Kitsune Folk
Kitsune Folk (alternatively: Kitsunejin, Kitsune) is a human ethnic group originating from the lands located nearby North-Eastern parts of the Central Sea. Initially, they were just one tribe form the area, however they managed to expell the other tribes with the help of The Fox Goddess, after her they bear their name.
The alliance with her became the most defining factor among the tribe, which lead to the growth and the formation of The Fox Empire. Tribe turned into multiple tribes and evenually into a populous nationwith partially shared identity, focused on the pact with The Fox Goddes.
Early, on the major split among them was when one tribe of their was granted sole rights of settling what was later considered the Western Region. They started beeing seen and seeing themselves as disctinc from the other Kitsune, while still being Kitsune. They became known after the most influential city of their, Kohaku - Kohakujin . In turn, the remaining Kitsune became called after the city that also was the most influential, Hisui. And thus, they were known as Hisuijin.
Later, they spread out and settled beyond traditional borders of the country - in the region of Yama located beyond the sea (called Yamanohito) and in the Steppes on the east (called Kusajin). They also became the integral part of the trading taking place on the Central Sea.
Most of the article blelow concernes the customs of the major Kitsune ethnicities. They are the most relevant for the Hisuijin and Kohakujin, to lesser extent Yamajin and the least to the Kusajin. The specifics about the nature of those differences can be found in the specific articles about those sub-ethnicities.
The customs described here also mainly refer to those of the time when The Fox Empire was already established. Eariler and much later customs may differ (specific articles will be updated in later time)
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Initially a single language of a one tribe, usually reffered to as "Kitsune language"/ "Kitsunego".
In the 4th century of the Jade Era, there were showing clear signs of splitting a langauge. Not deep enough yet to be considered dialects (can be mutually understood without much problems), but clearly having distinguishable variants. Those variants are reffered to as "accents"
Accents during the 4th century:
- Western accent- diverging from the speech patterns of the tribe that settled in the Western Region, can be further divided (not everyone speaking it shows clear signs of belong in one of those subgroups):
- Kohaku Accent - spoken in Western region
- Yama accent - spoken in the region of Yama, colonized by Kohakujin
- Central accent - diverging from the speech of pattern of the rest of tribes, very simmilar to each other, spoken by Hisuijin, can be further divided (not everyone speaking it shows clear signs of belong in one of those subgroups):
- Hisui accent - spoken in the city oh Hisui and in the rest of the Central Region
- Southern accent - spoken in the Southern region (contains some Double-tonguer influences)
- Eastern accent - spoken in the Eastern Region
- Steppe accent - diverged more recently from the speeches Central region, hower difference in lifestyle mad eit more distict from the others in short ammount of time to the point that it is not conidered part of the Central accent, but a separate one, spoken by those Kitsune that settled on the Stepped (Kusajin)
Shared customary codes and values
Values:
Loyalty and honor is commonly valued, as a conequence of the high reverance towards the pact with The Fox Goddess. People who are loyal to the law, established order and the agreements are praised. Naturally, part of it is the display of obedience towards the authority figure. There is also some level of reverance towards someone's ability and achievemnts present, that can be socially more important than minor offences against the loyalty and honor, but not against grave ones. There is a sense of superiority over the foreigners/barbarians present due to Kitsune Folk deeper relationship with their patron goddess compared to less direct involvment of other gods in the other cultures. Generally speaking, those people are not accept in holding higher positions, unless they are part of a Kitsune family (for example through marriage). Despite of the fact that worship of the Fox Goddess is the most prominent form of the religion, Kitsune Folk are not revering solely her. Worshipping other gods is very common and interwoven in the entire society, although the specific of which gods are revered differs heavily from region to region, with only one of them having position of being nearly universal for the Kitsune Folk - Raiden-Yuki.Society
Society as a whole is organised primarily based on families, although one's belonging in specific family is not strictly communal with children splitting off from their parents household and legally founding their own families is not uncommon. The ownership is often concentrated in the head of the family, with the wealth being later splitted in order for the children to inhierit. Customary, men take prefference over women and children from the marriage over children of the concubines. Children born outside of socially acceptable relationships don't inhierit.Nobility
After disappearence of tribes, Kitsune society formed very clear nobility status. Basic idea of nobility originated from the fact that leaders would reward offcials, both civilian and military with high enough wealth and status for them to be able to focus on the public service of their office. Later, the nobility status meant that the noble is provided with enough wealth and status to give them time and means for the training in civialn and military affairs, meaning the people of nobility status are the only ones who could receive an office by the sate in the Kitsune society. Also, noble men can be drafted to the military in the time of war without any other basis than belonging to the nobility. For the nobles, beaing ready for the service during the time of war is thought of as part of their job. Another privilage of the noble status is having legal protections from the state taking control over their lands. Very often fresh nobles are receiving land which was revoked from various non-noble owners and they often get hired to work for the new owner. Nobility status is inhierited paternalistically for the children born within socially accepted marriage and concubinate. Nobility status can be granted by the state official high enough or by the court verdict. It can be revoked as the punishment for the crime or rejected by the person in question. People who lost nobility status generally are keeping their lands and possessions, although they can now be revoked by the state. Traditionally, only people of noble status have official family names, although people without noble status that are influential enough can have unofficial family names.Slaves
Slavery is seen as regular part of life, although not heavily prominent. Most of the slaves in the Kitsune society are people who sold themselves in the slavery or military captives. They are mostly working as the household servants. Slave status is generally not inhierited.Free people
There is no single agreement among Kitsune about how free non-noble people should be organised, so there is high variance of their laws and customs. For examples peasants can have status ressembling serfdom (although it is not treated as legal category in the same way as nobility and slavery are), can owning land privately, can work for hire on someone's else land or even owning lands collectively by the few families. Organisation of people of other proffesions is also similarily complex. Drafting non-noble free men by custom require providing them the compensation due to taking them from their job.Priesthood
Priesthood is commonly regarded as special kind of the public service. It doesn't require nobility status like the other kinds of offcies like that, but priest candidates from the nobility backgroud often get prefferential treatment. Specifics of what priesthood status entails, depends on the specific form of ogranised worship. Often priests follow different dress codes, etiquiette, marriage or inhieritance customs. The most important organisation among Kitsune Folk in this regard is The Jade PactCommon Dress code
Showing much skin is not considered proper in all of the public context.
Loose har is acceptable, but it is not common among nobility (or least not withouit any head accessory). Short hairstyles are uncommon.
For the nobility wearing shoes outside and having socks is nessecity. Lack of socks can be excused, but is still looked down upon. For the lower classes socks are reccomendation, lack of shoes is looked down upon in offcial occasions, but ignored Slaves are required to be entirely barefoot, with the exception of the weather cold enough, during which they can wear protective footwear.
Shoes are usually made out of wood and are mainly slip-on sandals. They require wearing split-toed socks.
Loose har is acceptable, but it is not common among nobility (or least not withouit any head accessory). Short hairstyles are uncommon.
For the nobility wearing shoes outside and having socks is nessecity. Lack of socks can be excused, but is still looked down upon. For the lower classes socks are reccomendation, lack of shoes is looked down upon in offcial occasions, but ignored Slaves are required to be entirely barefoot, with the exception of the weather cold enough, during which they can wear protective footwear.
Shoes are usually made out of wood and are mainly slip-on sandals. They require wearing split-toed socks.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Pale skin is considered beautiful among women, because that mans they are wealthy enough to not work outside.
Among the men, this ideal became less important over time, because of association of the tan with the military-related activities, coinciding with the increse of the military in their societies.
Gender Ideals
Kitsune are generally patriarchal people, with the men taking priimary role in political and military leadership and faimly units being centered around men with women taking secondary, "supportive" role.
That generally means that the father or the grandfather of the family is considered family head and makes the most important decisions, and that his wife, children and grandchildren are generally subordinate (when Kitsune were still organised in tribes, this aspect was weaker than in the later periods)
Woman, after marriage comes under the guardianship and subordination of her husband family.
Men are encouraged to take behaviours associated with responibility for the entire family, decisiveness, ambition and self-confidence. Among the nobility, this includes teaching political manouvering and governance with incrasingly higher priority on combat and millitary tactics in later periods.
Women are ecouraged to takle behaviours associated with taking care for the specific people as the mothers, nurses etc. This includes tasks like cooking, healing, (among lower classes) weaving, (asmong nobility) caligraphy, music.
Both genders are accepted as taking priestly roles.
Courtship Ideals
Arranged marriages are common, although the will of both of the newlyweds could be used as an argument holding some weight for or against it.
Marriages are made between a man and a woman, usually monogamous. Some men of the higher political status are taking more than one wife, usually for political reason, but it is not common occurence in any other case. Marrying another wife can be used as a reason for the previous wife for a divorce. If that happens, it is considered a great dishonor for a husband and generally means that his relationship with the family of a previous wife is irreverisibly damaged.
Men of higher status can take concubines as an additional way for fullfilling sexual needs, however there is the concern of a concubine undermining position of a spouse. Therefore concubines require to be of the lower status (they cannot be nobility). Slave concubines are considered socially acceptable without any ramifications, as long as they are taken as concubines by their owner, but free concubines require wife's/wifes' approval that can be revoked by her at any time.
Homosexual relationships are not seen as equivalent, howeversame sex concubinage is considered to be accepted under some circumstances.
A male can take a male concubine only if he is a slave.
Woman generally cannot have concubines, due to prevent of having children with unclear parentage (children of concubines get lower priorty when it comes to inhieritance than children of marriage). However, that means they are allowed to take female concubines under the same conditions as men are.
Sexual activities outside of marriage, concubinage and cases of established prostitution are looked down upon, dealing severe damage to the offender's reputation and trustworthiness. Men are usually extempt from that if they have it with a women that is not considered to be a part of a Kitsune society (as it is considered "their problem").
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