Fruit & Horseflesh, Horseflesh & Fruit

From: John P Hughes <John.Hughes_at_anu.edu.au>
Date: Sun, 1 Jan 1995 14:01:19 +1100 (EST)


THE DINACOLI Michael Hitchens wondered about my sources for Dinacoli history and language. Apart from KOS, the best source is the Rough Guide to Boldhome and Home of the Bold handouts, from which I quote the following:

Your [Harvar Ironfist's] subjugation of the surrounding tribes to the Light of Yelmalio has never been as complete as you would have liked, or as complete as many outsiders think. The Princeros, Vantaros and Tovtaros are all under your sway, as is the Dinacoli in political terms if not yet religiously. However the Tres, Amad, Bachad and the city of Alone are still recalcitrant Orlanthi. Your original campaigns against them had to stopped in 1613 due to the threat from Starbrow's Rebellion, and a treaty was hastily made with them. However, they are all very much cowed by your superior force, and so not present any real threat.

One benefit of Starbrow's Rebellion of 1613 was the defection of the Dinacoli tribe to the Far Point. Previously they were part of the Jonstown Confederation of tribes (the tribes of this confederation sponsored the building of Jonstown and sit on its council). Torvald Rolfsson, previously an Elmal worshipper, took the opportunity to convert his clan to Yelmalio, and seize the tribal throne, when the previous king was away helping Starbrow. With the Lunar success in Starbrow's Rebellion, their defection and declarations of fealty to you were soon legitimised by them as thanks for your stalwart help.

THE 'TWENTY FOUR' TRIBES OF SARTAR Some recent comments on the tribal composition of Sartar lead me to emphasise the following point, that the 'Twenty Four Tribes of Sartar' is a mythical construct which has rarely if ever been realised in actuality.

Consider the following tribal list, which includes the Far Point Tribes. In Sartar's short history, tribal numbers have been in a fairly constant state of flux. For example, the tribes of Far Point were only part of Sartar for two generations:

Amad, Aranwyth, Bachad, Balkoth, Balymr, Cinsina, Colymar, Culbrea, Dinacoli, Ducks, Dundealos, Enstalos, Kheldon, Kultain, Lismelder, Locaem, Maboder - Wulfsland, Malani, Princeros, Sambari, Sartar Royal House, Sylangi, Telmori, Torkani, Tovtaros, Tres, Vantaros, Wind Children.

(For the sake of completeness, circa 1624, you can add the nontribal
 regions of Sun County, Duke Jomes' lands, and Baron Samuel's lands.

FRUIT AND HORSEFLESH! HORSEFLESH AND FRUIT! In keeping with the silly season, here's a slightly different take to Martin's excellent baboon writeup. It comes from a long-ago
(1988) Wyrms Footprint comedy module called '7 Mothers do ave
em'. The Lunars recruit 3 Praxian baboons from the No'eval tribe to ascertain their suitability as troops. The following paragraphs are from the character sheet of Heer, the oldest baboon.

Baboon Culture - Matriarchy in Action

H'eer, S'eah and Sp'eek are members of an ancient race who once ruled all the berry bushes from Shadows Dance to the sea. Their horrible war cry, *Fruit and Horseflesh! Horseflesh and Fruit!*, instilled terror amongst all the tribes of Prax. However, in the Third Age they survive as a relatively small and insular tribe of hunter gatherers, content to instil terror only in fruitbats and small furry animals of the Praxian hinterland.

Baboons are quadrupeds. They are quick and dangerous with powerful teeth and claws. They can use weapons, but find it difficult to balance on only two legs for any great length of time. Omnivorous, they survive mainly on roots, berries, insects and small animals. The flesh of larger beings is often sought, but rarely obtained. Most baboons worship Grandmother Baboon, the Ancestral Mother. They are an extremely musical race, and their ceremonies resound with weird but beautiful baboonish harmonies.

Baboon culture is a hierarchical matriarchy. Female baboons care for their young in an all-female social group led by the strongest
(and usually oldest) woman. They allow only a single "dominant"
male to reside with them. All other males are scattered to the edge of the clan's range, where they serve as border guards, scouts and broo fodder. Female baboons all consider this a wonderful arrangement.

The baboons within the ballista squad continue to live by clan principles. H'eer is the strongest, and therefore leader of the baboons. S'eah is next, then Sp'eek. While they have been taught to salute a military superior, the three recruits often confuse such salutes with traditional baboon gestures of subservience. In the presence of a superior, it is customary to bend over and raise ones tail, exposing your ischial callosities. The superior must then take a polite sniff. Grooming (searching each other for fleas) may then commence.

As baboonish culture is communal, the baboons also have trouble with the concept of personal possessions. However, using baboonish tradition as a guide, they have learned to mark everything with their own scent. This practice caused quite a stir in the Pavis Quartermaster's Store. It also causes considerable confusion to the baboons when they enter communal latrines.

It is lucky that there are no males in the ballista squad, for all three baboons consider males the lowest form of animal life. They are not entirely familiar with sexual differences among other species, and therefore use baboon principles in judging the sex of strangers. If it's big and ugly and stupid, it's probably male.

H'eer of the N'oeval, Loader 3rd Class

H'eer is the dominant baboon. She does little except boss the other two and scrounge for tidbits of food. Although she has exceptional strength she seldom has to involve herself in physical activity, and so her skills are unexceptional. H'eer believes herself to be responsible only to Tequila, and becomes very obstreperous if Sh'Kann attempts to give her orders. H'eer is responsible for the baboons joining the Lunar Army. Taking her sisters to explore the market oasis of Moonbroth, she mistook the ballista stationed there for an ancestral shrine. The rest is history. H'eer really has no idea what is going on, but is content to be in a place where there are so many horses. They are simply delicious.

Cheers

John

"The metaphysicians of Tlon do not seek for the truth or even for versimilitude, bur rather for the astounding. They judge that metaphysics is a branch of fantastic literature." Jorge Luis Borges.
"Tlon, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius"


End of Glorantha Digest V1 #74


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