Tuyeteira Clan

[Silmaneero]

| T U Y E T E I R A |

Pronunciation: TOO-yay-tay-EE-rah

Location: Further north than even the Rokure dare go, in the subarctic region of Pandora, there is a wide valley. It is this valley that the Tuyeteira call home. They live in a cave system at one end, the mouth of which has been filled in with rock save for a small, covered entrance to allow individual members access. It is nearly impossible to find unless you know where to look. Smoke from various fires is funneled out of the caves by naturally occurring crevices in the ceiling.

Their closest tribal neighbors are the Rokure, with whom they have limited contact.

Special Characteristics:

• Adaptation to their white, wintery home has drastically lightened their skin color. The Tuyeteira range in hue from white to gray, and on occasion, a very pale blue, with darker stripes in similar colors. Their eyes are also lighter in color, generally blue, green, or gray. Their hair can be black, gray, white, or pale blue.
  
• They consistently dress in full body clothes, made from the thick, furry pelts of the animals they hunt. The Tuyeteira also wear boots, a rarity among Na'vi, to protect their feet from the frigid temperatures.
  
• They hunt primarily with heavy spears and bows. An average lowland Na'vi would not be able to draw the heavy bow of a Tuyeteira, because they are designed to shoot an arrow through the thick hide and blubber of the animals they hunt, and thus made from thick wood and heavy gut string.
  
• All Na'vi are difficult to kill, but the Tuyeteira are doubly so. Their harsh home climate has made them into tough, hardy survivors; they can go weeks without food if need be, and are physically larger and more imposing than their lowlander cousins.
  
• Because of the harsh nature of their home, the Tuyeteira is among the smallest of the Na'vi clans.
  

Diet:

• Hupa: believed to be a relative of the sturmbeest. It is somewhat larger than a sturmbeest, however, and covered with thick, shaggy white fur that turns various shades of black, gray, and brown in the summer. This creature travels in herds, gorging itself during the fertile summer months to last the long, harsh winters, and is the Tuyeteira's main source of food year round. Though heavy and slow (hupa means 'thunder'), it is a dangerous creature, and has claimed the life of many a Na'vi.
  
• Tuwa: believed to be a relative of the hexapede. It is roughly the same size, but is much bulkier than its lowland relatives, and also covered with thick fur. Comparable to the now extinct Dall's sheep on Earth, it roams the mountain crags but comes down to the valley to feed, particularly in the summer.
  
• Na'vi: the Tuyeteira are opportunistic cannibals. They do not actively hunt their own kind, but should a member of their tribe die, they will consume the body. In such a harsh environment, it is foolish to waste any sort of sustenance; it is also considered a disgrace to deny the final gift of a clan member. It is believed that consuming the bodies of the fallen will bestow their strength upon the rest of the tribe, and there are proper rituals for this matter.
  
  One of the greatest dishonors to any family of the tribe is for it to be forbidden to have one of their fallen consumed. This is rare, and done only if the Na'vi was considered especially weak, cowardly, or otherwise unfit to nourish the strong, lest that weakness be passed along.
  
• Fruits and vegetables as can be collected and stored during the brief summer months.
  
• Grubs and non-toxic insects.
  
• Dire viperwolves and arctic thanator. It is rare to need to eat these creatures, and so they are generally only hunted during times of extreme famine. On occasion, there are certain ceremonies and rituals during which the consumption of this meat is favorable.
  

Mounts:

• Dire Viperwolf: a much, much larger, more deadly cousin to the lowland variety. They can support the weight of a full grown Na'vi, and it is not uncommon to see a whole pack be claimed for the clan. Similar in body form to a regular Nantang, they are bulkier and covered with a thick pelt that comes in a variety of colors. Bonding to a dire viperwolf is a similar ritual to bonding with an Ikran in the lowlands.
  
• Arctic Thanator: similar in size to a lowland forest thanator, though they are bulkier. They too possess a thick pelt of fur, generally white, though they can have stripes or spots in gray or black. Very, very few Na'vi will even attempt to bond one of these creatures. Only the best of the best dare try, and the chances of anyone coming back alive from the attempt are slim to none. Only the females of the tribe are permitted to attempt bonding an arctic thanator.
  
• Mounts/bondings not allowed: Lowland Thanator/Palulukan, Leonopteryx/Toruk, Titanothere, lowland Viperwolf/Nantang, Direhorse/Pa'li, Banshee/Ikran.
  

Tribal Hierarchy: The Tuyeteira clan is a matriarchal society, and can be loosely compared to the Amazonian culture once described in Greek mythology on Earth. They are ruled over by a Tsahik and her council, generally a group of high ranking females, never more than five in number.

Females are the dominant sex in this clan. They are the primary hunters and warriors, though males are trained for such events as well. A woman's rank is determined by how many males she acquires for her harem. This is done by proving her worth as a member of the clan. If she should prove an asset, the Tsahik will award her the right to choose an unclaimed male as her own. Similarly, the Tsahik has the right to take a male, or to strip a female of her whole harem should she prove a liability or weakness to the tribe. They do not want to breed weakness, and so the weakest of females are doomed to remain without a male, and thus not reproduce.

Males are, essentially, second hand citizens. He has very little say in his own life; the largest aspiration he is allowed is to be claimed by a high ranking female for her harem. The highest aspiration is to be claimed by the Tsahik herself. Once a male is claimed by a female, he is bound to remain with her for the rest of his life, or until one of the following happens; she trades him to another female, gifts him to another female, he is removed from her by the Tsahik, or another female wins him by means of combat. Should, for whatever reason, his mistress die, he will be free for another to claim him.

That does not mean, however, that they are completely without agency. A male is free to petition the Tsahik to be removed from a harem if he feels abused or mistreated, or simply desires residence in another harem. It is rare for this to happen, however, unless the male is simply attracted to a different female, or vice versa. Even then, a trade is usually worked out between the two females.

The males are not slaves. They have an expected role to fill within clan society, and they are raised so that this is the normal role for them to fill. They are in no way demeaned because of it; in fact, they are valued for it. Without males, the clan does not grow, does not survive. As the harem is a status symbol for the females of the tribe, they strive to have the best harem. Males are often pampered, treated to the best food, the best pelts, even jewelry and other trinkets.

At any given time, it is rare for a harem to have more than five males. Generally, the Tsahik's harem is the largest, followed in succession by those females that comprise her council. The average female will have no more than two males in her lifetime.

Being in the Tsahik's harem is the greatest honor for any male, and the highest status he can achieve within the tribe. Her most favored male, generally the strongest, takes on a role similar to the Olo'etykan in the tribe. He is the male leader, and while still required by societal rules to obey females, he almost holds more power than the Tsahik herself. He is the voice of the male members of the tribe; he gauges their happiness and health, and thus the health of the tribe as a whole. If there are underlying issues within the male half of the society, he is the one to air them to the Tsahik. Of course, if she reacts unfavorably, he is also the one to bear her anger. Generally, however, she will listen carefully to what he says, for if the Olo'etykan is beloved enough by the other males, it would be highly unwise of her to risk a potential uprising on their part.

That does not mean that a male can wield this power indiscriminately, however. The greatest dishonor for any male is to be designated untouchable, to be cast out from a harem and forbidden for any female to reclaim. It is not a fate many are willing to risk.

The Olo'etykan is more than just a figurehead, though. He also has a hand in trading off unclaimed males to other tribes in the region; because each individual tribe is small, it is important to keep the bloodlines from co-mingling too closely. To this end, unclaimed males are traded between different tribes on a fairly regular basis.

Becoming Tsahik is not so easily determined in the Tuyeteria as it is in the lowland tribes. Leadership is not inherited. Rather, when the currently ruling Tsahik steps down or dies, all eligible females will fight for the honor. The winner claims the title, though it is important to note that this fight is often ceremonial. The favored daughter of the previous Tsahik is often given the title by her competitors yielding to her in battle, though this is not always the case.

Politics:

Humans: Curious. They have had no interaction with the sky people, though the general consensus is that, if nothing else, they look like they would be good to eat.

Other Na'vi: Somewhat contemptible. The lowland tribes are thought of as weaker than they are, so while they will not actively start a war with the others, they make no secret of their opinion that the Tuyeteira are better.

Additional Notes:

• Anyone who applied for a female on the council or a male in the Tsahik's harem will face a strict, stringent approval process. Staff reserves the right to decline both if we feel a character isn't up to standards.
  
• If you feel the need to apply with a male character who has "done the impossible and bonded to an arctic thanator"... nine times out of ten, we're going to ask you to change it. It is forbidden for the males to attempt such a thing, and assuming they manage to survive and do not bond the thanator, they will face serious consequences. In short, if you try this, expect us to tell you to change it.