Council Elections

The Council elections are the ceremonies during which Zean tribe leaders are chosen. The three major tribes have different customs attached to them, as each and every Council and settlement has different roles to play.
Nata-Kea
Nata-Kea Council elections are slow, but deliberate. The tribe makes an effort for all of its communities spread throughout the Menas mountains to be heard. There is currently close to a hundred of Council members. They are chosen in local elections by either by single settlements or two, if smaller. They hold the position as long as they are able to make a journey to Har-Kea capital (Zean: Seat of the Snake) every two years or until they decide to resign and communicate their will through one of the Hator. The Speakers are also the ones with the authority to bestow the title of the Councilman onto the elects. They usually do that after a long, one-on-one meeting with the candidate. When the position is officially accepted, it's up to the city or a village to celebrate their new voice in the Tribe's council. There is as many small rites as there are Councilmen, but several things often stay the same. The new governors are given a talisman of shed Kea-Atara scales from the local mine and blessed by the elders and village leadership. Upon arriving to the capital for their first meeting, all new Councilmen need to get a tattoo of a crossed spear and a pickaxe on the back of their left hand, distinguishing them similarily to the earrings earned during the First Shift.
Nata-Got
Nata-Got elections are convoluted and inaccessible for the regular citizens, but the ceremonies of the council changes are accompanied by lavish festivals. Nata-Got's major Council rules directly over the Har-Got capital (Zean: Seat of the Spider) and issues decrees for the three smaller Councils who share the rest of the tribe's territory. Average citizen, or even a tribesman, usually does not know the names of the Councilmen, much less has an input as to who becomes one of them. In fact, some conspiracy theorists think that the Council does not change, only the faces rarely shown to the public. Whatever the truth is, every two years, the streets of Har-Got fill with stands displaying the best craftsmanship the tribe has to offer for the peope to marvel and often purchase. The elected Councilmen are always elite members of the Nata-Got guilds, looking to show others their and their student's mastery of the craft. Many musicians, food vendors and other festivities are on display for a whole week, which culminates in the ceremonial change of the Council. Two dozen of men and women stand in two rows in the middle of a crowded and well-guarded plaza. Half of them kneel, and the other half take off their blue, gold-trimmed cloaks and drape it over their successors' shoulders. In a short exchange, the new Council swears their loyalty to the Tribe, and the old one wovs to continue to support them. They separate, and each group, surrounded by guards, leave: the new Council towards the palace, the old one - towards city gates.
Nata-Fii
Council elections amongst the Nata-Fii people are the simplest among the three major tribes. Nata-Fii currently control only two settlements, deep in the Jaba-Dal, and they share the same Council. The Councilman position is a lifelong commitment, so each election is a significant event for the community. The role is awarded by popular vote of all the citizens who have been registered as tribe members for over a year. The ceremony that bestows the title of the Councilman can be also witnessed by all. Over the three days preceeding the rite, the chosen candidate is expected to walk through the city and ask everyone they meet about their daily woes. Then, at a public hearing, they relay what they learned to the fellow fourteen Councilmen and vow to aim to fix the issues presented to them. This simple tradition boths makes the new Councilman conscious of the troubles of the general population and reminds the rest of the Council of the promises they fulfilled or perhaps neglected.