resolve this, they came together and created the Sun. The Sun brought light, but also heat. As it remained perched up in the heavens, always shining, more and more of the water began to evaporate, creating land. Among the spirits stranded on the land, some learned to live without water, becoming wind, rocks, sands, and dust, while others started to die. The gods, angry to see their spirits die under the burning Sun, came together once more to create the Moon, which would bring water to the land in the form of tides. Some of the spirits on land then became coastal plants and animals. The tides could not reach everywhere, and thus the gods came together one last time to create rain clouds, ponds, lakes, and oases.

 

According to the Long Story, it was dying spirits saved by an oasis that became the first A’tmuzighs. At first, these spirits were weak, depending on the precious water to survive. They became enslaved by the spirits of the sands all around them, shackled to the oasis which became both their prison and their salvation. Weakened, they lost most of their spirit-like qualities, and battered by the spirits of the winds and sands, over time, they grew flesh and bone to protect themselves. Despite this, more and more fell to the constant assault. Seeing his brethren die, one of them stood up in revolt, Mezeg the Liberator, and rallied the rest to his cause. They requested the aid of the plant spirits, who helped them make tents out of their fibres. They called to the animal spirits, who supplied them with milk to sustain them, and wool to clothe themselves with. No longer at the mercy of the winds and the sands, Mezeg and his followers then scoured the desert going from oasis to oasis, liberating those that had suffered the same fate. These liberated groups became the different A’tmuzigh tribes. Wherever Mezeg would liberate a tribe at an oasis, he would erect a great carved dolmen in its place, as a reminder of the suffering they had to go through. Mezeg proclaimed that his people would be named the A’tmuzigh, or “the Freefolk”, so that they may never forget what brought them together, and so that they may never be slaves to the spirits again.

 

The Long Story continues by describing the A’tmuzigh’s pilgrimage from oasis to oasis to commemorate their liberation. It also goes into detail about the tribes’ relations amongst themselves and towards others, narrating inter-tribal warfare, civil wars and the rise and fall of empires in the desert. This section of the Long Story tends to change from tribe to tribe and can be told differently depending on the orator.

 

The A’tmuzigh have a strong belief in Fate, and it is represented in how the Long Story ends. Through poetic narration, the Long Story states that the creation of the Sun was the result of the gods’ folly and vanity. It says that spirits were meant to return to their primordial state. It foretells that the spirits, separated for too long, will grow ever more corrupted and disorderly, and the world will fall into chaos. Seeing the chaos, the gods will remove first the Moon, then the Sun, from the heavens, and the Ahezfan Tallis, orGreat Darkness”, will begin, a process by which the waters will rise once more, and the spirits will slowly go back to the state they originated from.

 

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Religion and Beliefs

 

 

The A’tmuzigh’s core beliefs rest in the concept of animism; the belief that all things are inhabited by a spirit. This, however, does not mean that the A’tmuzigh revere all things nor that all spirits deserve reverence. For one, the A’tmuzigh believe that all corrupted or malicious spirits should be avoided at all costs, and some zealous A’tmuzigh have taken it upon themselves to hunt down and destroy corrupted spirits in an attempt to delay the Great Darkness.

 

The A’tmuzigh worship a pantheon of various gods attributed to different aspects of life or natural phenomena. However, extended contacts over time with the various Qalasheen tribes following the Rashidun have left their marks on the A’tmuzigh religion. As such, the greater god of the pantheon is thought to be Allah, extending his influence over a wide array of lesser gods and divinities. The A’tmuzigh pantheon follows a strict hierarchy, with Allah at the top, and minor spirits at its base. Each level exerts some form of influence or control over that underneath it. The A’tmuzigh have lesser gods for many different things, ranging from matrimonial relations, to animal husbandry, to fermentation. These lesser gods and divinities tend to vary greatly between different tribes, some A’tmuzigh tribes even abandoning them altogether in favour of the idea of Allah being the only god, but one with multiple aspects. Many rituals and religious practices are also influenced by the Rashidun, such as the ban on the consumption of pork, pigs being thought of as having “corrupted spirits” and the ban on consumption of alcohol and drugs, thought to degrade one’s own spirit. Some A’tmuzigh tribes also practice intermittent fasting, being only allowed to drink water from sunup to sundown to remember the hunger and pain of their enslaved ancestors. Other tribes pray multiple times per day, between one and five, prostrated in the direction of the oasis their people originated from. The act of prostration is meant to represent the position their ancestors were in during their ordeal, with their heads bent down to drink water from the oasis.

 

Many A’tmuzigh tribes also perform a special religious pilgrimage, called the Amddur, or “the Path”, supposedly following in the footsteps of Mezeg delivering their kind from enslavement, going from oasis to oasis. Some A’tmuzigh tribes also practice a form of ancestor worship, where they offer sacrifices in the form of food, drink, or cattle to the spirits of their ancestors in exchange for guidance and protection.

 

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Society

 

 

The A’tmuzigh are a semi-nomadic people, alternating between a nomadic pastoral lifestyle scouring the deserts and periods of prolonged settlement. Although permanent A’tmuzigh settlements did exist, none have survived to this day. Camels, goats, and sheep are the A’tmuzigh’s main livestock. The camels are used mostly for transportation, but their milk is also used in various ways. Sheep are used for their wool, and goats for their milk and meat. Under dire circumstances or for religious ceremonies, camels and sheep may also be slaughtered for their meat. In oasis settlements, the A’tmuzigh cultivate figs, dates, and cactus, as well as various herbs, such as sage, mint and thyme. Palm trees are also used for sustenance, the A’tmuzigh cutting down branches and consuming the soft inner core of the tree.

 

Since the A’tmuzigh tribes differ in many aspects from one another, their religious beliefs and way of life tend to influence one another greatly. Those of the A’tmuzigh tribes who are more heavily involved in trade tend to have beliefs more closely resembling those of the other Badawi tribes, such as monotheism, while those with scarcer contacts with cities and other tribes tend to have more conservative beliefs and views, more closely adhering to their polytheist and animist roots. Although most A’tmuzigh live in small nomadic tribes of between one hundred to four hundred individuals, oracles, the very old, the ill and the invalid remain sedentary, either in semi-permanent encampments at oases or at religious sites where permanent dwellings are built.

 

The A’tmuzigh social structure is traditionally comprised of a complex hierarchy of blood and tribal relations. For example, an A’tmuzigh’s obligations to their chief supersede their obligations to their sibling, but their obligations to their sibling supersede their obligations to the chief’s spouse. Similarly, their obligations to their sibling supersede their obligations to their cousin but are supplanted by their obligations to their parents. The A’tmuzigh make no distinction based on gender on these matters, with a brother or sister considered being on equal footing.

 

Each A’tmuzigh tribe is headed by a tribal chief. The chief is selected during a complex ritual where an oracle consults the gods to know who is destined to rule. The chief is selected amongst a panel of candidates chosen by elders within the tribe. Should a chief die without a new chief being chosen, their spouse will take up leadership of the tribe until a new chief is selected. Should the chief not be married or should they be widowed, their closest of kin will take up the responsibility, with siblings closest in age taking precedence.

 

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Gender and Sexuality

 

 

Women and men are viewed as equal within A’tmuzigh society. Women may also attain positions of leadership, such as chief or oracle. Despite this, the A’tmuzigh do hold beliefs regarding gender roles. Women are believed to be better suited to raising children and are refused the right to fight if they have children of their own. Women without children can become warriors but must put down their arms should they become pregnant. Moreover, certain household tasks such as cleaning, cooking, and sewing are associated with women but are not exclusive to them. Other tasks such as caring for cattle, merchantry and the production of trade goods are associated with men but are also not exclusive to them. Tasks such as agriculture, fighting and religious rituals are not associated to any gender.

 

Among the A’tmuzigh, there are those that are born different from the rest. These individuals, called Dukklen Yessiwel, or “mixed spirits”, are believed to be the result of two or more spirits inhabiting one body. This catch-all term can refer to people who are twins, albino, homosexual, bisexual, do not identify as their apparent gender, have schizophrenia, multiple personalities or many such differing characteristics. Such people, although accepted in A’tmuzigh society, live under certain expectations and restrictions. For one, the A’tmuzigh believe that since these people house multiple spirits, they are more susceptible to corruption. Thus, people who are “mixed spirits” are not allowed to practice magic, with the exception of oracles, and are not allowed to partner with other “mixed spirits”. Some tribes allow “mixed spirits” to partner with another by following a set of strict rituals, while others prohibit it altogether. This leads to many of them being obliged to live a life of celibacy, or one of exile, if they can not or will not partner with someone of the opposite gender, or that is not “mixed spirits”. However, these same people are often valued in their tribes for their spiritual knowledge and are often appointed as oracles or guardians of holy sites, and occasionally tribal chief as well.

 

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Culture

 

 

The A’tmuzigh share many traits in common with their Badawi brethren, such as their dress and language. The A’tmuzigh wear long garbs, veils, and turbans and speak a tongue related to the Qalasheen tongue.

 

Those within the A’tmuzigh engaged in trade tend to wear garbs made of finer materials, such as cotton or silk, and tend to display signs of wealth in the form of expensive trinkets and delicate embroidery, while those who do not tend to wear garbs made of wool or linen, plain or decorated with simple geometrical patterns.  A’tmuzigh men wear turbans not only to protect their heads from the sun, but also as a form of modesty. They will only remove their turbans in public under special circumstances, and only around those they trust. A’tmuzigh turbans are usually white, brown, beige, red, yellow, or blue in colour. The turban may also be brought in front of the mouth to offer protection against the wind and the sand. A’tmuzigh women tend to wear long dresses of similar materials to those of men’s garbs, either cotton, silk, wool or linen, and display a similar aesthetic to their male counterparts. However, they tend to be slightly thinner and looser, while being more richly embellished. Many but not all A’tmuzigh women wear a veil, either in the form of a piece of cloth wrapped around the head or as an extension of their dress. Oracles of either gender are required to wear a head covering.

 

Although the A’tmuzigh speak a language related to the Qalasheen tongue, many expressions, words, and greetings may differ because of their intrinsic beliefs and history. For one, the main form of non-verbal greeting among the A’tmuzigh is bowing. Bowing is seen as a form of respect and acknowledgement, where both participants bow to each other simultaneously. Although a superior such as a tribal chief is not obliged to bow to a lesser member of the tribe, they will nonetheless often do it to show mutual respect. Although some A’tmuzigh use the greetings “As-salamu alaykum” and “Wa-alaykum salam”, also common is the phrase “Blessings upon you”. An A’tmuzigh meeting another for the first time and asking their name, upon receiving it would respond “Blessings upon your name” or “Blessings upon your kin”. When bidding farewell, some would use “Ma’a salama”, but others would use “May spirits spare your step” or “Walk free from bondage”.

 

Other differences include the A’tmuzigh practice of libations, where before drinking, an A’tmuzigh would pour a small amount of the liquid on the ground as an offering to the spirits, or that of lithomancy, where powerful spirits bound to small rocks or tokens are worn or carried as a form of protection against other, more malicious spirits.

 

The A’tmuzigh language does not have its own script, and thus is written in the Qalasheen script with minor modifications to show pronunciation differences. There are some within the A’tmuzigh, often those amongst the traders or those living amongst the city folk, who have learned the art of writing. Some of these men and women have produced great works of writing in the form poetry, which is highly valued in A’tmuzigh society. Those among the A’tmuzigh who know how to write are often viewed highly by their tribe and enjoy a higher social status. Although few among the A’tmuzigh practice magic, it is not unheard of nor is it particularly frowned upon. For example, A’tmuzigh oracles are known for practicing forms of spiritual magics such as far-sight, spirit-walking, and spirit bindings.

 

A’tmuzigh tribes that follow trading routes and trade with cities and settlements produce mostly leatherwork such as clothing and satchels, as well as embroidered garbs, rugs, and cloths. Some also do business in trading medicinal, alchemical, or aromatic herbs and concoctions, while others make their coin selling trinkets and charms.

 

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Military

 

 

The A’tmuzigh have no formal military per se. Some within tribes may choose to pursue the ways of the warrior to protect the tribe or become guardians of holy sites, while some others are trained to become scouts or raiders. Those who do so are trained in melee combat and archery by other tribe members. Training in the ways of combat is available for any child above the age of 13 wishing to learn. A’tmuzigh warriors tend to specialise in the use of melee weapons and hand-to-hand combat, using a combination of a one-handed spear or sword and shield. A’tmuzigh raiders are renowned for their mounted archery skills on camelback and are also proficient at melee mounted combat using lances as a charging weapon.  A’tmuzigh warriors and raiders wear a shorter tunic and pants, with armour made of reinforced leather or multilayer linen overtop. The leather armour has an outer layer of fabric displaying embroidered geometric patterns, showing tribal allegiance. Some A’tmuzigh warriors from wealthier backgrounds or appointed to prestigious roles such as guarding holy shrines may wear metallic armour, such as chainmail or bronze plate. A’tmuzigh weaponry is diverse, with mounted raiders using an allagh charging lance, tagheda thrown javelins, and taganze bows, and warriors using a combination of an agher shield with a one-handed spear, takoba long sword or a flyssa short sword.

 

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 (OOC: If you wish to play an A'tmuzigh character or are interested in the lore,

please feel free to contact me on Discord at Northern_Watcher#0790)

 

Edited by Lorrick
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I like this very much. It seems to draw from pre-Islamic Arabian/Iberian cultures, as those situated within the Gulf most primarily, and for that I commend. The concept of animism in conjoint with monotheism and/or the belief in Allah is a bit odd, as the latter is dichotomous to the other, and cancels it out thus, though I am a fan nevertheless. If anything, it is better reminiscent of the tribes in Dedan Ezekiel and just generally, Arabia, wherein people indulged very frequently in the worship of several idols at once.

I do wish, however, that this was a more conservative culture, but if we were to compare it to the olden tribes of Dedan, then either were rather liberal, I suppose. Overall, just wish it incorporated some more grimdark themes. Otherwise, I can only advise formatting this post better.

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Very well done, every minor detail is well thought out and I really appreciate how every cultural practice has its little history to go with it!

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Very well written, I enjoy the lore and makes me wana rp my Badawi more!

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