Gerudo (ghə-ROO-doh)

Header Artwork Source - Raymond Sebastien

Daughters of the Sands

Biology and Origins

Based on who you ask, the Gerudo of the Highlands are born of the Goddess Din when she first created the land with the Golden Goddesses. Others will say they are an offshoot of the original Hylian settlers who went to the desert and simply became who they are now.
Regardless of the specifics long since forgotten to time, the Gerudo are now a monogendered species that finds partners from the other races of Hyrule. For most of their history, the Gerudo relied on the Hylian or Shekiah spouses to reproduce with records only stating one Male is born to the Gerudo every century, though recent reports indicate that this might purely speculation has in the last recorded two millennium no Gerudo male has been recorded to be born.
As a species, the Gerudo are noted by three major details. Their skin color, their vibrant red hair, and emerald eye color. A series of universal traits among the species that many have taken to cyberwear to change or add to these details. Their skin is typically some shade of light brown or, in rare cases, olive-greenish variation. This is, largely, due to their origins of living in the Deserts of Hyrule or neighboring regions which allow them to survive the harsher conditions easier than their neighbors.
Their hair, many believe, is the truest proof of their origins as Daughters of Din. It is very common to spot a Gerudo in the crowd by their cultural attachment to their hair and the various attachments they add to it. Pair this with their emerald eyes to create a striking combo that many Gerudo claim to be their advantage.
Otherwise, their unique genetics allow them to typically stand larger than those around them with the average height of most adult Gerudo to be 6 feet, with some even reaching 7 feet tall. However, there is one noticable distinction as that the Gerudo race is entirely female, and rarely give birth to male children.

Culture and Politics

The Gerudo, as a race, attempt to uphold sacred or cultural laws that have long since been maintained in Gerudo City. Even being a thriving arcology in the harsh desert, it still maintains a strict divide between gender laws. While sections of the city do allow male visitors, these are more catered to hotels, commercial or co-ed residential districts for married families. Gerudo Politics, however, are currently a hot topic for many in the area. Despite not being a country in-of-itself it has it's own police and small defense force. It passes it's own laws, tariffs, and such despite being an integrated nation to the Kingdom of Hyrule. This has allowed a small part of the population to desire their independence back stating they already have everything beyond true self governance.
It's for these reason that much of Gerudo Culture remains in place, despite many cultural changes over the centuries. The culture is matriarchal and demands a heavy respect for the elders of a clan or tribe. It's also an unusual detail that religious figures are actually common amongst Gerudo Clans. Many Clans know or have a religious figure. It's also for this reason that a lot of Gerudo have strange superstitions, by hylian standards, resulting in strange beliefs regarding male children or strange movements in the sand.

Nomads of the Sands

If the Rito control the skies, and the Zora control the seas, then it is obvious that the Gerudo have returned to their horse-raider days in embracing the nomadic lifestyle. The Nomad Family system has created a sort of militia system that allows the GCPD to offload some of their patrol work to the families themselves. The families use this responsibility to have their voice heard in Gerudo City for access, rights, and citizenship despite their nomadic lifestyle.

The Gerudo Crest