Ejdehan Nations
The Ejdehan Nations are the tribal territories of the ejdehan people of Volenar. The tribal nations are independent entities composed of clans composed of several ejdehan families joined together by blood and kin ties. These clans are ruled by clan chiefs, kikischeks, who lead mainly by example and force of will and rise to their position primarily through their personal merits, though being born of a high status family with many ancestors of note does influence this choice, which is made by informal consensus by adult members of the clan upon a clan chief's death. Alongside the clan chief is the sun speaker, a divine servant of the Brothers and spiritual guide of the clan.
These clans are organized into tribal groups called nations. Nations often have names derived from prominent characteristics of their territories, such as Red Flower Mountain, Many Caves, White Cliffs, or Rrokresch Hills. Ejdehan nations are divided into two distinct cultural groups, based largely on their traditional means of subsistence. There are the highland nations, which reside in the foothills and steppe lands of the interior and the coastal nations, who live in the lowland coastal regions.
Nations are ruled by two councils equal in power, the first is the Council of Urkan, and is composed of each clan’s chief. The other is the Council of Silan, composed of the clans' sun speakers and elders. Together, they decide the general policies of the nation, arbitrate disputes between broods, and meet with delegations from other ejdehan nations and foreigners. When there is need, a great council composed of all the nations is formed, called the Trakrriasch, and is composed of the heads of all the nations’ councils of Urkan and Silan.
Recent events, such as the treaties with the Volenaran League and the migration of many young ejdehan to the Volenaran cities for work have made Trakrriasch meetings much more common, with more complex issues to confront than the settling border disputes and marriages. There are rumblings among some clan chiefs and sun speakers that the Trakrriasch is beginning to slowly take away their nations' autonomy.
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