Pastoral Makuubi
Though many Makuubi live in cities ruled by princes or make permanent homes in villages along the rivers or on the shores of Lake Mekub, many Makuubi still follow the much older ways of seminomadic herding. The eastern plains of the Mekub region do not always provide ideal farming grounds, but do provide vast reaches of grassland suitable for large herds of cattle. On these lands subsist the pastoralists, who do not found cities or build ships. Nevertheless attached to the orbits of the princely states, most chiefs of the herding tribes do swear at least nominal loyalty to some prince or another.
Naming Traditions
Family names
Herder heritage can often be spotted in Makuubi names, as those living in cities and farming communities tend to have last names that related to an occupation, a place, or some other arbitrary thing. Pastoralists, in turn tend towards patronyms or using their clan leader as a second name.
Culture
Culture and cultural heritage
To this day, the plains Makuubi measure their wealth in cows and hides, even as such ideas pass onto mere figures of speech among the city-dwelling Makuubi. Subsisting off their herds, the pastoralists congregate around leaders who command great herds of cattle. Chieftainship is fluid among these peoples, as the Makuubi of the plains are wont to vote with their feet and the hooves of their herds if they do not approve of the direction their tribe is going. Thus, while large tribes are common for convenience and safety, they are often short-lived as the average herder puts much more stock in their immediate family than any larger clan.
The princes have long tried to control these pastoralist tribes, but their itinerant nature and tendency to change leaders frequently has frustrated them.
Shared customary codes and values
The Makuubi of the cities and the Makuubi of the plains have much in common. They worship the sun god and speak the same language, and in many cases the plains-dwellers are actually less inclined to adopt foreign faiths or ideas such as the Nuwan faith.
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