Bahami
The Bahami people are the humans and catfolk that reside within the islands of the Bahami Federation. The Bahami people are known for their devotion to the various djinn that live upon their islands and act as gods and guardians for the Bahami people. In Bahami society, what is valued above all else is what a person can bring to their society in terms of wealth, beauty, and glory in battle. Honor is typically regarded as the bastion of the weak among Bahamis, and few have any compunctions about doing what is best for themselves, in the hopes of advancement in the eyes of the djinn.
Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Saahira, Hamna, Kaazima, Aneesa, Zuhaira, Tareefa, Sabiyya, Naqaa, Mawzoona, Mahmooda
Masculine names
Saleet, Sabaah, Naaji, Khaleefa, Saami, Ishaaq, Sharaf, Badruddeen, Rabi, Hamdaan
Family names
el-Kazemi, al-Vohra, el-Baluch, el-Ismael, el-Halim, el-Noorani, al-Khawaja, el-Khan, el-Kamara, el-Naim
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The Bahami language is the most commonly spoken, but it does tend to drift from island to island. Regional dialects and slang are quite frequent, which is why most traders among the islands rely upon Common as their primary communication tool. Use of Common typically eliminates misunderstandings, and thanks to Jakonian conquest in the past, several major towns and cities have it as their majority spoken language, particularly in the western islands.
Culture and cultural heritage
The Bahami culture focuses most upon raiding and the accumulation of wealth. The more wealth and captives a person can bring their djinn, the quicker they rise through Bahami society. Therefore, Bahami culture relies most on the regaling of people with feats of arms, rather than any prowess in arts or music. The Bahami people do appreciate these things, however, and know the value of a good tapestry, painting, or musician, they just choose not to create these things themselves. Skilled artisans and traders are in high demand, and Bahami raiders will attack villages and towns just for the purposes of kidnapping a promising artist or musician to be sacrificed to a djinn or serve in the courts of the Bahami emirs.
Art & Architecture
Bahami architecture is best known for what at first glance appears to be cheap and shoddy construction. Wood construction is the rule of thumb among Bahami settlements, usually built out of the flexible wood of their islands. They are rarely decorated or adorned in any way, and seem to be for the most part, temporary in nature. This is due to the frequent storms and hurricanes that are known to pummel the Federation, destroying all but the most hardy of structures. Bahamis have learned to build structures that tend to give way in high winds, helping preserve them with just a bit of swaying in all but the harshest of storms. Stone is used in the construction of fortifications and typically as the foundations of many homes, with vaults and treasure hoards built within, to protect them from the elements, but the majority of homes retain their flexible wooden appearance.
Ideals
Gender Ideals
Men take absolute primacy within the Bahami Federation. Women are essentially treated as property and goods for trade and commerce, both among humans and catfolk alike. Largely this is due to the djinn typically demanding female captives as tribute more often than male. Women are widely believed to be better servants and workers than men, and thus are prized, much like treasured livestock. Polygamy is common among Bahamis, but wives are commonly traded and sold among the men of the Federation. Men typically take on all other roles outside of servant and household work, ruling both politically and at home, while women are strictly regulated like any other living commodity. It has been rumored, however, that women who achieve great feats and abilities are sometimes rewarded with status as honorary men by their djinn, giving them equal rights within society, often marked with a symbol of their patron djinn.
Relationship Ideals
It is widely believed among the Bahamis that females lack the ability to emotionally connect with a male, due to lesser intelligence and abilities. Therefore, while a Bahami man may have many wives, close friends and male lovers are treasured far more as companions. Bahami men who form too close of relationships with their wives or other women are viewed as abnormal, but this indiscretions are usually overlooked, assuming that the women do not attempt to achieve greater power or influence.
Related Organizations
Languages spoken
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