Re: Clan and Stead Populations

From: John Hughes <nysalor_at_rmj3aH6PuLyGBSVF0_yBFhfge2onkbBI13R3a5db0b4OjZDBtSYt6ySXawnkxU7V7waZ>
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 08:45:56 +1000


Peter:

> Sorry if this is coming in a little late, but I'm a little
> confused by this arrangement -- TR states that clans are divided into
> bloodlines which are divided among steads. The "average" numbers are
> (if I remember correctly) 1200 people in a clan, divided into 6
> bloodlines, each of which has 3 steads with approximately 70 people.

Now its my turn to be confused. :) I'm not sure what your point is here Peter - the composition of the bloodlines and their mapping onto steads? Our ideas did not seem so different, and I adapted your list on the weekend when I composed a breakdown of the numbers - see the following post.

My post earlier this week with all the background facts and figures put forward the idea of five major bloodlines for the clan -

"There are two major bloodlines at Swenstead, the SWEN bloodline and the HUNTING BROTHERS bloodline. There is also a minor hearth for the ROCKPLOUGH bloodline, and a hearth sometimes used by visitors of the HERO heroband.

The major bloodlines within the clan as a whole are the ROCKPLOUGH, the RAIN CATTLE and the SILVER OAKS."

When doing the figures, I also added the BLACK LOAM from your example of a fading/dying bloodline.

How do bloodlines map onto the steads? In a very mixed fashion. Bloodlines are
social units, steads are spatial units. However, bloodlines are also stead work units, so there's going to be a concentration of bloodlines at particular steads. In some instances a bloodline will comprise "all" of a stead, but I personally think most steads will have more. By their nature, bloodlines split and fuse or die out over time, so even if steads are founded by a single bloodline, circumstances change over time.

In those
steads with multiple bloodlines, most will have a clear dominant bloodline in numbers and holdings, though I'd do one neatly split to generate some politics.

Does this (and the actual numbers I've generated) sound acceptable? I'm sorry if I haven't understood your point.

> Now, obviously, this model is a little screwy (as we have
> discussed), especially since it's not clear if that 1200 people are
> all adults, everyone, everyone above 5 years of age, etc.

The 'under-5s not counted' artefact was introduced by me when compiling tribal figures with David Hall for Questlines 1. I don't think it need come into play here. Of course, there's always going to be some fogginess over actual stead numbers - people off as traders and mercenaries, living in the city, outlawed etc, and ion the other direction folk who officially "live" at another stead but have been hugging your hearth for three years now and are welcome as a good worker too.

> Bloodline A -- 340 people, 4 steads
> Bloodline B -- 300 people, 3 steads
> Bloodline C -- 300 people, 3 steads
> Bloodline D -- 250 people, 3 steads
> Bloodline E -- 180 people, 2 steads
> Bloodline F (Swensline): 80 people, 1 Stead
>
> Total: 1450 (including those under-5 children)

I have adapted these figures as much as possible when doing the stead/bloodline breakdowns.

Cheers

John


nysalor_at_Pbu4r0FlCxsKVxrR3InWK9uisx_oXc-Axs6tT2f_bvFIicnpHyP4OiOf04IR5CRTCj3_rq1S7xQgioFINLE.yahoo.invalid                              John Hughes
Questlines: http://home.iprimus.com.au/pipnjim/questlines/

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