- Pronouns
- He/Him, They/Them
This will eventually become a factbook. Maybe. Probably not.
The Sasêe (hunt) is a three month period of the year in which the tribes of Naizerre are allowed to hunt the big game and endangered specieis present within the savannah. Hunts are limited to native Naizerri only, with foreigners banned from partaking although following the formation of META foreign nationals have been allowed to observe the Sasêe. Letting a foreigner get involved in the Sasêe carries with it a maximum punishment of exile for the offending citizen - with the foreigner also subject to whatever punishment is meted out.
During the Sasêe, Naizerri youths prove their worth to their tribe to bring back the most impressive trophy, working in teams of 4 to 6 hunters. It is a key part of Gümbä (maturity), the traditional Naizerri education that all young people go through. It shows that they are ready to move onto the final stages of the Gümbä, the Kangba (senior) stage. The Kangba is one of the three stages of the Gümbä, alongside the Töngö (beginning) and the Fa Yê (instruction) stages.
The Töngö stage begins on night before a child's 13th birthday. Traditionally a child would be given a knife and an empty water skin, forced from the village and prevented from returning for the night. In modern times the Bï na Lä (Night and Day) ceremony is largely restricted to being removed from the house for the night, although tribal officials are sometimes tasked with ensuring that the child or their family doesn't cheat in some way. They should remain under open sky for a period of a 12 hours - 8 til 8 - with temperatures sometimes dipping well below freezing in the desert. The second part of the Bï na Lä comes after the child has been allowed a short sleep - usually two or three hours - and after which their body is decorated in the traditional war paint of their ethnic tribe and they are taken on their first hunt, although they aren't expected to contribute. Following the hunt, the rest of the day is spent in celebration of continuing prosperity of the tribe due to the renewal of its people - the passage from childhood into the Gümbä signifies this.
The Töngö ends when the child reaches the age of 15, although the pracitalities of modern times has turned the timeline from being based on age to being based around years of schooling. The school year in which the child reaches the age of 13 is where there Töngö education starts. Indeed, it is common for some children to have almost completed the first year of the Gümbä before they even undergo the Bï na Lä.
The Fa Yê is an intensive four year period in which Naizerri teenagers are taught to a set curriculum that includes several practical elements including preperation for the Sasêe - those undergoing the Fa Yê often serve as a supply chain or as herders of game into a certain area -, caring for the environment (a portion of Naizerri culture called the Kuandïä, the duty) and protecting the wildlife of Naizerre from poachers and hunters operating outside the Sasêe or Bï na Lä hunts. A 6 week period of the third year of the Fa Yê is spent in two or three work experience placements, usually as part of individual agreements between the tribe and businesses or corporations.
Each school year of the Fa Yê ends with the Birä (battle), where tribes come together to compete in both traditional contests like Gobo (box as in boxing) and more modern sporting endeavours like football. Gobo is a form of kick boxing in which the lead hand can only be used to block or grab, with the secondary hand used to punch. The strong-side hand, or Zâka (spear) is gloved and then bound tightly. The lead hand, the Vâlä (shield), is generally kept open and is used to parry away blows or grab an opponent. The lead leg, the Kö (pick), is used to block and trip opponents and is often bound in rope as well, whilst the rear leg, the Hübängö-Sêse (lit. plowing of land) is used to kick. The goal of Gobo is to knock the opponent down and win more of the three rounds than they do.
During the final year of the Fa Yê, students also spend much of their time choosing a trade school or university at which to eventually attend, following their final year of Gümbä, the Kangba stage. During the Kangba, students split their time between tribal duties and attending preperation courses at their chosen institution. Tribes will often contract with certain institutions to acquire a guaranteed amount of places for their tribe, and collective accomodation for their students, effectively forming a miniture version of the tribe at the institution following the Kangba and the end of the Gümbä.
The Gümbä ends with the Tara (trials), an examination of everything learnt throughout the Gümbä, conducted by tribal elders and representatives of the central government. These include both practical applications of knowledge and written exams, and those failing to make the grade will have to spend the summer months making up the work to enter a second Tara held just before their next year of education starts. To fail at this final hurdle is seen as both disrespectful to the tribe that has put so much work into educating you and as a personal disgrace. Those that do fail often carry the stigma for years afterwards.
The Sasêe (hunt) is a three month period of the year in which the tribes of Naizerre are allowed to hunt the big game and endangered specieis present within the savannah. Hunts are limited to native Naizerri only, with foreigners banned from partaking although following the formation of META foreign nationals have been allowed to observe the Sasêe. Letting a foreigner get involved in the Sasêe carries with it a maximum punishment of exile for the offending citizen - with the foreigner also subject to whatever punishment is meted out.
During the Sasêe, Naizerri youths prove their worth to their tribe to bring back the most impressive trophy, working in teams of 4 to 6 hunters. It is a key part of Gümbä (maturity), the traditional Naizerri education that all young people go through. It shows that they are ready to move onto the final stages of the Gümbä, the Kangba (senior) stage. The Kangba is one of the three stages of the Gümbä, alongside the Töngö (beginning) and the Fa Yê (instruction) stages.
The Töngö stage begins on night before a child's 13th birthday. Traditionally a child would be given a knife and an empty water skin, forced from the village and prevented from returning for the night. In modern times the Bï na Lä (Night and Day) ceremony is largely restricted to being removed from the house for the night, although tribal officials are sometimes tasked with ensuring that the child or their family doesn't cheat in some way. They should remain under open sky for a period of a 12 hours - 8 til 8 - with temperatures sometimes dipping well below freezing in the desert. The second part of the Bï na Lä comes after the child has been allowed a short sleep - usually two or three hours - and after which their body is decorated in the traditional war paint of their ethnic tribe and they are taken on their first hunt, although they aren't expected to contribute. Following the hunt, the rest of the day is spent in celebration of continuing prosperity of the tribe due to the renewal of its people - the passage from childhood into the Gümbä signifies this.
The Töngö ends when the child reaches the age of 15, although the pracitalities of modern times has turned the timeline from being based on age to being based around years of schooling. The school year in which the child reaches the age of 13 is where there Töngö education starts. Indeed, it is common for some children to have almost completed the first year of the Gümbä before they even undergo the Bï na Lä.
The Fa Yê is an intensive four year period in which Naizerri teenagers are taught to a set curriculum that includes several practical elements including preperation for the Sasêe - those undergoing the Fa Yê often serve as a supply chain or as herders of game into a certain area -, caring for the environment (a portion of Naizerri culture called the Kuandïä, the duty) and protecting the wildlife of Naizerre from poachers and hunters operating outside the Sasêe or Bï na Lä hunts. A 6 week period of the third year of the Fa Yê is spent in two or three work experience placements, usually as part of individual agreements between the tribe and businesses or corporations.
Each school year of the Fa Yê ends with the Birä (battle), where tribes come together to compete in both traditional contests like Gobo (box as in boxing) and more modern sporting endeavours like football. Gobo is a form of kick boxing in which the lead hand can only be used to block or grab, with the secondary hand used to punch. The strong-side hand, or Zâka (spear) is gloved and then bound tightly. The lead hand, the Vâlä (shield), is generally kept open and is used to parry away blows or grab an opponent. The lead leg, the Kö (pick), is used to block and trip opponents and is often bound in rope as well, whilst the rear leg, the Hübängö-Sêse (lit. plowing of land) is used to kick. The goal of Gobo is to knock the opponent down and win more of the three rounds than they do.
During the final year of the Fa Yê, students also spend much of their time choosing a trade school or university at which to eventually attend, following their final year of Gümbä, the Kangba stage. During the Kangba, students split their time between tribal duties and attending preperation courses at their chosen institution. Tribes will often contract with certain institutions to acquire a guaranteed amount of places for their tribe, and collective accomodation for their students, effectively forming a miniture version of the tribe at the institution following the Kangba and the end of the Gümbä.
The Gümbä ends with the Tara (trials), an examination of everything learnt throughout the Gümbä, conducted by tribal elders and representatives of the central government. These include both practical applications of knowledge and written exams, and those failing to make the grade will have to spend the summer months making up the work to enter a second Tara held just before their next year of education starts. To fail at this final hurdle is seen as both disrespectful to the tribe that has put so much work into educating you and as a personal disgrace. Those that do fail often carry the stigma for years afterwards.