Orinjak
Social Structure and Family Life
The Orinjak people are nomadic, with a reverence for their leader as they move across the plains. Each group is typically considered one large clan, with several families within the clan. Each clan has a royal family, the leaders of the clan, who in turn have a leader for the overall clan within them. Otherwise, the families within the clan don't have a head of household, however younger members are expected to respect and follow the guidance of their seniors.Relationship and marriage
Before the clans met the Ni'rral Empire, it was traditional for clans to primarily marry outside of their own clans. Rumors persists of some clans preferring to abduct brides and grooms instead. Nowadays matters have changed as the clans have grown larger under the enforced peace of the empire and it is more common for the family groups to marry within a clan as long as care was taken to keep the bloodlines pure. Though not as common as before, the various clans still marry between each other and many lovers meet during the various festivities held throughout the year, when nearby clans celebrate together.Clothing
The clans tend to use clothes made from animal hides, wool and fur. It is made into durable and lightweight clothes meant to protect them as they hunt while remaining flexible and tend to consist of long tunics as well as a wrap they drape over the back and sides of the sides of their tauric lower bodies, much like a long, flowing robe. These are often decorated and with space for bags to help them carry things.Arts and Crafts
Being a nomadic people, many of their arts tend to be both thought of as portable and functional. Embroideries on clothes, blankets and tents are common with patterns that has been passed through generations, which often gives each clan a unique appearance to recognise them by. Often these designs will be inspired by nature, such as the grasslands they inhabit, the animals and flowing rivers. Leather is among the more common materials that the clans work with, used often for clothes, decorations, bags and more. Most commonly they use leather from their large herds, though they never let anything go to waste from their hunts either. Another practical side of their work is the woodwork, which they typically use to build their ger, a round tent that they can transport around with them. They are decorated with wooden frames, latticework and beams, which both serve to hold the ger up and to hold the detailed carvings that tell the stories of the clan's ancestors and victories. Beside this, the clans are also fond of music and storytelling, with it often taking place around communal fires. Many tales of the clans are passed down through storytelling, which remain a revered art among the people.Education
Most education among the clans is given through oral tradition and hands-on experience. From a young age, children are taught how to herd, hunt and navigate the plains to ensure they are prepared for life, with storytelling being a key part of this. Once they are older, they begin to be taught by the artisans and warriors of the clan, learning what the jobs in the tribes are, and eventually find one that fits them well. Reading and writing is however more rarely taught and is typically reserved for either the royal family of a clan or for the clans with close ties to settlements.Food
The clans have a diet centered around meat and dairy. In particular mutton and goat meat alongside dairy such as milk, its fermented versions and a creamy yogurt that is served with honey or fruits when available. The clans rarely farm, and instead get their food from gathering, hunting and herding, as they have large flocks of sheep and goat that makes out a significant amount of a given clan's wealth.Cultural Values and Practices
An important part of Orinjak heritage and culture is their hospitality, where it is believed to be a sacred pact and that neither part can act ill towards the other, and that the host has the duty to provide and protect their guest. Another part is a martial aspect to their culture. Kids from a young age are trained to be proficient with at least one type of weapon, with dispensation only being given if they show proficiency within magic or medicine. This can be traced back to the earliest records of the Orinjak, when the clans were renowned raiders of their time. However as the territories they once used to live in became a part of the Empire, they mellowed out. Still, proficieny with a weapon to defend the clan, their livestock and for hunting, is considered a basic life skill of any member of the clans.Magic & Medicine
Proficiency in magic is considered a rare thing within the clans, and one that they take great care to nurture, should they find one of their own possessing such talent. They generally take a practical view of magic, with their respect typically going to those who show talent with either types of magic with combat applications or that can help out the clan overall. The most valued magical art however is that possessed by healers, with those showing even the tiniest hint of skill at it being taught how to use their abilities. There are similar views on those who show talent even with non-magical healing and medicine, with herbalists being valued by their clans and respected even by rivaling clans, to the point that a greatly skilled herbalist can sometimes command more power of their clan than the royal families, though often with an unspoken agreement to not go against their own leadership.Inter-Clan Relations
The various clans have a complex and varied relationship to each other, though from an outsiders perspective one would often assume there is a rivalry between them. This observation is not wrong, as the clans enjoy competing with each other as a replacement for the fighting they used to do in the past, with disputes generally being solved in competitions. This in part has lead to them having closer relations with each other when they meet outside of festivities, with trade becoming more common between them too. Most clans still only meet during the festivities that occurs throughout the years.
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