>>the differences between a stead's tula and a clan's can be of
>>central importance.
>
>I completely agree with this. I just don't think there is such a
>thing as a "stead tula." It's called something else (and "stead
>holdings" is probably just fine for us English speakers, though
>Thunder Rebels leads me to believe it's called a "harsting" in
>Sartarite).
If we are all clear about this, and agree on the "correct" usages then I think we'll be fine. The confusion arises as we try and get our 21st century urban mindset around the heortling clan based set up. The KoDP depiction of the tula containing a single stead doesn't help to clear up the confusion...
>There's also a fine distinction in that stead holdings are nominally
>assigned, not claimed.
Well they must have been claimed originally (In that the clan will have claimed all the lands claimed by its steads, rather than claiming land first then parcelling it out later). On the other hand the division of land within the Clan Tula between the steads (and within the stead holdings between the hearths) is a matter for the Clan Ring alone, whereas an attempt to change the tula boundaries will likely affect some outside force (whether it is another clan, another tribe, non-Heortlings (Uz, Aldryami, Beastmen, Grazers etc.) or just the spirits/daimons of the wilderness...
>I'm also not convinced that stead holdings have boundary stones -- I
>think when I read that in your original message I assumed clan,
>because only clans have boundary stones.
I think all boundaries have boundary stones of one sort or another - that's how you know where one bit stops and another begins! Of course no one would mistake a field boundary for a stead boundary, or a stead boundary for a clan boundary...
I'll end with my current understanding...
A Tribe is a collection of Clans. The tribe does not claim ownership of any land not controlled by it's member clans, although it may take a close interest in any unclaimed lands lying between its clans respective tula's.
A Clan is a collection of steads. Its lands are known as the Tula, this is an area of land that contains all the steads and their fields, together with an amount of uncultivated grazing lands and wilderness, from which wood is collected and prey hunted. The Tula is a contiguous area that encompasses all the steads, and is watched over by the Clan Wyter. It's boundaries may adjoin the tula of other clans or just mark the beginning of unclaimed wilderness.
A Stead is a collection of hearths. It's lands are the Harsting, or Stead Holding and are all within the Clan Tula. The stead will "own" the fields and other cultivated land, but may share grazing and hunting rights with other steads within the clan. A member of a stead could walk to any other stead of his clan without leaving the tula (although he may need to pass through wilderness..).
A Hearth is the communal fireplace, and by extension the building (or part thereof) that house it and the people who live and sleep there. Typically this would be an (extended) family grouping, although there may also be a "warriors hearth" or a "hunters hearth" or other such grouping.
-- +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Tim Ellis EMail tim_at_... | | What is the use of a book without pictures or conversations? | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------+
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