Tederans
The tederans1 are a collection of tribes inhabiting the central and southern Karatvánamb Forest and coast of southeastern Túlmikkía, most of whom form a confederacy known as the Ptivamanaktem Alliance.
Their lands border those of the Vevúni to the north and west, and the Kemmans to the south and southwest.
Like the vevúni -their traditional enemies- to the north and west, the tederans speak related languages and have a number of customs and religious traditions in common, but unlike the former, they've entirely adopted sedentary lifestyle and rarely fight amongst themselves.
Women enjoy high status among the tederans, they are the ones who own the houses, granaries and farmlands, and one's tribal membership and status is inherited through the mother. Female shamans are also of higher rank than male ones.
Tederans were the first túlmikkíans to use iron, which they developed independently from other cultures of Gætíus' World, and their blacksmiths are some of the best in all of Túlmikkía.
Although soured eland antelope milk is consumed among the western tribes, the beverage of choice among most tederans is banana beer.
Below is an example of mnif, specificially the name Ptivamanaktem.
Common weapons include clubs, spears and daggers, while the only protection warriors have is limited to iron or shell bead-gorgets, bracelets and anklets, and shields with a shell-bead curtain attached to protect the feet.
Their lands border those of the Vevúni to the north and west, and the Kemmans to the south and southwest.
Like the vevúni -their traditional enemies- to the north and west, the tederans speak related languages and have a number of customs and religious traditions in common, but unlike the former, they've entirely adopted sedentary lifestyle and rarely fight amongst themselves.
Women enjoy high status among the tederans, they are the ones who own the houses, granaries and farmlands, and one's tribal membership and status is inherited through the mother. Female shamans are also of higher rank than male ones.
Tederans were the first túlmikkíans to use iron, which they developed independently from other cultures of Gætíus' World, and their blacksmiths are some of the best in all of Túlmikkía.
Culture
Apparel
Clothing, hairstyles and tattoos varies considerably between different tribes, particularly those outside the Ptivamanaktem Alliance. Colourful beads made from shells acquired from the coast are commonly used to adorn clothing and jewelry, with different patterns and colour combinations indicating such things as a person's tribe, hometown and marital status.Art
Architecture
Tederan houses are traditionally constructed out of bark- or reed-mats covering a domed wooden frame, with thatched roofs and a curtain covering the entrance. Longhouses made with the same techniques are a common sight in cities, where they are divided into groups of four surrounding a common courtyard used for various purposes, thus forming a grid-pattern. The walls of such longhouses are often decorated by weaving certain patterns into the reed-mats, both for aesthetic purposes and to ease navigation around the city.
Tederan rural house by Lappalingur
Cuisine
Tederans subsist mostly on yams, peanuts, túlmikkían rice, domesticated prairie chickens and eland antelopes and fish, along with wild game, fruits and vegetables to some extend when in season. Yam porridge or dough forms the basis of most dishes along with rice, though the latter has a certain spiritual value to many tribes; a pinch of rice is sometimes exchanged as a sign of goodwill, and it's commonly offered to spirits or used as medicine as well.Although soured eland antelope milk is consumed among the western tribes, the beverage of choice among most tederans is banana beer.
Language
Since their languages, while related, are of varying mutual intelligibility, the tederans also use a vast selection of symbols -called mnif- to communicate with each other, variously painted on strips of bark, carved into wood, or incorporated into shell-bead belts or articles of clothing. Among independent tribes, many of these symbols can be quite complex and have multiple meanings depending on their arrangement and context, while there's recently been a trend within the Ptivamanaktem Alliance to simplify mnif designs and their meaning, which may one day result in a full-blown alphabet.Below is an example of mnif, specificially the name Ptivamanaktem.
Religion
A common theme in different tederan mythologies is that their creation myths tend to be very complex, in stark contrast to the vevúni who generally lack any myths regarding the world's beginning or end. Though they believe in a supreme creator deity who shaped the landscape and the heavens, most stories focus on divine twins who were responsible for creating everything else, including the fauna and flora, humanity, fire and diseases. In addition, there are spirits controlling the weather and other natural phenomena.
Tederans believe that in order to appease these great spirits, they need the help of lesser (though nonetheless powerful) divinities acting as intermediaries, which are invoked by performing various ceremonies including offerings of food, libations, dances, music and -most importantly- ritual masks depicting animals, plants and legendary creatures, which are generally worn by shamans.
Tederans believe that in order to appease these great spirits, they need the help of lesser (though nonetheless powerful) divinities acting as intermediaries, which are invoked by performing various ceremonies including offerings of food, libations, dances, music and -most importantly- ritual masks depicting animals, plants and legendary creatures, which are generally worn by shamans.
Tederan yam-spirit mask and apotropaic shell-bead mask by Lappalingur
Warfare
Although they generally don't fight amongst themselves, tederans are traditional enemies of the vevúni and clashes are especially common along the western and northern borders of their territory. Such conflicts are mostly intended for young warriors (both men and -in the Alliance- women) to display acts of bravery and capture enemies rather than outright conquest, so while injuries are relatively common, casualties are rare. Captives face a slow and agonizing death at the hands of the entire enemy tribe, both to avenge their fallen, whose bodies cannot be retrieved as their soul would bring misfortune to their people, and to appease certain spirits.Common weapons include clubs, spears and daggers, while the only protection warriors have is limited to iron or shell bead-gorgets, bracelets and anklets, and shields with a shell-bead curtain attached to protect the feet.
Tederan war club and shield by Lappalingur
1Original icelandic: Tederar, singular: Tederi.
Tederan woman by Lappalingur
Diverged ethnicities
Related Organizations
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