The Wajahe can be divided into four groups. Together, the Wajahe are all named hr̩ɥ. They are grouped as follows:
- t͡sehʷ.kn̩l - The Proper Wajahe, further divided into
- t͡sæ̃hʷ.kn̩l - The Lake dwellers, who are the cultural and political core of the Wajahe and Zitis as a whole
- t͡snæ.zʋy.kæ - The Lower Rivermen, who form the economic center of the Wajahe and of Zitis as a whole
- tʷʋɛs.t͡swel - The Middle Rivermen, closely similar to but not as influential as the Lower Rivermen
- hʷo.ʂə.hʷuɥ (Imyes) - The Nomadic Wajahe, a once great people who now exist in scattered minority communities
- t͡swɛs.t͡sř̩ʋ (Jağefj) - The Steppe and Hill dwellers, who do not speak a Wajahic language, but who draw from the same cultural and political heritage
t͡sæ̃hʷ.kn̩l - The Wajahe of the Lakes
Overview
The t͡sæ̃hʷ.kn̩l trace their origins to the The Ksehyl, and Bemwe Gehan. Considered the original inhabitants of the lakes since time immemorial, they are the culture that all other Wajahic peoples are known to have originated from. The largest population centers of this group of Wajahe are along the shores of the Great Lakes, while the grasslands further from the lakes are used mostly for livestock (largely horses).
Social Structures
The t͡sæ̃hʷ.kn̩l live along the lakes, which are extremely densely populated. Though most of the population is engaged in agriculture, social and political structures mostly exist in the numerous cities and small settlements. These settlements tend to operate largely autonomously, even when under the control of a larger state.
Settlements are centered on a Clan. Not all settlements have their own clan, and many clans do not have their own settlements but exist as a quasi-autonomous entity that is fully subordinated to a larger Clan. Clans can and often do subsume smaller clans into the larger one, and the degree to which the subsumed clan retains its identity is governed by a contract. The oldest contracts are oral, such as the formal subsumption of the southern Tim Clan into the Hisitse Clan, but most are written and retained by the smaller clan as a method by which their rights to land, livestock, and trade can be fought for in a legal setting.
Clans tend to be governed by Clan Elders, with the Clan Chief, a hereditary position, at their head (typically in a nominal capacity, but sometimes, major lineages of monarchical chiefs such as the Hetsekyy Lineage emerge to dominate a clan). The clan chief used to be a significantly more powerful institution, but in a contemporary setting the chief performs duties of limited importance, such as executions. Since the chief passes from birthmother to birthchild and never to other children, making it effectively matrilineal in descent. The elders, which originate from an older institution that actually corresponded to age, are a group of True Wajahe that are responsible for the governance of the state.
Clans have a notion of borders and land. While cities, pasture land, and livestock generally are owned and held collectively by the clan, agricultural land is held and owned by individuals who are True Wajahe, and worked through a tenant-farmer system.
The actual governance of clans varies significantly between clans. In the past, clans tended to be stratocratic, with elders chosen directly from successful and retired warriors. However, after the Military Reforms of the Wajahe 6th Dynasty, the clan and the military were separated into separate spheres. Though this system, known as Dual Power, would eventually decline, the separation of military and state would persist through several institutions, such as the Archon of Whiterun, a post which unified the Clan Chief (monarch) and military leader (Exarch). Regardless, the day to day administration is carried out by a class of scribes and bureaucrats, and members of the military will rarely involve themselves in administrative matters - a major shift from the periods prior to the Exarchate.
Horses
Horses used to be paramount in Wajahe culture, but their importance has significantly decreased. Horses are held communally by the clan. A warrior may have a horse, but he does not own the horse, even if it was captured from the enemy in war. Typically the human-pet relationship is viewed with great importance, and a warrior will not ride another’s horse, but should a warrior have too many horses, or should that warrior die, they will be distributed. In addition, breeding of horses is carried out in a centralized fashion by the clan, leading to significantly higher quality horses than neighbors. Horses are rarely sold as tradable commodities; however, the sale of impure or otherwise disabled horses (sold via deception to another Clan) is considered a heroic deed.
They are also the principle livestock, and a significant portion of Wajahe food and clothing is based on the horse. Horses themselves are fed either on pasture, or oats which are farmed specifically as horse feed. The actual grazing or feeding of horses is managed by the clan; horses are taken to warriors whenever they wish and especially in times of war, but for the most part they graze in these organized herds over specified plots of land.
Crop Rotation
Large sections of farmland are rotated between wheat, potatoes, oats/other crops, and pasture. In the past, this meant significant nomadism, though in the more fertile land around the lakes, this just led to a multi-field system of crop rotation. This also means that agricultural laborers are likely to live in permanent dwellings on their land, while those working in husbandry still live in horse-leather tents.
t͡snæ.zʋy.kæ and tʷʋɛs.t͡swel - The Wajahe of the Great River
Overview
The Wajahe of the Great River trace their origins to the Decline of the Riverine Civilization, who’s old land they occupy, and who’s cities and infrastructure they have inherited. However, they are overall quite similar to the t͡sæ̃hʷ.kn̩l.
Differences from the Lake Wajahe
Below is a list of major differences between the Lake and River Wajahe:
- The Clans of the River Wajahe, which are significantly newer than Lake Wajahe, do not posses the same intricate history and wealth of clan contracts. Instead, they are better understood as regional identities, originating from Riverine conceptions of tributaries and river sections. Many of these clans have inherited the infrastructure and apparatus of older Riverine states - for example, the Shalzhay Clan traces its origins to the City of Sallazhallas, the first urban center in Zitis. These clans tend to be modeled heavily on Tsepwe Clan, as the 6th Dynasty controlled this land during the decline of the Riverine civilization and the emergence of the Great River Wajahe Clans.
- The River Wajahe farm potatoes rather than wheat as their principle crop, and pigs rather than horses as their principle livestock. This leads to noticeable variations in land use, irrigation systems, and cuisine.
Imyes - The Nomadic Wajahe
See Imyes
Origins and History
The Imyes are a minor group of Wajahe that survive in a few minor nomadic groups scattered between the border of Whiterun Clan and the Jagefja people. They trace their origins to a group of Wajahic peoples that, prior to The Ksehyl, migrated far south, beyond the great river, to the southern hills (that are currently populated by the Ejee). They directly caused the collapse of the 1st Dynasty, after which their short-lived Empire was shattered and their people placed in what is now the Jağefj Steppe. They remained a major culture in the Jağefj steppe, and established the Ihwtsrksiw, a large nomadic steppe confederation. After it’s collapse, the Jağefj moved into their land, causing the complete cultural collapse of the Imyes - who now exist only as a few nomadic bands, that are nominally subordinate to the Whiterun Clan.
Structures
The Imyes retain many aspects of older Wajahic culture. Their lives are centered around the Horse, and the retain the old practice of keeping False Wajahe (who are extremely rare among the Imyes, and usually only because of a disability) as slaves. Their clans, of which there there were once 4 but only 1 remains, were large groupings who trace their origins to a warrior from Bemwe De’s Comitatus - these founders of clans were not themselves Imyes, but were instead from the Kih Wajahe who the Imyes had conquered. These clans are entirely militaristic and stratocratic, with administration reserved for the greatest of warriors.
Jağefj - The Wajahe of the Steppes and Hills
See Jagefja