People of the Wind

The People of the Wind live on the plains of Ayun Silva, their heartland. The ancient kingdom of Timìr was also founded by the People of the Wind, but after the Atin conquered the grasslands of Ti Uk the People of the Wind were driven back to their ancient homeland. They mostly live in small semi-nomadic or nomadic tribes, but they share a language and a culture and meet every three years in the temporary city Ayundûr. At this point, there are about two dozen groups left. The three-yearly meeting in Ayundûr takes three weeks and is a religious festival, a chance the chiefs of each tribe to meet and discuss trade and politics and a matchmaking event to exchange brides all in one. Though chiefs do have a say in the matchmaking, the last word is always held by both parents and they are expected to discuss the prospective spouse with their children, because the People of the Wind value at least a partnership in marriage, if not outright love. In case of rejection a union cannot be forced.

Summer festival

The festival that has all the tribes meet at Ayundûr is called the Summer Festival. The festival celebrates the coming of summer and honours the god of the sun Sefir and also the goddesses of the earth, Hidàya, Imme and Rivkà. Due to the weddings that are often held the festival is also a celebration of the goddesses who represent love and fertility (among other things) Eslem and Youssra and also the more stable couples in the pantheon such as the seagods Kell and Tashnim and Sefir and the fire goddess Tarà. The festival is timed after the lambing and shearing of the sheep is done and before the hunting season starts. The Summersun also happens in this period which is why Sefir is honoured. The celebration consists of feasts, dancing and music, weddings (although these also tend to happen in autumn if the match is only recently agreed upon) and libations and food offerings to the celibrated deities.

Winter festival

The Winter Festival is considered the counterpart to the Summer Festival and mainly celebrates the moon god Tarik and the most important stars: Safa, the Northern Star and the Trio in the South, Quinn, Ellis and Danì. The winter is also the time were the gods of the dead are honoured: Minkè, goddess of death and Tjiin, the Punisher who punishes evildoers after death and last but not least Vayna, patron goddess of those who perish in battle. The Winter Festival lasts for 9 days and is also celebrated by feasts, dancing, music and food and drink offered to the gods celebrated. However, there is a ban on weddings during the Festival as it is considered ill done and disrespectful of the dead to celebrate such a union at the same time.

Clothing

The People of the Wind usually clothe themselves with underclothes made of cotton or wool, a woolen shirt and pants with embroidery around the neck, sleeves and hemline, a woolen tunic reaching midthigh for the men and just over the knee for the women, a leather anklelength overcoat, embroidered and lined with fur, and furlined boots. The wool is a source of income for some of the tribes, they keep herds and trade with the city Ti'àn. There are no single colours considered taboo in clothing, but the combination of blue, yellow and brown in a single pattern is considered inappropriate, because this colour combination is used for funeral shrouds. The pattern used on these shrouds is a reference to the shell of the Silva tortoise, who according to the myths of the People of the Wind carries the bodies of the dead to the afterlife. Due to this, a turtle or tortoise pattern is also considered inappropriate. Typical patterns on clothing include goat or sheep, sùrox, gazelle, the spotted Silva cat, grass wolf, birds of all kinds (but most often birds of prey), snakes, newts and giant salmon.

Hair

Both men and women have long hair, worn loose or in a ponytail or braid (mainly for chores). In fact, loose hair is a trademark, wearing the hair up is only done for practical and safety reasons during work or chores. Whenever the chores are done, hair is usually let down and free. The longer and healthier the hair, the more attractive a member is considered by the rest of the Tribe. The People of the Wind never cut their hair and if one meets a member of the People of the Wind with cut hair, it is usually someone who is banished from the tribes.

Jewelry and make up

Both men and women wear jewelry in the tribes, although the women usually wear more. Typically a women has her earlobes pierced at age three. As children they typically wear small hoops or earstuds, but when they reach maturity at 15, dangling earrings with precious or semi-precious stones are often a gift from family and friends or romantic interests and thus typically worn from this age. Men also sometimes pierce their ears, usually at 15 when they are considered an adult. Their earrings are usually smaller studs and can also be made of animal bones or horns instead of metal and gems. Both men and women wear rings of silver and gold with precious or semi-precious stones such as turqoise, red agate, moonstone etc. but only women will also wear necklaces made with these materials. The necklaces especially tend to be large, with multiple layers or plates.
Everday make up is usually only worn by women, typically just kohl to accentuate the eyes and a form of lip colouring. The men also have forms of make up such as war paint and they also paint their cheeks and foreheads with symbols such as spirals, dots and stripes during the three-yearly gathering at Ayundûr showing their rank within the tribe. The women also use these symbols to show their status in addition to the kohl and lip colouring during the festivals. Couples will sometimes also draw a matching symbol on each other, but this is optional and usually only the more romantic inclined or more demonstrative couples will do it.