~Saema~ - The Lashunta Harem
Given that Lashunta society is matriarchially dominated, Lashunta harems are a bit different that how the concept is perceived on Earth, being run by and for females. Also, the practice is not so widespread as it once was, having largely died out at the end of the Age of the Thief-Queens. It is now mainly held by the Retaea and Shemez nomad clans, and also a few cities, such as Ofu-Laubu (Laubu Mesa) that still have a reigning queens.
Today the practice is most commonly observed by the nomadic Retaea Clans of the savanna-moorlands north of the Yaro Valley and east of Lake Arasene - who incidentally are the direct descendents of the Thief-Queens. It is a sign of prestigious status, typically held by a clanwife or her direct kindred (sisters or daughters), or by an upwardly mobile headwife gathering her own war-band, since, like the Warrior-Queens of old, it provides a ready-to-fight cadre of warriors at her beck. Harem membership is almost without exception male (and Korasha), for among the fiercely independent Retaea Clanfolk, no Damaya wife would subordinate her freedom to another. Males agree to take common responsibility for fatherhood duties, regardles of actual paternity for any of the harem-mistress’s children. While they may not be exclusive to the harem-mistress, their relationships are subordinate to her wishes.
Thus the ~saema~ - Lashuna harem fills a complex role in certain parts of both current and historical society. It is an ongoing social institution among the northern nomads. Furthermore, it is historically familiar enough to still have relevance to the more established cities of the Yaro Valley and the Shattersea, to the point that a highly ranked male may still be called a ~saemazas~ - haremmate, implying he has achieved his station through a higher-ranked female’s favor (possibly through an intimate relationship), and a wealthy female with multiple lovers may still be jocularly referred to as a ~maeavasaeme~ - harem-owner. Its cultural legacy has stayed with the Lashunta.
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History
The practice originated with the archaic Warrior-Queens, who developed the habit of taking as many lovers as possible, both males and females, to solidify loyalty. Being the queen’s lover conferred an honorific level of nobility, along with goodwill, and also effectively made one part of the government. It also tended to invest males, in that it gave them a shot at being father to the next queen, thus promoting loyalty to the succession. For them, ~Saemazas~ - male haremmate - became the ultimate achievable rank, along with the opportunity to function in various ministerial capacities. ~Saemaze~ - female haremmate - existed similarly, although a female could hope to receive or win an independent entitlement.
During the Age of Sage-Queens, keeping a harem was virtually a requirement for nobility. Accounts have survived of hereditary princesses who spent their whole lives enwrapt in their harem’s pleasures, and also of unfortunates who caught their eye and were coerced (sometimes psychically) into service. With the Age of the Thief-Queens, however, the practice became associated with the oppressive ruling-class, along with queenship, which led to its disappearance from the cities of the Yaro Valley as they rebelled.
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