Post by Lemur God on Dec 9, 2005 18:26:19 GMT -5
~The Northern Water Tribe~
The culture of the Northern Water Tribe’s culture is cross between the Inuit and other tribes of Native Americans. The Northern tribe is not nomadic in nature, as is the Southern tribe. Instead, the Northern tribe lives in a large city at the northern pole.
Clothing consists of tanned hides, dyed in hues of blues including pale violets, darker blues, and every shade in-between. Purple is reserved only for the very rich, as the dye is extremely rare and hard to come by. The tanned hides and heavy leathers are also lined with softer wool taken from artic animals. The Northern Tribe’s clothing has more a mass produced look than the southern tribes suggesting the existence of tanners, weavers and seamstresses.
Since farming would be nearly impossible, one could also expect that the food for the Northern tribes is mostly sea food. The vegetable portion being provided by sea based plants. Cured meets would be common, and whale oil is used for lanterns and the other parts of the whale provide food, weapons, clothing, string and many more things lasting for months on end.
All of this would create a very complex economic system in which interpersonal relationships are stressed. Han’s comment to Sokka that a simple Southern Tribe boy has no understanding of the social complexities of their life should be noted. And their lives do have political complexities brought about by having to manage a large array of trades, along with hunters, warriors, and political structures. This creates a society in which everyone knows what everyone does, and someone is expected to follow their role. This role is more important than the individual person.
Of the many social traditions, arraigned marriages stand out as being one of the most important, as it secures bonds between families, creates alliances, and ensures that the heirs to a family trade will be one that the patriarch will approve of. As with any arraigned marriage, this process is often started by the young man, who would approach his parents about a young girl he would like to marry. (And who he may have been courting on the side, as teenagers always have their own subculture that parents ignore despite the fact they’ve been there once. ^___~) The families would then discuss this, gifts would be exchanged, and if the match is acceptable, the young man then carves for his bride to be an engagement necklace. These are often hand carved, though young waterbenders will use their talents to engrave the necklaces, often with stunning results.
After that, the wedding feast would be planned, and the couple would formally be married. In most circumstances, the bride would go to live with her husband and his family, but in some cases the husband moves in with his wife and her family. This creates an extended family and fosters even more belief that the family comes before the individual.
The Northern Tribe’s warrior traditions are also strong, warrior being a fitting job for a young man until he takes over his family’s trade. Warriors guard the gates, do any big game hunting, and, until recently, haven’t had a need to fight anyone from outside. (Shown by the fact that the only Fire Nation Navy uniform they have is over eighty years old.) This isn’t to say that the warriors aren’t well trained; they simply lack any practical experience against human opponents.
The Waterbenders of the Northern Tribe are trained based on whether they are male of female. Young men use to learn the martial side of waterbending, while the young women who aren’t discouraged by their culture’s stance on women waterbenders, learn to use their arts to heal. It should be noted though, that healing is such a rare gift among waterbenders that this makes it nearly impossible for any talented young woman to learn how to waterbend. After the Avatar came to the North Pole, this practice was waved for one young woman – a southerner, Katara, and now may have opened the door for other women to learn the martial side to waterbending as well, as long as they prove themselves worthy.
On the spiritual side, the Northern Water Tribe has a strong belief in the spirits of nature, with close attention paid to their two main spirits, the Ocean and the Moon. It is believed that the Moon was the first Waterbender, and the Water Tribes learned their art from watching the Moon and emulating its control over the tides. This belief is supported by the fact that waterbending is stronger at night, when the moon has risen and dominates the night sky. They also revere and worship the Ocean, who gives them their livelihood, in the form of transport, food, waterbending, and so many other things. They are a culture that depends on the ocean and, for the six month long night as winter falls, the moon.
The culture of the Northern Water Tribe’s culture is cross between the Inuit and other tribes of Native Americans. The Northern tribe is not nomadic in nature, as is the Southern tribe. Instead, the Northern tribe lives in a large city at the northern pole.
Clothing consists of tanned hides, dyed in hues of blues including pale violets, darker blues, and every shade in-between. Purple is reserved only for the very rich, as the dye is extremely rare and hard to come by. The tanned hides and heavy leathers are also lined with softer wool taken from artic animals. The Northern Tribe’s clothing has more a mass produced look than the southern tribes suggesting the existence of tanners, weavers and seamstresses.
Since farming would be nearly impossible, one could also expect that the food for the Northern tribes is mostly sea food. The vegetable portion being provided by sea based plants. Cured meets would be common, and whale oil is used for lanterns and the other parts of the whale provide food, weapons, clothing, string and many more things lasting for months on end.
All of this would create a very complex economic system in which interpersonal relationships are stressed. Han’s comment to Sokka that a simple Southern Tribe boy has no understanding of the social complexities of their life should be noted. And their lives do have political complexities brought about by having to manage a large array of trades, along with hunters, warriors, and political structures. This creates a society in which everyone knows what everyone does, and someone is expected to follow their role. This role is more important than the individual person.
Of the many social traditions, arraigned marriages stand out as being one of the most important, as it secures bonds between families, creates alliances, and ensures that the heirs to a family trade will be one that the patriarch will approve of. As with any arraigned marriage, this process is often started by the young man, who would approach his parents about a young girl he would like to marry. (And who he may have been courting on the side, as teenagers always have their own subculture that parents ignore despite the fact they’ve been there once. ^___~) The families would then discuss this, gifts would be exchanged, and if the match is acceptable, the young man then carves for his bride to be an engagement necklace. These are often hand carved, though young waterbenders will use their talents to engrave the necklaces, often with stunning results.
After that, the wedding feast would be planned, and the couple would formally be married. In most circumstances, the bride would go to live with her husband and his family, but in some cases the husband moves in with his wife and her family. This creates an extended family and fosters even more belief that the family comes before the individual.
The Northern Tribe’s warrior traditions are also strong, warrior being a fitting job for a young man until he takes over his family’s trade. Warriors guard the gates, do any big game hunting, and, until recently, haven’t had a need to fight anyone from outside. (Shown by the fact that the only Fire Nation Navy uniform they have is over eighty years old.) This isn’t to say that the warriors aren’t well trained; they simply lack any practical experience against human opponents.
The Waterbenders of the Northern Tribe are trained based on whether they are male of female. Young men use to learn the martial side of waterbending, while the young women who aren’t discouraged by their culture’s stance on women waterbenders, learn to use their arts to heal. It should be noted though, that healing is such a rare gift among waterbenders that this makes it nearly impossible for any talented young woman to learn how to waterbend. After the Avatar came to the North Pole, this practice was waved for one young woman – a southerner, Katara, and now may have opened the door for other women to learn the martial side to waterbending as well, as long as they prove themselves worthy.
On the spiritual side, the Northern Water Tribe has a strong belief in the spirits of nature, with close attention paid to their two main spirits, the Ocean and the Moon. It is believed that the Moon was the first Waterbender, and the Water Tribes learned their art from watching the Moon and emulating its control over the tides. This belief is supported by the fact that waterbending is stronger at night, when the moon has risen and dominates the night sky. They also revere and worship the Ocean, who gives them their livelihood, in the form of transport, food, waterbending, and so many other things. They are a culture that depends on the ocean and, for the six month long night as winter falls, the moon.