The Vaasians
Environment
The environment of the Vaasian people is a tropical one. We live on the southernmost point of a peninsula. The climate of the region is humid and hot for most of the year, only cooling off and becoming less humid during the middle winter months. The average temperature during the spring and summer months is in the nineties and seventies during the fall and winter months. It rains here around one hundred to one hundred and sixty days out of the year, usually during the spring and fall months. The terrain of this region is that of a tropical rainforest that is on the coast. The rainforest is located about fifty yards from the ocean, with sand composing the ground on those fifty yards. The rainforest has a vast diversity of flora and fauna. In the rainforest there is a large mountain, with progressively smaller hills beside this mountain. The name of the mountain is Mt. Montenegro. The Vaasians reside mostly on the sandy beach, in bungalow type houses on stilts,
to protect from the high waters that the occasional storm will bring. The top warriors of our tribe, however, reside on the edge of the rainforest in tree houses.
Structure/ Social Organization
We Vaasians are a tribe that is constantly at war with other tribes that are scattered throughout the region, and because of this, the warriors are at the top of the social ladder. The most experienced and decorated warrior of the tribe becomes the leader. As far as gender stratification goes, there is very little in the tribe. Men and women are both able to become warriors, and possibly leaders. There are not as many women warriors however, because in order for the tribe to thrive, they must procreate, and a pregnant woman does not make an effective warrior. Our mothers and wives however, still have as much authority as the warriors, because they are essential to the success of the tribe. They often do other jobs around the village such schooling the children and keeping defenses up to par. The men who cannot, or chose not to become warriors have other jobs around the village, such as parameter guards, hunters and fisherman. While they aren't viewed as highly as the warriors, they aren't disrespected, because they are still viewed as essential members of the village for obvious reasons. The children once born, are cared for and taught by their mothers till the age of four, after that they attend a sort of school. At school they learn the values of the tribe as well the belief system. They attend school until age ten, which they then go on to perform internship-like jobs at each of the different vocations. All children must try each of the vocations. At age fifteen, they are to decide on which job they will pursue. One they decide, they receive the tribes signature tattoo on their right shoulder.
This signifies their transition from childhood to adult hood. The Vaasians have a communal food storage, and the food is given in the form of big feasts for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Because of this, village chefs are high on the social hierarchy. The hunters and fisherman all bring their catches at the end of the day to the storage house.
The Vaasians, being at the bottom of a peninsula, are often looked at as a prime village to inhabit. Because of this, they often have people from other areas in the region that want to become members of the village. In order for them to become members however, they must pass a certain test. Men and women each have different test, but both of them are timed, sun up to sun down. The men must either kill a jaguar and bring it back, or kill a shark and bring it back, both carcasses are inspected by an elder male to see if it was a worthy kill. The women must attempt to build a structure in the time they are given, which is judged by an elder woman. While not expected to finish, craftsmanship play an extreme role in the judging of the structure, but a completed one is basically automatic acceptance.
The Vaasians have a few rituals that they practice. A birth ritual is performed for each newborn child. The village gathers at its center, and the baby is passed around a large circle consisting of every members available, and each member kisses the baby's head to show that they welcome the child to their village. The next ritual is the one mentioned above about the tattoo. The adolescent is taken to a secluded area of the rainforest where the tattoo is given to them. They then must walk back to the village, and have their mother (or closest living elder female relative) treat the tattoo so it doesn't get an infection. The next ritual that is performed is a marriage ritual. The couple that wants to get married has to go into the rainforest together, and survive for a week. This is believed to strengthen their bond, and help they see the true side of their significant other. The next ritual that is performed is a death ritual. When a village member dies, Their body is placed on a funeral pyre in the center of town, same place that the birth ritual is performed.
And like the birth ritual, all the villagers kiss the forehead of the deceased as a form of goodbye. They then light the pyre, and everyone grieves around it.
Cultural Emphasis
Vaasians do not have many areas of cultural emphasis because they place heavy importance on the ones that they do have. Our main cultural emphasis is war. While we are not always eager to go to war, other tribes are warring around us, we must fight to protect their turf. Occupations are also a cultural emphasis among Vaasians, because every tribe member must have a vocation. Because we live on the coast, and near a rainforest that they survive on, the environment and animals are a big cultural emphasis. Experience, be it battle or occupational, is another emphasis of the Vaasian people.
Cultural Knowledge
Norms
Vaasian norms are not extreme in the least bit. As far as clothing goes, as long as the genitalia is covered, that clothing is appropriate. So it ranges from just loin cloths to woven shirts and shorts. It just depends on the comfortability of the individual, which is because the warriors will perform better if they are more comfortable.
Another Vaasian norm is a respect for elders. The elderly are placed on a pedestal because of their experience in all aspects of life. Work is another norm, even though everyone is given a job, we are not required to work. However, if somebody doesn't work, they do not get food for that day. Because of this all choose to work even though it isn't required.
Values
The biggest value of the Vaasian tribe is to see the tribe prosper. The village is given the highest priority, the village comes before any single man, woman or child. This leads to another value, occupational proficiency. In order for the village to thrive, everybody must be proficient at their jobs. The better one is at his job, the better the village will be. Another value is knowledge. Vaasians believe that the the best kind of knowledge is the knowledge that is gained through experience, and that means that Vaasians value their elders greatly.
Worldview
The Vaasian view of the world is a very naturalistic one. We don't worship any sort of deities, or even their ancestors. We do give thanks to the bounties of the Earth and oceans.
We also thank each of the animals that they kill. Because of our constant state of war, we view other tribes as enemies, until proven otherwise. While we try to be peaceful, war is inevitable.
Symbols
Because of our naturalistic view of the world, Vaasians don't have very many symbols. One of the few symbols they have are the sun and moon. The sun symbolizes life and birth, as well as physical prowess like strength. The moon symbolizes experience, knowledge and death.
They are believed to be in perfect harmony, one cannot exist with out the other, a perfect dichotomy. The ocean symbolizes food, because that is their main source of food. The rainforest symbolizes bounty because that is where their crops grow.
Classification Of Reality
Vaasians place little value on our material culture. The only materials that are of any importance is water for drinking, and fishing, food, the rainforest for its wood for building and fires, as well as the animals that it shelters, and our shelters. The only non natural thing that hold importance to us are our weapons. Our weapons keep us safe from other tribes. Quality weapons are usually passed from generation to generation.
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