Pan'long
From the plains of Chugoku, the Pan'long tribe is known for their mounted warriors.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Pan'go is the main language spoken on the plains of Chugoku. But many often speak and write Dai'go and Shen'go.
Shared customary codes and values
- Family is considered the most important value for Pan'long tribesmen
- Respect for parents is a key part of their cultural identity.
- Hospitality is important to them and they are known for being friendly and hospitable to everyone, even strangers.
- Art is an important part of Pan'long life, and is evident in their traditional clothing, which feature detailed bead work.
- Connection to the land is exceedingly important to them. As beginning a nomadic tribe, they respect the land and are in tune with its cycles.
- Horses have always played an important role in Pan'long life and culture. A person is not considered an adult until they own at least one horse.
- Rivers and other water sources are considered particularly holy. While practicing Shi'ism means that they see everything as having a spirit, those associated with water features are afforded an extra level of veneration.
Common Etiquette rules
- Greetings: A handshake or head nod is common, good friends may hug. Say "sain bainuul" when one arrives. Verbal greetings are more common for women
- Right and Left hands: When passing items they, use the right hand to accept or offer the item while holding the right elbow with the left hand. When holding a cup, they keep their palm facing up.
- Hats: hats are important to the Pan'long and should not be lent. One never touches or tries on other people's hats. They never place hats on the floor or the seats of chairs
- Residences: When entering a home, men go to the left and women go to the right. They sit on the ground, a stool, or a bed and very few own chairs in their homes. They never lean on a support columns or walls. This is because traditionally as nomads, residences are temporary constructions and weight on these parts of construction could cause the dwelling to collapse. They never whistle inside a home.
- They always accept gifts and food when offered.
- They take a bite or a nibble of offered food, even if not hungry.
- They keep their sleeves rolled down. This is because of how much time they spend outdoors and sleeves prevent sunburn.
- They use the phrase "Bayarlalaa" (pronounced as Bayrla) to say "thank you"
Common Dress code
Because of the time they spend outside, hats are pivotal to prevent sunburn and have taken on extra cultural significance to the Pan'long. They tend to be very colorful and different types denote different social positions in the tribe.
Their usual clothing is a loose calf-length tunic made of one piece of material. It has long sleeves, a high collar, and buttons on the right shoulder. Often, they will be embellished with embroidery or beading. Being outdoors meant that the more coverage one had, the better protected from the elements and as such, these tunics show almost no skin from the neck to their hems.
Almost all Pan'long wear boots. Due to how important horses are culturally, boots provided a level of physical protection other footwear did not. Many have upturned toes, this helped their feet to stay in stirrups, much the way a heel does in other cultures. They are also very thick and ridged, so the curve helps mobility while on the ground. They were often tall enough to reach the hem of their tunics and made of hefty appliquéd leather that was sometimes dyed in multiple colors.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
They desired red cheeks. All genders keep their hair long and braid it to keep it manageable while on horseback. Unlike the other tribes of Chugoku, they do not care about pale skin. Big or wide eyes are viewed as more feminine. Their body standards tend to be more hefty than other nations. If someone is too thin, they are considered fragile.
Gender Ideals
Elite women were directly involved in policy decisions at the highest levels, and, like elite men, might control large armies and estates. Hard labor was delegated to slaves. Women did most of the logistics of running the home while men would often either work for a living or be career military.
Courtship Ideals
When couple wishes to marry each other, the groom's side will visit to make a proposal and father of the groom will present a halbaga, which is a ceremonial spoon carved by the groom, with some gifts while asking acceptance of the bride's parents. This spoon will be crafted of the finest wood with symbolic highly detailed carvings. It is meant to prove that the groom can provide for the bride and their future children. If the halbaga is accepted, it means the girl’s family agrees to match their daughter with the son.
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