Tanishites
The Tanishites are the people native to the banks of the Zel. For most of the history of the desert, they have been the most powerful group due to their agricultural ability. This is largely because they were located along the river, which provided enough water to irrigate crops.
Naming Traditions
Other names
They do not have surnames. Most people live in small communities where where everyone knows everyone else and there is only one person with each first name. When travelling, they use their hometown as a surname, e.g. Shavi of Dashu. Nobles use family names, which were once the first name of the ancestor they claim to be descended from.
Culture
Average technological level
They regularly use bronze tools. They have the technology to work iron, but their region produces very little iron and in poor quality so it takes special skill to work it into something useful. They have advanced plumbing in the major cities, using gravity and pressure in underground copper pipes to supply fountains and deal with waste. Agriculture is aided by irrigation canals that control the floods the river.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Lighter skin, free of blemishes. Pronounced noses and thick, dark eyebrows with black hair. Round and curvy, especially for women. Men with large muscles are considered ugly. Body hair is considered ugly and low-class. A beard should be long and well groomed; short stubble or scratchy beards are unhygienic. Upper class people of both genders spend time having both arms and legs shaved. They also regularly use perfumes.
Gender Ideals
An ideal man is decisive, intelligent, beautiful, charismatic, and pious. Overt physical strength is associated with labourers. Men should be well-read, read and write poetry, and make regular devotions to the gods. Men are expected to take care of women and defend their honour, especially because a women fighting for herself and being outspoken is seen as brutish and improper.
The ideal woman is submissive, quiet, and attentive. She is expected to be subservient to men and her primary role is as mother and wife. Women are not permitted to learn to read.
Courtship Ideals
Courting is not done by the Tanishites. Marriage is officially seen as a business arrangement, especially for the upper classes. When a girl turns sixteen, her family throws a party for the village/neighbourhood. During the party, she will be presented wearing an adult woman's dress for the first time. Some time after the party, any young men interested must present the father something of value that represents a sample of what they could contribute - this could be money or an example of a skilled craft, fruit from their fields, a token of wealth, etc.
Once the father decides which suitor will be best, he will meet with the chosen groom to draw up the contract and decide the dowry and bride-price. The dowry would consist of valuable items, land, animals, or anything physical. The bride-price is monetary. The father may or may not return the offerings from rejected suitors - it's considered a friendly gesture but not mandatory.
Once the engagement is official, a wedding will be planned. For commoners, this will be a simple affair that takes place a week or so after the engagement, but for nobles the more elaborate weddings can take months to plan. During the engagement, the bride and groom are encouraged to spend time together to get to know each other, under supervision of an older relative.
Relationship Ideals
Within a relationship, the man holds all the power. Women are to be taken care of and a man who treats his wife badly is shunned. A woman is expected to be a virgin when entering a marriage, and finding that she is not is reason for divorce and a refund of the bride-price from her father. A woman can only initiate a divorce if she goes to the local judge with proof she is being abused or neglected.
Brides and Concubines
Relationships are mainly about procreation and a couple is expected to start having children as soon as possible after marriage. If a woman has not produced any children after 6 years of marriage, the man may get divorced and is due a refund of the bride-price from her father (but also returns the dowry). A man may only have 1 wife, but nobles and royals may also have concubines. The children of concubines can inherit wealth and property, but they cannot inherit titles and will always occupy a limbo between commoner and noble as adults. Concubines are subordinate to the wife and are not considered part of the family. They are most frequently slaves or servant woman spotted for their beauty. Being a concubine is an honourable position. It's considered very tacky to bring concubines into the household before the third year of marriage.Divorce and Infidelity
A woman can initiate divorce if she is abused. A man can initiate divorce if his wife is not a virgin before marriage, if she does not bear him children, or if he feels she is neglecting her duties in the home. In all cases, the woman is sent back to her family home and the ex-husband is owed a return of the bride-price, but he must also return whatever came with her dowry. Divorce carries a huge social stigma and is not common. Instead of going through the public disgrace of a divorce, a woman occasionally runs away and attempts to start a new life in a distant city. If a woman sleeps with another man, she and the man are both subject to execution at the discretion of the slighted husband. If he chooses to spare his wife, the other man must also be spared. A man does not have to return the dowry if he divorces a woman convicted of adultery.Homosexuality
Homosexual relationships are accepted. The primacy of procreation means there is no homosexual marriage, but having a same-sex relationship outside of marriage is perfectly fine. A woman who has engaged in lesbian sex is still considered a virgin for the purposes of marriage. Young people not yet married are, in fact, encouraged to pursue same-sex relationships to reduce the risk of children born out of wedlock. The only sexual act that is frowned upon is not having children. As long as you are contributing to the future population, no one cares what else you do.Tanishite or Tanishian?
A Tanishite is someone whose ethnic background traces back to the Tanishite tribe. A Tanishian is anyone who is a citizen of the Kingdom of Tanish, no matter their culture or background.
Related Organizations
