Montetaja

The Montetaja are the Halflings of the Duonverdaj hills.

Food and Water Stockpiles

The Montetaja have a cultural tendency towards hoarding food and water. To an outsider, this might seem strange and maybe a little greedy, but the custom was born out of sheer necessity. Their homelands seasonal cycle of wet and dry only allows for a few months of productive farming, after which the water shortage will set in. Montetaja will therefore stockpile as much food and drink as possible when it is available, so that they will have enough even at the end of the long dry season.
This tendency is so ingrained in their way of thinking that a traveling Montetajan will carry around as much food and water as they can, regardless of the local availability. Often to the confusion of the locals, who will just go to the local market if they are feeling peckish.

Culture

Common Taboos

Letting food spoil is a big no-no in Montetajan culture. It is considered more civilized to overeat, than to let perfectly good food go to waste.
Using clean water for anything other than drinking or cooking is something that a Montetajan will not even consider. When a foreigner would try and use drinking water to wash themselves, a Montetajan onlooker would first be very confused as to what this person is trying to do. After realizing that they are used to other customs, the foreigner will be quickly instructed as to which water to use for what purpose.
The only exception for clean water use is the cleaning of wounds. Culturally, this is considered to be a different kind of "drinking", more akin to the soul drinking the water to make the body whole again.

Related Organizations

• Hill Assembly

Related Locations

• Duonverdaj