Da'jarric

The Da'jarric people are a race of immigrants from Ajjar. After the Ajjaren reformation, the Da'jarric people found themselves ostracized, and so they migrated northward to the Majan territories. They found a home in Fandrorim and built the city of Da'jan. Though they have taken on many features of the Majan identity, they still honor their heritage as Ajjaren.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Aná Ilara Zehra Dormë

Masculine names

Deno Dhe'an

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Since the Da'jarric are on offshoot from the Ajjaren people, the basis of their language is Ajjaren. Over the centuries, though, much of the vocabulary has been borrowed from local Majan dialects, and the phonetic inventory has shifted, as well as their alphabet.

Culture and cultural heritage

The Da'jarric were once Ajjaren, but when the Ajjaren peoples joined together to form the Ajjaren Republic, the Da'jarric found themselves unrepresented and discriminated against. Their religious practices and identities were forbidden, and so they migrated north. The journey took twenty years and a great deal of struggle, as they first tried to settle along the coast and were driven out by Hirran and Centaurs. Wandering across the plains, they lived a nomadic lifestyle for many decades. They tried to adapt to Majan culture, and some clans welcomed them, but they wanted a land of their own, so they finally settled in the abandoned land between the two branches of the Fandror River. It was the old land of a Majan kingdom that had died out, and so the other clans didn't challenge them. Eventually, they built the city of Da'jan, where they have lived since.

Shared customary codes and values

Community is one of the Da'jarric's most sacred ideals. People are viewed as parts of a whole. In order to live in a community without becoming a burden or being oppressed by others, certain checks and balances are used.

When coming upon a fellow Da'jarric in need, one is obligated to offer them food and water. Starvation and poverty are viewed as a shame on the entire community for their failure to provide for them. Children are considered the offspring of the entire community, not just their parents. For one's personal life, a philosophy is used for forming relationships. One should be for sexual companionship, one for mentorship, one as a dependent, one you depend upon, one you work with for mutual gain, and one who challenges your principles. There can be more than one of each, and occasionally an overlap, but if a person's social circle is unbalanced, it can cause stress, isolation, or guilt. If, for example, someone is responsible for too many dependents, it can be too demanding for one person.

Common Etiquette rules

In order to survive in a new land, the Da'jarric developed several core tenets which all the people are meant to observe.

First, no man or woman should be left hungry; those with food must share it with the hungry. As a matter of course, those who have had a good harvest or abundant resources will give a great deal of it away. Outside of a Da'jarric home, there is often a flat stone by the entrance, where an array of food items and supplies are presented for people passing by to take. Having nothing outside the door is a sign that the household is in need themselves, and the household will then often receive visits from neighbors with offerings of food. Often, the meal presented outside the door is a traditional gáma. Gáma is a mixed dish of whole grains, which are steamed and then topped with chopped meat, wild onions, and various seasonings. Any guest invited into a Da'jarric home is always offered tea and cheese. To not offer this to a guest is like a demand the guest to leave at once.

The second tenet is that resources should never be hoarded. The Da'jarric live simple lives without excess. Large homes are a waste of space if one is not sheltering people in the extra space. Art and beautiful things should never be kept private, but placed so that others can see and enjoy them. Trinkets that are specifically given to an individual, rather than made or purchased, are an exception.

Common Dress code

Da'jarric enjoy wearing colorful fabrics. They have adapted to the colder climate by altering traditional dress, but still keep some elements purely for fashion. The headscarf, which used to be protection against the sun, is now worn by both sexes in all temperatures.

Each color has its own meaning when worn. Yellow is the color of beauty, love, and fertility. Green is the symbol of wisdom, peace, and knowledge, as well as dependability and stability. Blue is the color of intuition, emotions such as joy or sadness, and divine connections. Red is the symbol of strength, courage, and sacrifice. Orange is the symbol of committed love, marriage, or other such vows. Deep purple is the color of honor, dignity, and generosity. White is the color of tribulation, travel, or struggle, and it can also signify sickness when paired with blue. Black is the symbol of freedom and power. Gray is the color of the traveler.

These colors come from various sources. Weavers and cloth makers all have their own secret recipes to make dye, and each have their own unique shades. Using the wool of sheep, goat, and alpaca, weavers can make a large variety of cloth, from light and airy to heavy winter shrouds. Beads and threads of gold and silver are sometimes woven into the fabric as it is made, as well as incorporating furs, feathers, and armor plates. Da'jarric armor, made from a light wool woven with a series of metal links is known to be exceptionally lightweight and flexible, while still providing protection.

Most Da'jarric women wear a headscarf or a veil pinned on their head. They wear a simple shirt with no sleeves. The fabric of the shirt can be light for summer or heavy wool for winter. Then a long, simple dress is worn over. The sleeves reach only to the elbow, and a belt is fastened around the waist. For colder months, they sometimes wear fitted pants underneath and gloves that reach all the way to the elbow. They don't usually wear shoes, except in the city where they wear sandals. In winter, they all wear tall leather boots tied with cord. Jewelry is popular, including bangles and bracelets, pins and bands for the hair, earrings, piercings, anklets, necklaces, rings and brooches. Makeup is also common. Using coal dust, they line around their eyes, sometimes inscribing runes and symbols. Dye is used to stain their lips.

Men wear the same undershirt and fitted pants. Over the top, they wear a tunic. It is fastened by tying the front flap and then using a belt. The tunic can vary in length, from a short shirt or all the way to the ankles. The sleeves of men's tunics are often longer and wider, sometimes touching the floor. Men also sometimes wear head scarves or bands around their heads. Usually clean shaven, men also like to wear jewelry and makeup.

Art & Architecture

Da'jarric art is often inspired by memories of the desert or borrowed from other Majan cultures. They like wide-open buildings made from stone and clay, and well insulated. Using the same skill with pigments, the Da'jarric dye glass, making windows with colorful images. They adorn the walls with paints, often with pictures of family or written spells. Sometimes, the house is decorated with colorful tiles. Ceramics are also adorned, usually with patterns from nature. Woven fabric is also an art form, and Da'jarric like to decorate their clothes with colored threads and beads.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Dark skinned and tall, with thick curly hair. The dark skin is an indication that the individual is of Ajjaren descent and retains the features of their old home. Height is considered beautiful for men and women. Thick hair is a sign of health and is cared for with reverence. Individuals often cover their hair, only removing the covering in certain circumstances since the hair is considered a highly sexual feature. If not covered, the hair is tied up in some sort of braid. Body hair is not often removed. Leg hair and chest hair on men is considered attractive, as well as hair on the underarms and legs for women.

Gender Ideals

Gender is considered to be two different energies. Masculine energy is emotional and charged. It is concerned with handiwork and creation. Feminine energy is calculating, concerned with the organization and direction of things. Men and women are seen as both possessing these energies and must find a balance between the two within themselves.

Courtship Ideals

Though the Da'jarric do not have the same view of marriage as others. A Da'jarric is expected to have many partners during their life. The closest thing to marriage that they have is a union. Union pairs are often formed at large dances and festivals which are meant for this purpose. People gather and engage in the "Tehefett." Partners for this dance are considered as 'interested parties,' and can choose to follow up by exchanging flower wreaths after the dance. Then, one of the pair will arrive at the home. If the flowers are hung at the door, it is a sign that the other has accepted. If the flowers cannot be seen or the petals are scattered nearby the threshold, it is a refusal.

Once the suiter is inside, the host offers them a gift of food and then can decide to test their sexual compatibility. The following few weeks are a series of public appearances in which the couple are introduced to the community. This is a test of the couple's future. If the community accepts them, the marriage is soon to come. If they are rejected, it may be cause to break the partnership. After two to three weeks, the couple will throw a party, where they serve guests from the community food and refreshments and leave a basket out. The guests leave orange blossoms in the basket to signal their approval of the match.

Then, a period of nine days passes where there is to be no contact between the couple unless communicated through others. This is a time when each prepares for the union and sets their affairs in order. It is a time generally reserved for family, meetings with shamans, and personal reflection. The union itself is a private occasion, and it is often a simple spell. Unlike other cultures, the union only lasts for a decade. It must be renewed after that time.

Relationship Ideals

In a relationship, there must be a balance between the masculine and feminine. This is not related to the gender of the couple, but the ways that the relationship is expressed. At the end of a decade of union, the couple can choose whether to renew the marriage for another ten years. It is common for a couple not to extend the union and socially acceptable even if children are produced from the union. This practice is meant to ensure that love still remains between the two, as well as give each an opportunity to smoothly leave the relationship. If the couple decides to continue, new terms are often negotiated. Unions are intended to be for love. If the community guesses the marriage may be for any other reason, they can withhold their support of the match. While some aspects of the relationship are private, community plays a large part.

Related Locations

• The Old Country