Galternene

As the first of the Cluster Islands to be permanently settled, Galtern has the oldest traditions. Its population descends from groups evacuated from the rapidly-eroding corall atolls in the western ocean. These groups kept some of their old traditions as they settled into new communities, but the years spent in close contact with neighboring evacuee camps resulted in the development of many island-wide practices.  These commonalities contribute to a sense of ethnic identity felt across all of Galtern's regions, regardless of their minor differences.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Galternene dialect of Oceantongue has a system of evidentiality. When passing along information, speakers must indicate its reliability, especially if it might affect a person's reputation.

Shared customary codes and values

A person's value within society is determined by her reputation, based on the publicly available information about her. Such information is freely shared by word of mouth, but must be reliable. It is understood that information decreases in accuracy the farther it travels from its source; therefore, gossip heard may only be shared if it was heard from one of the principals, or from one who heard it from one of the principals. At any other degree of removal it is deemed an unconfirmed rumor, and it is expected that one wishing to share it further must first corroborate the facts of the matter.

Common Etiquette rules

When a Galternene asks a question, she expects a complete and truthful answer. To give any less is considered dismissive and insulting. Secrets are respected, but must be acknowledged upfront. Dishonesty is a detainable offense.

Common Dress code

Daytime citizens wear loose, light-colored clothing for the purpose of protection against sunburn. Most outfits include a cape with support rods that can be flipped over the wearer's head as a shade in direct sunlight. Nighttime citizens rarely wear more than the ubiquitous belly band. In cooler weather they may choose to wear leggings and tunics with easy-touch fastenings to open and close according to changes in temperature.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

When greeting someone for the first time, the one on the more secure social footing traditionally opens the "cupping hands" custom by offering their hands, palms up, fingers slightly curled. The other then pulls slightly against the offered fingers. The custom originated as a way of taking a stranger's measure: a weak tug indicated a person with no confidence, while an overly aggressive tug indicated a person to be watched carefully. The process has weakened to a mere formality on modern Galtern, although failure to properly match pressure still will raise eyebrows.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

As in most other Ocean cultures, babies are born in public. No community is without at least one birthing plaza, with a rotating shift of medical staff always on hand. When a woman's labor begins, she and her attendants--usually her mother, the baby's father, and a few trusted friends--take up a station in the plaza and wait for the birth to progress. Other friends and family come and go at will, bringing food and drink and other support. When the baby crowns, the mother's attendants support her on a birthing stool, and the father gets ready to catch the baby. Passersby get involved, shouting encouragement and chanting and singing. The medical staff supervise the birth, but do not intervene unless it is necessary.

Common Taboos

Anything touched by the hands is considered contaminated. Food, drink, medicine, and wounds can only be handled with utensils or materials of a bleached white color, so that contamination can be seen immediately. The oval of the face, spanning vertically from the middle of the forehead to just above the chin and horizontally from cheekbone to cheekbone, must remain inviolate; a pad of bleached cloths strapped to the shoulder or wrist of the non-dominant arm serves as a handkerchief. If necessary, one of the cloths can be detached and used to wipe the face, but the cloth must then be immediately destroyed or decontaminated.

Major organizations

Galtern Security Patrol

Related Locations

• Cluster Islands
• Galtern
• Middle Isles