Ecera Tribal Zu'aan

History

The Ecera tribe holds one of the most unique and bittersweet origin story lines amongst all of the zu'aan tribes. All beginning with a simple couple, their names being Ecera Mekimu and Osana Mekimu (there exists no former document which was able to register Osana's prior last name, and Ecera originally had Mekimu as her last name), who sadly met each other within the slave labor mining camps of the Asom Tribal Zu'aan, which apply heavy amounts of physical torture, leading to the vast majority of their slaves to live under nihilism, emotional and physical numbing, or just committing suicide.

However, for the Mekimu couple, their love for each other impeded them from falling into nihilistic behavior, though this expression of hope was very limited by the Asom's iron fist, which policed slave-to-slave relations in general, especially those which seemed to express love; many of their interactions were very sneaky, be it via accidental hands brushing on the other or very slight eye contact, keeping love alive without risking their own lives. This emotional reliance on the other translated into a quiet form of resistance and hope.

Which kept them from losing their minds despite all of what the Asom tried to destroy. In their small and rare nightly conversations, they often discussed and analyzed the structure of the Nydra Emerald Cliffs and of the Asom tribe; their objective was one, and it was clear: to escape and join other outcasts, or try to find a tribe which accepted the two and their manner of self-expression. The attempt at escaping was done in the year 4E 414; they disguised themselves with free people's clothing.

They acquired these by killing two unsuspecting individuals in the dead of night, and scaled up walls to the limits where free members could go; from there, the two of them scaled some more until they were fully out of the cliffs, and from there, the only hope would be to run before the Asom tribe's military got to them. Which, sadly, happened to a certain degree, as an arrow from a crossbow was lodged into Ecera's right shoulder, which would have caused her to fall over a carpet of rocks if her lover Osana hadn't picked her up.

As adrenaline hit her, she ran with Ecera held in her arms until they were finally able to hide in a set of thick bushes in the Rothdencer Forest Thicket, successfully doing what hundreds dream of: escaping the Asom tribe. After promptly removing the arrow, and reassuring themselves that the guards weren't around anymore, the couple celebrated, finally hugging each other without a care in the world, or that was until realizing they still had to worry about their survivability.

They then began exploring more of the thicket, coming across various groups that had escaped from other tribes, were outcasts, or just plain exiles, cursed to roam those endless woods of the thicket. All of those survivors, including Ecera and Osana, reorganized around setting up a settlement inside the Rothdencer Forest Thicket, our protagonistic couple displaying, from the few skills they had, a metric ton of dedication for that settlement. They became icons almost instantly, not only for their story but for their shared skills, allowing for the settlement to be finished in 4E 201.

Coincidentally, on the same day as the scheduled wedding between Ecera and Osana, which planned to inaugurate the settlement under the joint leadership of the wedded couple. However, disaster struck the tribe, which was until now nameless; Ecera, ever since that arrow lodged into her shoulder, was getting weaker by the day. Some days she had no appetite to eat, in others she couldn't breathe correctly; both the wedding and the settlement often had to cut corners out of fear of Ecera's death.

This death happened coincidentally on the morning of the wedding; Osana was livid before such harsh reality, she almost fell into the nihilism that her love had stopped her from falling into back in the Asom tribe, but she didn't, translating this mourning into a martyr, and naming the now established tribe after her wife, Ecera.

Psychology

The general outline of the Ecera tribe's psychological profile contrasts the founder's former tribe due to its high emphasis on expression, that going to the extent of it becoming a survival mechanism that becomes necessary to remain sane in the face of all the harsh realities presented by the Twilight Age; this emotional articulation, be it affection or grief, becomes one of the strongest weapons in the constant fights against the psychological danger that this difficult life puts the zu'aan through.

This, in turn, contrasts both Asom and Aleor, expression instead of being seen as foolish, is held as proof of interior existence. This sort of expressiveness extends itself to one of their main social "glues", that being affection. Affection between individuals is normalized regardless of their characteristics, it's not ritualized or sensationalized, but it becomes expected, almost as if it's a mundane framework which acts as a structure stabilizer. Emotional intimacy between individuals becomes a default manner of communication.

Dialogue is rarely filtered emotionally, and it is rare for individuals to hide their true emotions around others, reducing the tribe's overall fear of vulnerability since trauma is often times collectively shared; this allows for bonds to form quickly and deeply without seeming hectic or possessive, which allows for affection to utilize its connective means without obsessing around romance. Furthermore, all of this, in turn, increases the tribe's overall emotional literacy and their abilities for resolving issues.

Which contrasts the Asom's thesis that this open expression of feelings and thoughts would produce chaos and barbarism. Consequences of such a framework as it is encountered in the Ecera tribe are the greater ability to name emotions instead of expressing them with displaced mannerisms such as violence, the framing of conflicts as misalignment rather than straight-up personal failure; people diverge, and in diversions conflicts are born. Also, things such as grief or jealousy are usually acknowledged early and put into dialogue openly.

Which not only allows for quicker solving of an unpleasant situation, but prevents long-term resentment. All of what has been discussed also contributes to the self-image and identity of individuals within the Ecera tribe; many of them still feeling the historical erasure of identity of their previous tribes, they learned to develop a strong internal need to assert who they are in a plethora of different ways. They have pure hatred toward anonymity and any sort of measures which promote depersonalization.

Things such as one's name, personal symbols, and the stories shared amongst many individuals act as grounding mechanisms which glue people together with a need for expression and identity, which, in turn, promotes a mass which is at no point uniform; even when it may promote practicality, it is psychologically rejected. Another core idea of the Ecera tribe's psychology is how it allows for hope without a need of metaphysical justification, which lets the tribe remain optimistic without falling into candor.

Hope is often grounded in present bonds which acknowledge how nobody is able to visualize or predict the future, there isn't a need for grand narratives about destiny; what happens instead is an evaluation of current conditions as a means to determine preparation before challenges, and, as is seen by a couple of historical examples, even if losses are faced, the Ecera maintain the ability to recover.

Culture

In the case of the Ecera tribe, they keep many distinct qualities closely to heart when it comes to their culture; among them, they have a prime reverence for the relations that female zu'aans hold, obviously inspired by the example set before them by the two founding members, named Ecera and Osana, who were said to be phenomena that embodied stability, something that commanded much respect; and finally, when the origin is told, this is placed not near the realms of mythology or romance.

But is merely illustrated to exemplify an instance of shared endurance, protection, and passion converted to devotions. This appreciation was extended to leadership, where having this position occupied by women belonging to their tribe had become a usual occurrence, a norm, thanks to their almost natural attribute of sustained care and memory, of being able to survive; their position of authority is not marked by an accumulation of political power, but rather their readiness to take on whatever issues a tribe may encounter.

Such as their emotional stability, mediating ability, and long-sighted thinking; while it is necessary to point out, of course, that males are not excluded from being a zu'aan, but rather because, within their culture, leadership finds easier validation within women's relations. Many of these public traditions would be built upon logics of collective life in which companionship would be celebrated as a ritual in and of itself and necessary to ensuring the unity of generations that Ecera has always represented and continues to be amidst so much diversity.

Events such as death and grief would be very socially acknowledged and discussed. Domestic chores such as raising children or cleaning clothing would be socially shared to ease the burden of sustaining a house and often aided Ecera members to place value on connection and shared survival. Domestic space is viewed as symbolic in culture; home space as well as the sleeping quarters are constructed in such a manner as to promote not only immediate safety by being in the company of caring individuals from the tribe.

But by promoting proximity in order to be able to create safe sites of expression in terms of well-being; such as sharing blankets, mirrored activities, pairs of tools, coordinated clothing, which may seem little and sometimes unnecessary in the case of other tribes, but it is these small aspects that make the Ecera unique in culture; even their structures show emotional nearness as opposed to hierarchy, structures close to one another with minimal safety measures apart from those of the tribe itself.

Matters pertaining to social intimacy and visibility fall in line with that propounded within the psychology section, wherein intimacy between persons in public areas was regarded as normal, non-performative acts that might just occur and had little taboo attached to them; it was this that ensured that the line between the private and the public emotional experience was blurred, and while it might seem that the populace was denied privacy, this was a condition that ensured relationships were safeguarded and allowed to pervade all of society while being shielded from the risk of ridicule by social custom.

Government

The government within the Ecera tribe serves the role to act as an extention of collective care instead of one of authority, command, policing, or accumulation of political power. This collective objective of keeping political coordination distant from domination or plain extraction paved the way for the very healthy sustainment of this tribe and its interpersonal relationships, which creates an interesting dynamic, where legitimacy comes not only from trust, but also from the cultural structures which shape this tribe.

Emotional responsibility translated as a means to maintain historical continuity instead of reinforcing and romantizing traditions. Since the leadership is often validated culturally as a matter to keep continuity and caretaking, where the political hand should seek to extend itself over the collective well-being of the tribe, protagonism is often given to a group that is regarded as extremely skilled in this thoughtful and understandiung task, adult zu'aan females.

This procedure happens through a vote where a selection of three couples were selected from networks of long-standing trust, be it by their help in building around the tribe, in plain companionship, or sorts of mentorship, basically any type of shared labor; their authority is recognized through their expressions to endure all the challenges the tribe might face, remaining present during all hardship. Now, within that government structure, the manner of which decision-making and mediation is operated is through a very simple council process.

There are a couple of them which occupy different parts of thr tribe, emphasizing on consensus and mediation while still allowing for a speedy resolution of potential issues. This structure focuses more on conflict resolution instead of the metrification of what should be considered the proper amount of punishment; this creates a justice system where leaders are responsible to facilitate emotional resolutions and serve as anchored examples of emotional readiness, contributing to the creation of a more emotionally literate tribe.

Which is more capable of developing comprehensive viewpoint representations as a means for deeper and more complex understanding amongst individuals. Ther authority around said leaders is also very limited, where a series of unarguable rights stand above the power of political change of the leaderships of Ecera; the tribe imposes upon the leaders strong cultural limits on coercion and surveillance, which are things which can limit self-expression and the boundaries of emotional openness.

The government is also prohibited to argue and regulate any sort of self-expressive matter, be it intimacy, belief or artistic expression. Interventions are rare, and when they do occur, it's based on popular decisions which justify collective survival.

Furthermore, another interesting topic to dialogue on is their behaviour towards political memories and their continuity. The maintaining memories of who they consider founding heros, be them the main historical anchors of the tribe, Ecera and Osana, or any other leader which displayed a strong sense of collective care, is done via many different means, that extend from usual story telling within education centers, or by what was mentioned before, artistic expression, which all auxiliates to give prominence to the current style of leadership, as well as justify it.

Military

When analysing the structure of Ecera's military, it is necessary to demonstrate how it operates differently than the traditional war apparatus as is observed by other tribes. Their general stance follows a defensive logic which doesn't seek to be aggressive unless necessary, and its structure follows a relational logic instead of one that goes down a hierarchical control chain, which creates a force that is functional, yet understanding of the diverse positions of its members.

The Ecera tribe's whole reason for militarization in the first place follows the need to preserve internal continuity instead of acting as a dominating force which serves private entities or the state. Since its primary role is designed to remain the protection of the culture and existence of the tribe, it often only acts in the face of external threats which are deemed not only violations of communal territory, but interruptions of their lifestyle; which shapes an institution that maintains itself by defending people, bonds, and a lineage of customs instead of land.

Now, the organization of the military forces follows a series of leaderships which are based not only on fighting and organizational skills, but trust networks and developed seniority through lived experience and overall emotional reliability within the tribe, oftentimes resembling coordinators and caretakers far more than the authority often related to officers and sergeants; units operate connected to each council, which means they are able to operate semi-autonomously within the region they are designated for.

Which mirrors the communal and familiar style the tribe is psychologically known for. Training itself is often tied to the expressiveness promoted by the tribe's culture and psychology, which makes it so it emphasizes many sorts of articulations and a different set and array of activities based on each individual's skill, which instead of leading to disorganization, leads to a vast array of specializations in different fields; an example of this would be the high quantity of medics encountered amongst military ranks.

During training, conflict processing is commonly done with non-aggressive methods, which allows members of the tribe to develop their skills with comprehensive viewpoints as a means to focus on solving issues and sharing accountability. This openness also extends itself to how the suppression of emotion is frowned upon and seen as dangerous; soldiers oftentimes are able to, every now and again, give up training for a while for resting in cases of burnout.

All of this structure, however, even with its progressive matters which have been able to further develop the tribe's self-defense, also faces a couple of unfortunate events, especially with kin'toni threats, which are often able to utilize fire as a means to distract attention away from the tribe and into the Rothdencer Forest Thicket instead, which can oftentimes not only cause a few casualties from the fire itself, but also disorganize the troops as a way to infiltrate and kill zu'aan within the Ecera tribe.

Religion

The concept of an official religion within the Ecera was often a concept that was frowned upon, since the tribe oftentimes resists romanticization, authority, and normalizing any sort of coercion, which are just some contradictory categories which a fixed doctrine would introduce, and which would betray the very founding logic of the Ecera in opposing mythology; this, in turn, allowed them to develop their faith around a non-theist sacred structure that exists independently of metaphysical concepts.

This rejection of a transcendent-like religion (which throws gods, revelation, and salvation out of the picture) is reinforced, thus, by the interpretation by many that falling into such doctrinal exchanges would just remove responsibility from the living and place it in abstract and invisible spaces.The tribe instead took one of their founding members as an anchor and ethical reference, placing her far away from the concept of a formalized deity; this position was occupied by Ecera, in the religion (which oftentimes was just referenced as a philosophical framework) of Eceranism.

Ecera was remembered as proof of endurance; the origin story often told by individuals was about how she lived for years with unbearable pain from the arrow which was lodged in her shoulder, and even with all that pain, she was still one of the leaders responsible for building the base settlement for the tribe; the moment of her death was a final explosion of self-expression, which allowed for the pain she once felt to be spread around and, due to her teachings, absorbed communally by every member of the tribe which was now named after her.

The meaningfulness of this religion is a rare example amongst the zu'aan where nihilism is fought against without actual faith in something bigger than the miserable existence within those lands; this extends itself to the rituals that are embodied socially, each of them being treated by their practicality instead of doctrine and transcendental objectives; some of these rituals might be moments of shared silence in the face of an individual's expression of grief, which oftentimes would pair themselves with meditation methods that allowed for healthy manners to face moments of mourning, all without claiming any cosmic significance.

The concept of sacredness is replaced by historical memory, which is, more often than not, translated into moral technology; this means, in simpler terms, that all of what was taught by Ecera and her wife is something that is taught and becomes a responsibility to be able to maintain a healthy existence within the tribe instead of a mere act of devotion. It is something to be actively maintained, and signs of decay or disorganization act as signs of when these matters are unattended.

Which is often concluded to lead to the weakening of the generational bonds which create a caring community within the Ecera tribe; this is very felt in the members' day-to-day life, where individuals reference Ecera as an example to maintain practicality, order, and mutual respect.

Miscellany

Nearby Groups

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