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 Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:56 pm
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The pride is composed of 6 different clans. Jointly, they are the Ela'waidyi, but they function very loosely in this standpoint. The wanidatsi keeps the clans friendly, but apart from that the can function as six smaller prides within the larger one. The alu'nadi is the leader of each clan, and the nvwati is the medicine man who helps all members spiritually.
Each clan migrates within the Ela'wadiyi lands. They never stay in one area for too long, perhaps two weeks at a time. Some clans may brush each other when moving along, but it is never for a prolonged period of time. This is normally where lions from different clans begin to interact with one another. When the clans begin to part ways, a lion from a separate clan may linger with the other for a day, perhaps two, but then they must return to their own home clan.
Marriages can happen at any time, though they are more commonly developed after a Sky Festival. This is when all of the clans get together for a month, sharing their stories, adventures, losses, and young ones to the other clans. Many available lions mingle at this time, though there is little pressure on the available lions. Some couples may even meet for a few festivals before getting married. |
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:56 pm
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:56 pm
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Culture
Births
For the most part, birthing normally takes place with the mother, father, and usually the mother's mother to assist. If necessary, the alu'nadi will be there to offer her assistance. Once the cubs are born and deemed ready, they will be introduced to their clan.
Cubs are typically given Native American names, most commonly in Cherokee.
A good naming site: Manataka Cherokee Dictionary
Coming-of-Age
Before any lion can be considered an adult, they must prove themselves as a hunter, regardless of the rank they intend to take in adulthood.
The primary task given to any young Ela'wadiyi when the time has come to prove themselves is a hunt. Every litter, big or small, is sent out as a family to catch a meal suitable for their clan. When they return, the clan feasts as the youth tell the story of their first real hunt. This storytelling tradition has naturally become less formal over time and it is common now to embellish the story, sometimes ridiculously, to make yourself (and your siblings) stand out but it is all in good fun!
The story of their first hunt is a tattoo every Ela'wadiyi lion has and represents skill in both hunting and storytelling.
Tattoos
Tattoos are an essential part of the Ela'wadiyi culture. A child is tattooed from birth, through to adulhood where they are completely covered. Each tattoo tells a story of what that lion has gone through in their life. Whether they are great acheivments, downfalls, or merely important moments in their life, each tattoos is worn proudly. Ela'wadiyi members are presumed to know how to read each tattoo, and so one could learn about another's life story before even speaking.
The nvwati and alu'nadi are the most common tattoo-ists, applying each tattoo as the story unfolds. At times, the wanidatsi will tattoo great achievements that have benefitted the Ela'wadiyi as a whole onto the member(s) responsible.
Please do not assume something of someone else's character through their tattoos. The lion's owner will determine what each tattoo will mean, and will let you know if they wanted it used in rp. If it is regarding a wanidatsi tattoo, please get permission from me (Safaia) for the story.
A rogue (or lion from a different pride) that joins may only have a maximum of 40% of the body tattooed, regardless of the age they join! You will need to get tattoos from a mini shop if you want them, however, as we don't have a service that offers them. You may assume ICly that your SoA is tattooed.
Colorists are often willing to work your ideas into tattoos on growing Ela'wadiyi cubs, just be polite when making suggestions!
Marriage
One of the most important parts of the Ela'wadiyi culture is marriage. As members mate for life, there is never any pressure for an Ela'wadiyi to find a mate. There have been instances in the past where a member never takes a mate, and remains single for their entire life.
Once a couple has decided to be wedded, a ceremony takes place with the wanidatsi blessing the couple. Usually a nvwati will finish the blessing, sealing the two together. If they are from the same clan, then the ceremony only takes place within that clan. If the male is from a different clan, once the ceremony is complete, he move's into the female's clan. All their children will be born with their mother's surname.
If a rogue couple joins the pride, they do not gain surnames. Their children will be blessed with a surname by the wanidatsi, starting that family line.
If the mother is an ex-rogue, the children will gain their father's surname.
Marriages cannot be dissolved! Lions who are married to another cannot breed with anyone else. If this happens, the entire family will be shamed by the events. The Ela'wadiyi hold their traditions highly, and there is no room for change.
If two mate outside of marriage, they are assumed to be mates without the ceremony; in essence, they will be stuck together through a ceremony soon after the births of children. This is not an ideal situation, as the two may have only been curious about the other, but due to the culture and opinion of the Ela'wadiyi, they are seen as husband and wife. No one will take interest in them, even if their current situation is unwanted.
The only time a lion make take a new mate is if their previous mate died.
To make a marriage official, one owner must post the couple's information here.
Rogues
In the beginning, once the Ela'wadiyi had settled into their new homelands, rogues were turned away out of fear of them being connected to the Eusi'uzulu Pride. So, the few remaining Ela'wadiyi stuck together. Once the initial wave of fear had passed, they realized that their small numbers were more dangerous than the return of the sickness that had devastated them. Slowly, they allowed rogues to join their numbers, teaching them what they could in a short amount of time about their culture. Though they did their best, some of the original Ela'wadiyi culture was lost from the influence of rogues.
At the moment, because the pride's numbers have grow steadily, the acceptance of rogues is small, and it is up to the wanidatsi to allow rogues to join their numbers. It is more permissible to have a passing rogue stay within the lands for a day or two before asking them to continue on their journey.
Death
As an inevitable part of life, death is usually a family affair rather than a full pridal one. The family may decide to bury the lion underground, or merely lay an arrangement of leaves, branches, and anything else they can on top of the dead lion. As they are a nomadic pride, there is no set location for the dead to lay. It is not that uncommon to see the hints of bones after a strong rainfall. As it is nearly impossible to distinguish one set of bones from another, it is up to the lion that came across the bones to rebury them or to leave them as nature dictates.
Miscellaneous
Ocean-based Things: This is a land-locked pride, and as such many of the lions that live in these lands know nothing of the ocean. Those rogues that join may bring their knowledge of the ocean in with them, but it shouldn't be prevalent. No alu'nadi would know what sea creatures look like, so they would not be able to tattoo them onto your lion.
Cloud-Marked: Part of the old culture, it was believed that a pure white lion born into the pride was a sign of peace and prosperity within the pride. Though it was a recessive gene, with the sudden and massive influx of rogue blood, the gene has been lost, as well as the belief in the cloud-marked.
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:56 pm
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History
The Ela'wadiyi pride originally resided in a different landscape. There are a few similarities, but only those part of the old blood know that this is not their true home. They are refugees, and it is unknown if they will ever return to their true homelands.
Always being a peaceful pride, the Ela'wadiyi would help stray rogues get back up on their feet and guide them to where they needed to go next. The land was bountiful, exceeding their needs and wants. The alu'ladi guided their clans well, and the wanidatsi made sure that the balance between nature and lion was ideal.
There was a time when a group of lions entered the Ela'wadiyi lands, needing assistance and asking for a place to rest their weary paws. Being a compassionate set of lions, the Ela'wadiyi offered whatever assistance they could. They didn't realize that these lions, who called themselves the Dark Fire lions, were instead more interested in overthrowing the Ela'wadiyi to claim the fertile lands as their own. As the Ela'wadiyi live in clans, they did not have a strong overstructure of leadership. The Dark Fire lions also brought a sickness with them. They were immune, but it was a completely new sickness for the Ela'wadiyi, and their numbers began to dwindle. With a lack of communication between each clan, the Ela'wadiyi were easily driven out, clan by clan, from their ancestral home.
The Ela'wadiyi slowly gathered up its numbers, and wandered through lands, not certain as to where they were going. Their numbers were small, only growing smaller by losing more of their members through sickness or desertion before they came to their current homeland.
They settled into the vast valley, their numbers at one point dwindling down to only a handful, five to seven members. Their future looked bleak, and they had no way of defending these new lands that they were claiming as their own. The old nvwati of the Bird clan, Tawa'di Kanati, realised that they were nearly doomed. With many of the clans wiped out (Earth, Mantis included), their original wanidatsi dead, and the sky clan temporarily deserting the new lands, the pride needed new life and new members to survive. Though they were mainly a solitary pride, Tawa'di broke that boundry by allowing rogues to begin joining their ranks. Bringing in rogue blood made their normally small frames larger through the new generations, and it also gave them a hopeful protection against any future illness that may come to their lands.
Keeping some of the old blood was important. Tawa'di had never taken a wife in his long life, and he pleaded to the Wind Goddess to help him. She would bear a litter for him, and he in turn would sacrifice himself in her honor. The goddess agreed to share herself with him and produce cubs, but in the end she did not take his life. He had the old knowledge of the lands left, and nearly no one else did. He would pass on what he remembered to his children and the other children in the pride. She bore eight children for him, increasing the numbers of the Bird Clan, and a new found acceptance that the Ela'wadiyi would never be the pride they once were. Tawa'di hung on long enough to train his son, Skan Kanati, to become the next wanidatsi.
Skan took what his father taught him to heart. Though he still allows some rogues to join, he isn't as willing to let many join at once. He still worries that the Dark Fire pride is out there, seeking them out to claim more lands for themselves. |
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Posted: Sun Feb 28, 2016 5:56 pm
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