sijuli (siˈɟuli)
The sijuli are the keepers of the ayitsi. While their role in Yibiduri society is important (after all, the ayitsi make it possible to harvest tens of thousands of apples a year with just a few people), they are often forgotten, is it is the ayitsi that do the work, not the sijuli. Even the dzin gungyi, the grove keepers, often forget the role the sijuli play in the care, maintenance, and harvest of the apple orchards.
Each sijuli is responsible for about 100 ayitsi, enough to care for 30-40 trees.
Career
Qualifications
Generally, sijuli pass their profession from parent to child, or to pengu, if a new, competent gipengu joins the ungiragu. As such, its simply a matter of training. And it almost always stays within the family.
Payment & Reimbursement
While they are seen as just a necessary part of the operation of an apple grove, sijuli do get a percentage of the income from the operation of the groves. This ranges anywhere from 1% to 5%, depending on the effectiveness of the ayitsi they tend.
Some sijuli ungiragu are known for their competence and someone coming from said ungiragu often brings a premium to the local family.
Other Benefits
Since they are vital to the management of the ayitsi populations, sijuli usually are provided housing adjacent to the ayitsi pens by the dzin gungyi and grove owners. There is generally space for a small ungiragu.
Perception
Purpose
The sijuli have the very important role of breeding, raising, caring for, and training the ayitsi which are so vital to the apple growing industry of Vidapa. They ensure the health of the ayitsi population which insures the health of the apple population.
Social Status
The sijuli are ignored, or treated as a given; a necessity of society that is almost invisible. Since the the work is generally kept within the family, it can sometimes be difficult to carry on the tradition; not many are willing to marry into a sijuli family. As such, said families have few pengumi.
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