Giterikin

a broad and diverse ethnicity, comprising the vast majority of people who live within The Giteri. most of them have some mark of the bird and feather infusion of the homeland, some examples of which are below:

hawk-like eyes
feather-like skin patterns
feathered crest instead of hair
talons
feathered skin
bird-head
wings (mostly decorative)
all tend to cock their heads inquisitively, "squawk with surprise," and that sort of thing.

etymologically, Giterikin has roots both in Seaspeak (Giteri, lit. "bird people") and Reldan (Kin, literally "child"). It has 2 demonym suffixes, reflecting this convoluted history; it literally translates as "bird-people-children". There were 3 major sub-ethnicities within the Giterikin:

Western: centered around Naretta, is now the dominant culture
Eastern: covering the eastern half of the Nether-east through to the Gollow Borders, once the dominion of Alzig
Hobini: once present in the tchepec peninsula and now virtually extinct, with influence on the culture of the Tchep, (especially at the souther border) and in Sokani Archipelago

in addition, there are several sub-cultural regions around/between these groups:

near-kerrid
little caracar (near Andoi and Sigmenod)
dunefront
the in-between/merged cultures of near-rhythonze and the nether-east.
Nomad Remnants: the last traces of the ancient pastoral communities. Generally operating in the marginal land around the periphery of the Giteri, though a notable community exists in the hills around Rhythonze. Since the war has reignited, several groups of sessile Giterikin - who typically look down on nomads as barbaric - are adopting/appropriating/reverting to this way of life.
Roving Kinma: those who do not hold land but have, by ancient custom, the right to adopt. they represent a broad class of mobile "special interest" groups.

Gates in the east are round-topped, while those in the west are square; in the centre, the convention is for the shape of city gates to match the direction that they face. For more on gates, see Gyrism and Giterikin Aeroanimism. questions:

parallels to Gift System in The Srem? not needed but might be interesting? perhaps an "exchange programme"? did Deyoctrun the sky-born take part in this?
How does the Gift system interact with, Gyrism, the Nidari Reach, and Alzig?
Details of Offering and Accepting ceremonies - accepting ceremonies carried out as soon as possible after birth, much like baptisms.
what justification is used for the Gifting system? what propaganda is produced, and how accepted is it?
how are children monitored? there must be a state surveillance system for this - tied into tax payment?
what legal differences exist between parenthood and mere guardianship? obligations and inheritances?
how does nudity-prohibition and promiscuity interact?

Naming Traditions

Masculine names

Sespen
Tasmis
Eyon

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Giterikin Cuisine features the eggs of various birds and bird-like creatures as a major component.

Shared customary codes and values

the Gifting system

Marriage does not exist in the Giteri; couples are not acknowledged by the state, and no requirement or expectation of monogamy exists as a general rule (though monogamous pairs are not uncommon). the family is structured around larger kin-groups that live together in a single house or cluster of houses, rather than around couples. in addition, parental responsibilities are not assumed by default by the biological parents, though this is the default. in many cases - some free, some coerced - children are passed into the Gifting system. evolving out of ancient adoption practice, Gifting now exists as a form of indentured servitude. Only the gentry- the Kinma - can adopt, and only children under the age of 5 can be adopted. once parents refuse or revoke their rights as parents, their First Kinma, then the Second, and finally the Third have right of first refusal, as carried out by their agents. The children are then legally the children of the Kinma, and are raised in groups, generally by specialised educators working for the Kinma. The quality of this parentage varies from Domain to Domain, in some cases being neglectful (but cheap), others relatively comfortable, and others still strict indoctrination. Kinma retain rights to dictate a Gift's life until the age of 30, and they form the majority of the unfree workforce. this parental power can be transferred between Kinmas as part of trades and other agreements. any of a Kinma's children, including gifts, may be elevated to positions of power - including Heir, becoming the next Kinma. at any time, perhaps 20% of the population are Gifts, with another 15% being former Gifts. unscrupulous slavers take older children and pass them on to roving kinma with fake credentials to save the cost of raising a child. this is what happened to Tasmis The Sea-Reaver. The obligation to stay with one's parents and follow their wishes until 30 is not restricted to Kinma; respect and obedience to parents - birth or otherwise - and to the extended family unit are strong features in Giterikin society. The ceremonies of Offering and Accepting are important in Gifting: a child is symbolically Accepted by their parents (usually their birth parents, but rarely directly to the Kinma) as soon as possible after birth.

Gender and Sexuality

There is little differentiation in role, fashion, and experience between male and female Giterikin, and no prejudice against non-heterosexual sexual orientations or people who fall outside the weak gender-norms (trans, genderfluid, non-binary etc). Indeed, relationships that can't produce biological children are somewhat esteemed, as they are associated with the aristocratic Kinma who can produce heirs by Gifting. Adoption being illegal outside of the Kinma reduces routes available to those who can't produce children biologically, but who want to be parents. a very few take the risk of adopting, using fake papers and the like to avoid the authorities - this is most successful in the remotest areas. It is common for a same-sex couple to exist as part of an extended family, looking after parents, raising nieces and nephews, and serve as the informal "heads" of the household just as often as other family members. where children are desired, a friend (or more rarely, a professional) may serve as the Bearer - a sexual partner for procreation, who relinquishes their parentage straight after birth. professional fathering Bearers are more common and less prestigious, as the associated costs of pregnancy make mothering Bearers more common. if one member of a couple wants a child, they can have a co-parenting relationship "on the side", where the main partner plays a varying role in the child's life. This can, of course, create strains on the relationship.

Cuisine

eggs (including pickles)
meat (often preserved with salt from the nether-east)
plumewheat bread, unleavened, often sweetened with raisins
grapes, raisins, wine
almonds.

Average technological level

Egg Measures

the volume/quantity standards of the Giteri are based upon standardised versions of various egg shells. weights of water of these volumes are also used as standards.

Wren: 1/110th of a Goose. around 1.36ml.
Goose: 110 Wrens, 1/110th of an Ostrich. around 150ml.
Albatross: an intermediate measure. 2.5 Geese, 1/44th of an Ostrich. around 375ml, a common drink size. (this isn't accurate to real Albatross eggs, which are more like 260ml).
Ostrich: 110 geese, 1/110th of a Roc. around 1.6L.
Roc: 110 Ostriches. around 38 gallons.
Clutch: 11 of any other unit, 1/10th of the unit above.

Field-Shrikes - the scarecrows of the region, large bird statues with loud flapping sail-wings.

Common Dress code

loose-fitting undyed shirts, cinched at the waist with broad leather belts
tapered trousers, in brighter colours where possible.
leather shoes that lace at the heel.
Giterikin Tunic: asingle, long piece of fabric that is stitched together into a tunic, which crosses over at the front and back to form a V or X shape on each. usually falls to the mid-thigh or knee with a skirt. Generally worn by men but can be for either gender.