Plains People

People of the Plains The People of the Plains (also called “Plains People,” endonym “Akatina”) are the indigenous people of the great plains of eastern Long. They are one of the Kingdom’s officially named ethnic minorities.

Traditions Lifestyle and Ecology

The Plains People live in the semi-arid flatlands of interior Long east of the Keelback mountain range. Traditionally the people lived herding livestock (cattle and horses) and hunting game. Because of this the people have a semi-nomadic lifestyle. When a plentiful spot was found a clan would build a village settlement with homes made from dried grass and animal skins where they might rest for months. Buildings might be made using inedible vegetation or else with hay that would be fed to their herds after they uprooted—in this way the village doubles as a sort of granary. The reserves would be particularly welcome when the people were abandoning a land that was no longer plentiful and the clan were travelling until they found a new spot.

When a clan was sedentary for an extended period the numbers of their livestock might grow. Herds might become unsustainable particularly once a village was abandoned. In this case, animals were given to allied clans or traded for other valuable resources such as food or clothing. Trade with non-Akatins, such as ethnic Long, could be particularly fruitful as these outsiders had goods rare among the Plains People.

 Society and PoliticsThe people were not organized into a nation but rather consisted of separate clans (sometimes based on common ancestry which stretched back so far it might be mythical). Clans fought wars, often coming into conflict over access to resources, and formed alliances based on marriage bonds. When a friendly relationship was established there would be many cross-marriages and adoption of children between tribes. This helped create a strong bond as well as adding fresh blood to the gene pool. They would also exchange cattle and horses.

Occasionally two allied clans might merge. New clans could be formed when a group of young people split from the community either due to disagreement or simply looking to set out on their own.

Old hostilities, alliances and blood-relationships between tribes would be remembered by subsequent generations becoming an important part of their history.

Division of Work and Gender Roles

Traditionally work was divided between the sexes with women tending the herds and men hunting although this was not a steadfast rule: female hunters and male herdsmen were not unknown. The environment was a stronger factor than the sex divide: if a land was well-suited for herding men and women would tend more to the animals while in spots suited primarily for hunting men and women would hunt (normally on horseback). The people would also engage in small-scale agriculture when they settled in a fertile spot where they expected to stay for an extended period. They planted foodstuff which matured quickly; the food grown might also be destined for consumption by livestock rather than the people themselves.

Women naturally governed the homefront and management of internal affairs while relationships with outsiders was managed by the male hunters who might venture far enough to come into contact with other communities.

Folklore, Poetry and Religion The Plains People revere the Great Snail as the henotheistic guardian spirit of their people. The snail is believed to be the progenitor of life in the plains, with the slime tails left behind by snails being likened to the creation of rivers. The snail’s spiral shell is a symbol of eternity, the harmony of the heavenly bodies.

Fossil records suggest megafauna species of giant snails once lived in the plains but they are now extinct (likely hunted to extinction). It surviving smaller relatives (large land snails) are revered as lesser descendants of the great snails. Snail flesh is sometimes eaten and the Plains People look at this as sacrifice on the snail’s part to sustain its people.

Poems recounting the legendary and historical record of past events, famous speeches and poems are all transmitted orally.

History

The People of the Plains  remained independent during the Basiliscus dynasty. Tension grew as Long civilization began to encroach on the people’s land. With the help of the Long military the Plains People came to be displaced and to see their habitant reduced and encircled by Long settlements.

Since the Naja dynasty the Kingdom of Long has sought to dominate the plains and complete the subjugation the Plains People. Skirmishes between Naja Long and the Plains People were common with several campaigns to "pacify the barbarians." In the Warring Dukes period various duchies and petty kingdoms had different policies towards the Plains People: some paid them little attention, some favored co-existence or toleration, but many were adverse either seeking annihilation or forcible assimilation.

In the early Varanus era there was a vigorous campaign to eradicate independent Plains People identity and to assimilate the people into Long society: this meant abandoning their language, their traditional nomadic lifestyle and villages, and other cultural traditions. For a time, surrendering plains children to be educated in Long boarding schools was made obligatory. Students were strongly discouraged from using their native tongue and taught to abandon their traditional ways in favour of Long customs.

Modern Era

Many Plains People (over 50%) have abandoned their traditional ways and assimilated into mainstream Long society. This is encouraged by the Kingdom’s administration who would offer assistance to Plains People looking to educate themselves or their children to speak and write Long, settle in Long cities and join the troops of the Long military.

When Plains People married Long people, it was very rarely for the couple return to the Plains People’s clan and normally they would live among the mainstream Long.

Language

The native language spoken by the People of the Plains is in the same language family as Long. There are many common roots but the two languages are mutually unintelligible. Even among those who maintain the traditional lifestyle, many Plains People can speak at least some Long. The Plains People never developed a written language; history was transmitted orally.