Kozzakhi
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Kozzakhi people is one of the many cultures that inhabit the Kingdom of Moskova. Them are a traditionally nomadic nation that lives in the steppes and forests of the Kingdom but can move to other places for getting better opportunities for living. Traditionally, them were famous thanks to their acrobatic dances, their martial arts technique and their skills at horse riding. Because of their active lifestyle and healthy diet, they are pretty healthier and have a longer lifespan than urban populations.
This community is also well known for its tendency to intellectually and appreciation to knowledge, as in the past it was common for Kozzakhi clans to teach Moskovar peasants to read and write during their temporary stay around cities.
Kozzakhi peoples got a history filled by several mysteries regarding their actual first appearence in Moskova. While some people say they have been there as a distinctive culture for thousands of years, some others say they have actually gathered and consider themselves as an ethnicity by the ninth century. The first mentions of Kozzakhi communities are from the steppes of the regions by the rivers Dong and Volka so, probably those were the places where they first occupied. It is believed that those primitive Kozzakhi communities were tribes formed by Moskovar and Tursk peoples, mainly fugitive slaves who wanted to have freedom. They organized themselves In a primitive democratic way, something really unique for the current times, as the most common form of government used to be monarchies. By the way, thanks to their horse riding skills they had expanded their domains to new and unexplored lands, becoming a lot more diverse by the time. Their main vehicles besides horses were carts that served as houses for their nomadic lifestyle. They had a tendency for adapting easily to new places as for example, some clans that lived in deltas were more water-based and had good boating skills. Their growing contact with other cultures made their knowledge grow, as books used to be among the items they commonly traded with other cultures. Their growing tendency to care about knowledge made them become a culture of erudites besides good warriors. Despite their cultural traits varying between regions, intellectualism was a things all clans had in common as Illiteracy became something almost non-existent among Kozzakhi and even, a dishonor. They even used to visit the cities they had a good relation frequently and teach the people how to read and write, besides trading books and other items. It is believed that the name 《Kozzakhi 》 is a derivation of a word from a Tursk language which means "free men". If this is true, the name fits them really well as while other ethnicities were being subdued by the time by Moskova and other kingdoms, them remained autonomous for a really long time, making their own way through them. Kozzakhi clans uses to have contact between themselves and as a collective had very diverse diplomatic relations towards surrounding states, as sometimes they could have a good relation with the other countries' leaders, other times the relation wasn't enough lucky and could be even hostile. They earned the nickname " untamed peoples". Despite their pretty independent lifestyle towards other states, by the time they started to have closer relations with Moskova, sometimes good enough for having Kozzakhi as the Tsar's allies and defenders without losing their independence, other times not too good but neutral at overall. These relations had produced cultural exchanges between both parts so in fact some iconic traits from Moskovar culture that are known by foreigners were given by Kozzakhi influence.
History
Before Ivar's reign
Kozzakhi peoples got a history filled by several mysteries regarding their actual first appearence in Moskova. While some people say they have been there as a distinctive culture for thousands of years, some others say they have actually gathered and consider themselves as an ethnicity by the ninth century. The first mentions of Kozzakhi communities are from the steppes of the regions by the rivers Dong and Volka so, probably those were the places where they first occupied. It is believed that those primitive Kozzakhi communities were tribes formed by Moskovar and Tursk peoples, mainly fugitive slaves who wanted to have freedom. They organized themselves In a primitive democratic way, something really unique for the current times, as the most common form of government used to be monarchies. By the way, thanks to their horse riding skills they had expanded their domains to new and unexplored lands, becoming a lot more diverse by the time. Their main vehicles besides horses were carts that served as houses for their nomadic lifestyle. They had a tendency for adapting easily to new places as for example, some clans that lived in deltas were more water-based and had good boating skills. Their growing contact with other cultures made their knowledge grow, as books used to be among the items they commonly traded with other cultures. Their growing tendency to care about knowledge made them become a culture of erudites besides good warriors. Despite their cultural traits varying between regions, intellectualism was a things all clans had in common as Illiteracy became something almost non-existent among Kozzakhi and even, a dishonor. They even used to visit the cities they had a good relation frequently and teach the people how to read and write, besides trading books and other items. It is believed that the name 《Kozzakhi 》 is a derivation of a word from a Tursk language which means "free men". If this is true, the name fits them really well as while other ethnicities were being subdued by the time by Moskova and other kingdoms, them remained autonomous for a really long time, making their own way through them. Kozzakhi clans uses to have contact between themselves and as a collective had very diverse diplomatic relations towards surrounding states, as sometimes they could have a good relation with the other countries' leaders, other times the relation wasn't enough lucky and could be even hostile. They earned the nickname " untamed peoples". Despite their pretty independent lifestyle towards other states, by the time they started to have closer relations with Moskova, sometimes good enough for having Kozzakhi as the Tsar's allies and defenders without losing their independence, other times not too good but neutral at overall. These relations had produced cultural exchanges between both parts so in fact some iconic traits from Moskovar culture that are known by foreigners were given by Kozzakhi influence.
After Ivar took the power
The rise of Ivarosovic Grosnik in 1358 as the new Moskova's Great Prince and later, as Tsar had a strong impact in their culture, in fact, it caused its decadence. Ivar's expansive campaign was really big compared to the previous ones as it gave a lot of new lands to the . It also was very violent, specially when the The Dark Army got involved at it. Ivar's campaign was the one that finally could subdue Kozzakhi communities and totally integrate them to the Tsardom. The conquest campaign mentioned in the novel is the one that subdued the clan of the Timur Steppe and resulted in the death of its leader. It was the last clan that fell by the imperial troops. All the tribes got dissolved and the families that formed them got dispersed. Many of them got settled in the nearest towns and cities, others got killed and some others had to become part of the imperial forces, soldiers of the Dark Army or servants for preventing getting executed. The years of Ivar's reign were very dark for this ethnicity as the Tsar's apprentice and protected one, Mikhai became a more influential figure in the government. His hate towards Kozzakhi got infiltrated into the Army and it was the motivation for a campaign of backlash, defamation, censorship and even hate crimes in the capital and the cities closer to it as them were the main areas of Ulán Shang Kov's influence. For making the imposed censorship even worse, Ivar used magic for making the youngest Kozzakhi generations forget most of their traditions and folk tales while their parents were obligated to live in the shadows of shame. However, in cities not too influenced by the capital their situation, while is not good, is not that bad as some Kozzakhi can get involved into commercial activity and have a relatively normal life. One of the markets where Kozzakhi can work is Barkistán's Central Market.Naming Traditions
Feminine names
Kozzakhi femenine names always end in -a. Some examples are Dylara, Kirana, Sakhara, Oleska, Ninoska. Most female names got meanings related to nature or with traits that are expected for women to have, for example Dylara means "The one who delights/the one of golden heart". Many Kozzakhi names have pretty diverse origins, as the Moskovar language has strong influence from many other tongues.
Masculine names
Masculine names have a more flexible spelling than feminine ones, since their terminations are more diverse. Some masculine names end In -a like female ones, so is common for foreigners to confuse them and misggender their owners accidentally. Some examples are Vadim, Ali, Vladek, Serik and Aliosha.
Family names
Among Kozzakhi, each family name usually gets a Male variant and a female one despite a few exceptions. The difference between both forms is stated by its suffix,since most of feminine surnames get added an -a in the end. Below there's a list of most common surname suffixes and examples of each one.
| Termination | Examples | |
|---|---|---|
| -ov/-ova (-ов/-ова) | Takhmanov/a Yakivenkov/a Sernov/a | |
| -ky/kaya (-кй/-каия) | Orelky/kaya Snegurovsky/kaya Varikovsky/kaya | |
| -in/ina (-ин/ина) | Alin/ina Boriskin/ina Khamalin/ina | |
| Irregular Family names | Hasbún,Sanaki, Agraví,Barat |
Other names
As other cultures in Moskova, instead of pickable middle names,Kozzakhi got patronyms, which means they are a variant of the name of the person's father,usually ending in -iev or -em (male) and -evna (female). Some examples are Vladekiev ("son of Vladek"),Vadimievna ("daughter of Vadim") and Nhurshiev/-em ("son of Nhurshim). In other patronymic using cultures like Moskovar the sufix used is -vich/-ievna.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
All kozzakhi groups speak Moskovar, however some may have some words from other languages in their slang.
Culture and cultural heritage
Dances
Some of the most characteristic traits of Kozzakhi culture are the several dancing styles that had a heavy influence in Moskovar traditional dances. These dances usually include acrobatic steps that require a good physical shape such as spinning, hopping, splitting and squatting and also got some influence of martial arts, since many of those dances had originated as celebrations after winning a battle.Shared customary codes and values
Kozzakhi people follow a strong moral code that reigns many aspects of their life philosophy. This code is known as the "Law of the 3 Hs" by foreigners as it features three main principles:
- Humbleness(Смирение): A Kozzakhi individual should never show off their wealth/possessions and should never consider theirselves better than anyone else in a narcissist way. Also, they should never be egoistic, generosity is always appreciated and encouraged.
- Honor (честь): A Kozzakhi individual should never disrespect or defame others. The elders from the clan always must be respected.Using calumny or blasphemy for getting a benefit (as profit) or harrassing people is condemned as hurting the collective well (by for example, destroying nature).
- Honesty (честность): A Kozzakhi individual should never throw a lie through their mouth. Lying for getting a material benefit as profit or possession is condemned as well as corruption and robbery, about the last point,an only exception can be considered when it comes to food in hunger times. It is not allowed to cheat their partner/s .Kozzakhi always must tell the truth and obtain their possession through legit and honest ways.
Common Dress code
There's a traditional dress code that states differences between masculine and femenine clothes which has evolved by the time but is still featuring many traditional and ancient traits. The clothing tradition of this nation is also pretty influenced by the weather of Moskova, that can be pretty cold during winter in several regions.
Men's clothing
Male Kozzakhi usually wear wide and long pants, as them are comfortable with their pretty active lifestyle (which involves activities like horse riding, dancing, fighting). The most common colors for pants are red blue and black, but it doesn't mean that other colors cannot be worn. When it comes to top dress, they usually wear shirts,mainly in soft light colors ornamented with traditional embroidery. The design of the embroidery can be used for telling each clan apart. Over shirts, they mainly wear long and cozy coats that can have buckets and other items attached to them. Is not uncommon to see hooded coats featuring fur,as it can be useful for the cold weather. About shoes, Kozzakhi mainly wear furry winter boots for protecting their feet of snow and cold, and in summer they can switch to boots that are not that warm.
Kozzakhi en ttire by Gege16 through Hero Forge
by Me
Women's clothing
Kozzakhi women atire by Gege16 through Hero Forge
Dylara reference pic by Gege16
As is not uncommon for women to follow a similar social role to men's, their clothing traditions look similar to the male one,however it is still having differences towards it.
Girls can wear either pants or a dress, while adult women usually wear dresses or a long skirt, even for riding horses. They wear shirts with traditional embroidery as men do, but instead of wearing a military style coat, they cover it by wool tunics, ponchos or veils. Long fur military style coats and dresses can be worn for ceremonies and other important fancy and events.
Both young and adult women wear snow boots as men do because of the raw and cold weather.
The hat
Fur hats are very important part of Kozzakhi 's coture and are maybe one of it's most recognizable features, as it happens with many cultures from Moskova. It is used also for communication, as touching someone else's hat with no consent is seen as an offence, and throwing it on the ground indicates the individual wants to start a fight. The only difference between a women's one and a hat used by a male Kozzakhi is the velvet veil that covers part of their hair. They can wear it wided, showing part of the hair or folded up,hiding hair, neck or even part of the face. It used to have a very strong cultural meaning in the remote past, but as the women's social role had evolved, now girls moatly wear them just for sun/snow protection. However, it is still being common to see married and older women wearing it in the traditional way.Coming of Age Rites
Traditionally, there were several small rituals related to coming of age.
About girls, they usual get gifted a silver ring by their parents, while boys would get their second haircut and both of them received their own brand new swords.
However, during Ivar's times, none of their rituals of any kind were celebrated besides birthdays because them were discouraged and prohibited so, some of those actions were done during birthday parties instead of in specific events.
Common Myths and Legends
As Moskovar people is one of the origins of Kozzakhi, their belief system (Zvezdarska) was adopted by them so their folklore is influenced by it. One of the most important legends for Kozzakhi is The Lost Northern Stars and is one of the favorites for storytelling at night as children are very captivated by it.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
Kozzakhi are a really diverse community with population of very diverse origins that gathered creating a unique ethnicity. However, there are some traits that are considered to be "outstandingly pretty" as black eyes and light skin for women and light eyes and dark skin for men.
Gender Ideals
Kozzakhi's gender ideals had evolved by the pass of the time and ended becoming one of the most egalitarian societies of their times in what comes to gender, but each gender is still having a definite role. For both genders, some values that are appreciated and encouraged are strength, selflessness and honor.
The traditional role of women had varied a lot by the passing of the time. In ancient times, they had a pretty limited role in the society as them didn't have too much involvement in social issues besides housekeeping, but later, they started to earn more and more places in Kozzakhi communities contrasting to the submissive role of peasants women in other cultures. Even if they are still being more into housework (cooking, taking care of the children, sewing) than men, they are educated just like men and are trained to develop skills like horse riding, boating and sword fighting for defending themselves and their families. They are rallowed to get involved in war when it's necessary and to do many of the activities men do as commerce, or dancing. Also, it is important for women to dance and sing beautifully.
Men
Men are usually vinculated with leadership and war, but they are also expected to be good role models for their families and to do household activities alongside women. They are skilled at swordfighting, martial arts, acrobatic dancing and horse riding.Women
The traditional role of women had varied a lot by the passing of the time. In ancient times, they had a pretty limited role in the society as them didn't have too much involvement in social issues besides housekeeping, but later, they started to earn more and more places in Kozzakhi communities contrasting to the submissive role of peasants women in other cultures. Even if they are still being more into housework (cooking, taking care of the children, sewing) than men, they are educated just like men and are trained to develop skills like horse riding, boating and sword fighting for defending themselves and their families. They are rallowed to get involved in war when it's necessary and to do many of the activities men do as commerce, or dancing. Also, it is important for women to dance and sing beautifully.
Courtship Ideals
Among Kozzakhi, is unimaginable to force marriage. Usually men anounce their intentions to marry a woman in public and an the decision of accepting or not depends on the woman. Divorce is accepted and any of the members of the relationship can request it, but the issue is addressed by the gathering of a public assembly and all of the parts have to expose their reasons.
Relationship Ideals
Relationships usually end in marriage. When it comes to the clan's crew, both monogamy and polygamy are accepted but with a maximun limit of four partners in a relationship, as this last extreme option is not encouraged but is not judged so it can be common in some clans. Poligyny is more frequent but also polyandry can be found. In all cases there must be consent among all parts, no cheating is valid. Getting engaged with members of other clans is very welcomed, as is believed that a larger diversity can be favorable in terms of relations towards different clans and have a benefic effect int cultural terms. About the clan's chief, they are encouraged to have a monogamous relationship so, the chief elections are usually before the candidates can marry as the minimum age for it is 21 years old. Contrasting to peasant families of most cultures, the couples usually had a few children (no more than two or three) and all the adult members of the clan cared about them, even if them weren't their biological children, making very common to have a close bond towards other families.
Major organizations
Kingdom of Moskova
Kozzakhi Flag by Gege16 through FakeFlag
Flag
Kozzakhi had several flags through the centuries, but the most common used is a flag which got three horizontal bands with the colors pinkish red, blue and green.- Red-pink represents passion and fire.
- Blue symbolises water and widsom.
- Green is the color of forests and nature.
Parent ethnicities
Encompassed species
Related Organizations
Related Items
Related Myths
Languages spoken
by Gege16 through Dream AI
by Gege16 through NightCafe AI
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