Tomaktur

Living Spirits of the Ancestors

"You are a different outsider. Most see my people and think of us as little more than large brutes who can't even record our history on paper. But I can tell you every member of my tribe back to my sevenfathers and sevenmothers. I can tell you what they did, who they loved, how they lived, and how they died. How many of your people can even say they remember the names of their fifthfathers?
When I become a firstfather my sevenfathers and sevenmothers will fly on the Great Wind to Teranteral and no longer will my people speak of them. They will no longer provide us with their knowledge and experience and they will join their ancestors in the place where all spirits go. To invoke their names and experiences is to pull them from Teranteral and bring misfortune to oneself."

Tradition

Tomaktur is the belief that the spirits of the predecessors walk among society. In order for the spirits to be with the people they must be remembered. Each adult lizardfolk can name each member of their tribe back to the sevenfathers and sevenmothers. The knowledge that they obtained, the lessons they learned, and the lessons that can be learned from their lives, these are all known and believed to be known because the spirits of the ancestors walk among them.
When a sevenfather or mother becomes an eighth, it becomes taboo to speak of them. The spirits enter the Great Wind and begin their journey to Teranteral, the afterlife. When there are no living people who remember them, the spirits finally arrive at their destination. Speaking of a spirit that has left invites illness, injury, and worse.
Some ancestors are too great to be forgotten. These heroes are always remembered and remain among the people, always. In exchange for giving up Teranteral they have rituals and ceremonies to celebrate them.

History

The tradition of Tomaktur among the lizardfolk tribes goes back far into the past. It has been, and still is, a central-and shared-part of the lives of the tribes. Common speculation among foreign scholars is that the tradition evolved from the usefulness of the knowledge of elders as a way to pass the knowledge down.

Observance

Renanteral, the Rite of Ancestors, is celebrated at the end of spring. Food is burned so that it may fill the air, and the spirits may be nourished for the coming year. At the ceremony special songs and dances are performed for the heroes of the past.

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