Ak'aari Greeting

Backround

The Ak'aari are a culture from northern Mahador, specificaly the regions along the Golcaï River and its tributaries. They believe in a pantheon of gods and spirits. These beliefs are collectively known as Ashoranism. In this religion, is is said that the various entities of the pantheon are constantly watching over humans. It is also believed that some of them are able to grant humans wishes or interact with their destiny in order for those whishes to happen. By doing this gesture, the Ak'aari call upon their patron god to do the same towards the person their are greeting.

Gestures

Positive

To greet someone positively, the person places their left hand against their forehead, with the thumb placed just bellow the left eyebrow. The thumb and pinky finger are retracted into a circle while the Index, middle ring and finger are left standing up, with the finger tips towards the sky. The hand is then waved towards the person being greeted, which completes the greeting.

Negative

To greet someone negatively, the person places their right hand against their forehead, with the thumb placed just bellow the right eyebrow. The thumb and pinky are retracted into a circle like in a positive gesture. However, the three other fingers of the hand are retracted down between the pinky and the thumb, with the finger tips facing the ground. The hand is then waved towards the person being greeted, which completes the greeting.

Meening

The three fingers used in the gesture represent 3 different things: The Body, the mind, and the soul of the person being greeted. Turning the hand up is said to represent a wish for their body, mind and soul to be watched over by the gods and thus, kept safe. On the flip side, turning the hand down indicates the opposite: that the person greeting you wishes for the gods to abandon you. It is a grave insult that is taken very seriously.

Root Languages

• Ak'aaran Language

Optional vocalised greeting

While most greeting are done silently, two sentences can be uttered to amplify the orignal meaning of the hand gesture. For a positive greeting, after placing the hand against one's forehead, the person can say: "Kuh'hen Kah", which translates to "Gods, Protect them". On the opposite side, if one does a negative greeting, they may say: "Khu'Tahi Kah", which translates to "Gods, forsake/abandon them"