TGIAD 2.0: Worlds of race and tribes
I have to apologise that over the last couple of months, when I’ve been overwhelmed by major changes in my life, I haven’t kept up with this blog, or the TGIAD tradition.
This week, however, I thought I’d get back into it by talking about the tribes residing in Amnar. I would love to give you a full history and rundown of the life of Arist – which is partially covered in this week’s podcast – but because it’s pertinent to the plot, I can’t. So, tribes it is, mostly because there’s a loose link to the Tingalu mentioned in this week’s chapter.
I’ve been scratching my head over the matter of Amnar and race. Trying to explain the nature of race and culture in a world where a certain social position (Capillite) is partially defined by unusual appearance. After all, the defining physical characteristics of the Capillite are white skin, black hair and black eyes.
The Amnari world doesn’t recognise difference in skin as much as we might, just as it doesn’t describe people by their sexuality. Amnari wouldn’t, for example, understand the current furore over Jan Moir’s comments in the Daily Mail which appear to suggest that Stephen Gately died of being gay or having I guess people of her type would call a “homosexual lifestyle”, which implies far more than just which gender you prefer to have sex with. The sex you prefer to fuck is not a crucial issue to Amnari. You wouldn’t define yourself as gay, or straight, or bisexual, because it simply isn’t an issue to Amnari.
The Empire itself is dominated by the Amnari tribal group. They themselves are made up of four inter-mingling smaller tribes originally called the Adnashi. Having white skin (as pale as a classic blonde or redhead like me, say), is very rare, but more common in the northern mountain areas like Nas Isca.
Skin descriptions are very rarely used, referring to people as ‘white-skin’, ‘golden-skin’, ‘brown-skin’ and ‘black-skin’. This is more common amongst the smaller tribal groups as a means of defining the very large, amorphous Amnari groups. When the Servant Tishca was first found as a baby by the Tingalu people, for example, the rumour went around that they had found a ‘golden-skin’ baby.
Aside from the Amnari, who include people of all colours of skin and a variety of other physical characteristics, there are hundreds of smaller tribes living in the massive area of the Amnari Empire. The Tingalu, for example, are semi-nomadic, living in a large area stretching from the Duum Canyon to the furthest western reaches of the Nahabi Desert. Other groups, like the Nimoleh, live a fully nomadic life, trading with the Amnari settlements on the southeastern Raignlands.
The Capillites are almost unique in having a very pale complexion. After all, since the Amnari live in hot climates, having skin that burns easily is a distinct genetic disadvantage (believe me, I have personal experience of this). Capillites do not only have white skin, however. Previous incumbents of various of the five Caipashad positions have been ‘black-skin’ and completely bald. The only other ‘white-skins’ featured in the Awakening series are Talija, the Second Servant of Isha, and Sjaadan, Second Servant of Icaan, the Guardian of the Dragon Realm.
The ‘look’ of the Capillites, arranged with the cunning use of the energy Sifira, was chosen because it was so unusual, modelled after the pale appearance of Isha herself. She was an unusual sight amongst a tribe of people living on the sunbaked Sandlands to the east of the land currently referred to as Amnar. Giving the Capillites a distinctive physical look made it easy to identify them as a separate spiritual group.
Next week, we’re back to Amin Duum, to find out what Tascha has been doing, and indeed, the latest travails of Vasha. This week’s episode is here.
