Vigil Islanders

"Just off the west coast of Africa and right north of Castover Island is a reef where voodoo-crazy folk hide."
"What do you mean by voodoo-crazy?"
"I mean they seek human sacrifice, the goat without horns, to slay and offer blood to their ancestors."
"What a horrible rite."
"Aye, but rumor has it that the current chieftainess has turned to Christendom, the first of her line to do so."
"What's that mean then?"
"Her cousins are all fighting for her place or with her for leaving their barbaric old faith behind."
"Thought they all valued family over there."
"Whether it's power or family they care about more remains to be seen."

— Discussion about the Brosseau Dread Pirates.

The Vigil Islanders are a deeply spiritual group that were not fully accepted by the main Castovers during the 1840s. This primer discusses them with as little bias as possible.

Naming Traditions

Family names

Most of the Vigil Islanders, being from French colonies in Africa, have French surnames.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

They speak French, and likely Yoruba or Igbo as well.

Culture and cultural heritage

While most Vigil Islanders are loath to admit it, they have absorbed French traditions.

Shared customary codes and values

They share some things in common with the main Yoruba culture, especially the value of friendship and family.

Average technological level

Due to colonization and contact with other tribes, the Vigil Islanders have about the same level of tech as other groups in the Pits.
They prefer rustic living, however.

Common Dress code

They wear simple wraps in bright flamboyant colors, such as red with green stripes.
Both men and women wear jewelry of all sorts, mostly made of beads.

Art & Architecture

They make use of wood and terracotta in sculptures to create images of their gods and ancestors.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Goat without Horns

It was often claimed that the Vigil Islanders were cannibals or murderers who wanted human victims for sacrifice, leading to diplomatic tensions between the other islanders and themselves.
Even more so when combined with their preference for rustic living, at odds with the European and Chinese penchant for industrial modernities.
What appears to have actually happened is that human sacrifice was very uncommon, and mainly reserved as punishment for criminals.

Hyena Whisperers

Another off putting rite to most of Castover's populace is the Vigil Islanders' fondness of hyenas. The chieftains all had hyenas for pets and rites dedicated to the animal in question.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

Strangely, the Vigil Islanders admire heavily built and muscular women, and greatly prefer slim men instead of those built like barrels.
It is likely that they believe heavily built women are more capable of carrying large numbers of children.