Elian

Descendants of the first voyagers who settled in Eilt Un.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Alaya, Nehu

Masculine names

Evres, Amro

Unisex names

All names have more vowels and a lighter, smoother sound to them. Ones with harsher consonants, especially at the beginning of the name are assumed to curse the child with cruelty and bad luck.

Family names

Isaa

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Israani Illitus, Uneph

Average technological level

They have created lightweight, hooked metal spears strong enough to pierce crocodile hide and drag the animal back to their islands. They are capable of long-distance travel with pontoon-style boats, and regularly trade with Brosha.

Common Dress code

Clothes are made of crocodile hide, backed by cloth spun from the hemp trees common among the islands. The most common type for those working in the settlement is a loincloth; those hunting will wear arm guards. As fiber arts became more common, short, lightweight skirts became more prevalent, dyed in bright colors with intricate woven patterns and beadwork. As those from the northern regions began trading with them, and later attempting to colonize them, the emphasis on full coverage was pushed more. As of present, they haven't fully bowed to this idea, instead those with breasts will secure them in place with little other effort.

Art & Architecture

The flowers and other natural resources in the Eilt offer vibrant, long-lasting dyes, which are then turned into paint or used to dye fiber. Some darker dyes are used in tattooing. Sails have painted designs, as do permanent structures. Clothing is embellished with specific embroidery, detailing their roles and accomplishments; these are often supplemented by bead work.
Their ceramics are also both functional and decorative, often carved and painted with crocodiles and sea monsters, alongside folk heroes. Other designs feature fruits and edible plants, and figures harvesting them.
The architecture is often made of lightweight wood, such as bamboo, elevated several feet off the ground on stilts. Buildings are often frames interwoven with reeds and bamboo strips, allowing both ventilation and protection from the elements. Waterfront walkways such as piers are often made of bamboo as well, bound tightly together and anchored deep into the ocean floor.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Known for their pontoons and skill in hunting the beasts of the water.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Bodies are burned, and their ashes are used in cultivating soil. It's believed that all death brings life, and the cycle will continue.

Ideals

Gender Ideals

Women are expected to remain closer to home, and are in charge of fashioning the spears used to hunt with, and forage and gather plants for food and cloth-making. Their role is to ensure the longevity of their people; through arming their brethren, bringing back food, and acting as leaders. The matriarchal system puts women in charge of enacting hunts, dividing labor, trading with sister groups, and performing ritual rites like marriage and funerals. Men are expected to hunt, butcher, and preserve what they kill; along with this they process and then spin the plants they harvest into fabric. This system views all these roles as equally important to the survival and thriving of the people, with all aspects needed to keep their society functioning. These roles have loosened over time as well, as the base need for survival has lessened. As such, it's more common to find men foraging and women hunting than before. Alongside this, much like in Brosha the idea of gender is very loose, a person changing how they present and live is common, and changing at least once is expected. Many live entirely outside a set gender, and much like their peers will choose their roles based on personal interest, or the specific needs of the tribe.

Relationship Ideals

As there is no gender hierarchy outside the emphasis on who leads, Elians value loyalty and unity, as a relationship between complete equals. It's expected that partners have complete trust in the other, a common image in their mythos is one figure fighting a crocodile, while their partner keeps the boat balanced and stable.

Encompassed species

• Human

Languages spoken

• Israan Isra