Southwesterner

"I've been told this is one of those "each to their own" situations, and that's fine as long as they keep their bodily fluids and their smell to themselves.
There is a group of Borer who live near one of the mountains. Northeasteners they call themselves, or something like that. You can recognise them because of their ridiculously ... colourful look. They talk a lot of nonsense, but at least the flowers they wear tend to help with the smell."

— Extract from Reuniting With An Old Friend: Travels Through The Primary Territories
by Peacekeeper V'Kly

Decorated

Southwesterners are the most highly decorated of all Borer, literally. They take a great amount of pride in their appearance, which may appear scruffy to others.

Descendents of Hairy Folk

The Southwesterners are an ethnic group of the Borer. The word 'Borer' is the closest approximation of the rumbling cough which in their own language translates as 'Those With Hair', their name for their people.
The name Southwesterner is a Pache equivalent of the series of three long burps which is how the name is pronounced in Bror.

Geography

The Southwesterners are so called because they originate from the South West side of Gragna*, Mountains of the People Who Climb. As a group, they mostly still live in this general area but have been known to travel beyond and there are Southwesterner communities in many other areas, including some as far south as Hurgn, Foothills of the Melted Water on the southernmost landmass.
Despite these far-reaching communities, most return to the South West side of Gragna*, at least once in their lives, if not annually for the Sunshower festival.

Beliefs

Don't Worry

Southwesterner's take a very laid-back attitude to life. They have the lowest levels of stress and anxiety of all Borer (which is saying something). They have spent time training their minds to recognise the things they cannot change and not worry about them.

Be Happy

Unlike most Borer, who view the world from a very practical perspective, Southwesterners look for (and usually find) beauty and joy in everything. They may not all be natural optimists, but a Southwesterner is likely to be able to find a silver lining in most situations.

Example Southwesterner conversation:

1. It appears rain is on the way.
2. How lucky for the plants. I will enjoy watching them dance in it.

Customs & Traditions

While Southwesterners are still Borer and follow the Borer traditions, there are some things that they hold more dear than others. The Sunshower celebration and their unique style of dress and self-decoration are two examples of where they come into their own.

Sunshower

In an ancient Borer culture, the Sun is thought of as the Mother, and the Moon as the Father. Those beliefs culminated in a solstice celebration known as the Sunshower on the longest day of the year. While the beliefs have fallen by the wayside, the celebrations are still recognised by the Southwesterners, many of whom ascend Gragna*, Mountains of the People Who Climb every year to partake in the festivities.
These celebrations take the form of singing, fasting and for some reason hair braiding. The reason for these particular rituals has been lost, but are enjoyed by some simply because they are tradition.

Variations

There are disagreements about which songs should be sung, and the methods of hair braiding which are most "traditional". Southwesterners like wrapping colours in their hair, which is thought unhygienic by other cultures.

People of Many Colours

Unlike most Borer, who traditionally dress in neutral tones - a custom which comes from the evolutionary need to avoid predators - Southwesterners are known for their love of colours. For some, this may be as radical as wearing orange and placing flowers in their hair. Others take it to more vibrant extremes, braiding colours into their fur or even dying it.
This love of colour comes from an age-old tradition of recognising the sun and the many colours inside the light it creates. The true meaning has been lost, but it lies somewhere between a celebration of life and beauty and a worshipful recognition of the many colours of light.

While young Southwesterners, particularly those still living with their parents tend to opt for the brightest and most outlandish colours and colour combinations they can manage, excited to experiment with all the options. As they mature, Southwesterners tend to choose colours, patterns, flowers, and fabrics that mean something to them. It is often possible to ask a mature Southwesterner about a particular fabric in an item of clothing and for them to give a full history of the fabric, where it came from and what it means to them.
Some other Borer see it as them carrying their history around with them. But to the Southwesterners, it's closer to wearing their hearts on their sleeves. As such it is very bad form to do anything other than compliment a Southwesterners clothing and style choices. Anything which could be perceived as even a slight insult could be extremely offensive to them.

Flowers

Many Southwesterners wear flowers or give flowers as presents. The flowers are thought to be symbols of the sun's gift to the Borer, and by wearing them they are reminding themselves and those who see them of the bounty the sun provides.
Different flowers are understood to have different meanings. During the Prakanrra Karro Barr* these flowers were almost their own language which could be used to communicate a lot of complex ideas, however, this has mostly fallen out of use, leaving only some of the basics. White flowers are meant to create a sense of peace, yellow flowers promote happiness and light. Red flowers are symbols of hope and acceptance and blue flowers are signs of loyalty and gratitude.

Reputation

Within Borer

A lot of the other Borer don't believe that Southwesterners take life seriously enough. They're seen as slightly frivolous and their opinions aren't considered as consequential as those of others. They are thought of as happy and therefore hapless, which is often not the case.

With Peacekeepers

The Peacekeepers don't think much about the Southwesterners and try to avoid contact with them where they can. The Borer in general are a far more straightforward group to communicate with than the Southwesterners are, so they leave it to the other Borer.

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* These are the best approximation in a Peacekeeper-friendly text of the pronounciation in the Bror language.

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Related Articles

Organisations	Peacekeeper Alliance, Primary Territories Command
Locations	Peacekeeper Territories, The Primary Territories, Tribor
People	Borer

Related Locations

• Tribor

Related Species

Borer

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