So I've been sitting on this one for a while (my notes for this are almost 5 years old at this point!) but I've also been reading a lot about worldwide caste systems which inspired me to finish this.
One notable part of Kikxotian culture is its quite complex caste system, or
tkuba. There are 14 different exogamous clans
(nphuva) which roughly fall into three mostly endogamous castes/levels, called
kkubī (literally constellation). The
Tkuba is very closely linked with Kikxotian religion, including its mysteries, and has a complex symbolism, marriage rites, taboos, and duties attached to it. Each clan is more linked to a broad set of occupations, though individual occupations are usually inherited as well. Table 1 acts as an English language introduction to some of these symbols.
Table 1: The Tkuba
| Body |
Male |
Female |
Kkubī |
| Soul |
Rulers |
Priests |
Bear |
| Head |
Warriors |
Scribes |
| Stomach |
Hunters |
Herders |
Sheep |
| Groin |
Fishers |
Farmers |
| Arms |
Gatherers |
Craftsmen |
Bee |
| Feet |
Processors |
Builders |
| Heart |
Merchants |
Artists |
As can be seen, each
kkubī is associated with a certain animal, while two
nphuva each are associated with a given body part. Each
nphuva is also associated with a gender, which is mostly relevant in marriage taboos. As such, it makes sense to talk about those next.
People may only marry within their
kkubī, though this taboo is much weaker in the lower two strata. Furthermore, you may not marry someone from your father's clan or your mother's clan. Finally, you must marry someone from a clan of the opposite gender class. Thus in practice, someone born in the highest caste will know from birth their future spouse's clan. This also means that political marriages are rarely happen in the most direct way, with one prince (
mīhlo) marrying his children to the children of another
mīhlo to form an alliance.The gender class marriage taboo is by far the strongest of all the marriage taboos and intimately tied with Kikxotian mystery rites. While that really is for another post, the short explanation is that each clan is associated with a house god (
shīyto) and marriage is seen as a symbolic linkage of protection between those
shīyto. Thus, since someone is already under the protection of their parents' respective
shīyto, it makes no sense to marry into the protection you already have and the
shīyto only link with a
shīyto of the opposite sex.
On an outside anthropological note, exogamy at the clan level is actually might preclude this from being a true caste system. On a broader note though, the religion itself is endogamous and all converts are adopted into a
nphuva.
Adoption is probably the next major topic to cover. Inclusion in a
nphuva is usually passed down patrilinerally. The main exception is if the father is adopted into his wife's
nphuva for the purpose of following his father-in-law's occupation (though just as a wife stays with her clan formally, he stays in his). Then all their children are part of the mother's
nphuva. The next exception is that a matrilineal grandfather can adopt one or more of his grandsons as an inheritor of his occupation, even if the father has his own occupation within his birth
nphuva. Then this specific son is in his mother's clan, different from his siblings.
The other adoptions are generally political or for convenience. Sometimes someone powerful is born in a clan lower than their standing. Other times, they are good at an occupation outside their clan. Sometimes there's just too many or too few people in an occupation and some movement is needed to maintain balance in society. Unlike adoptions related to marriage, the recipient actually changes
nphuva. For people who haven't undergone the rituals of the
Lōbopāb Kīkxot this doesn't mean to much (mostly a change in customs and dress), but those who have done the rituals will need to redo them. Marriage generally precludes any sort of adoption like this.
In all cases, adoption is a formal process approved by a
Wyīúuzō. This is an occupation in the priest clan with the formal rights to prophecy directed toward individuals, including being able to see which
shīyto "truly" protects them. This post is not about religion, so I won't go more into the roles of the
wyīúuzō at this time.
As for the other symbols, these have to do with ritual tattoos, decorations/imagery in art, and other things of that nature. They do not have a large role in day to day life. Next I will give a brief overview of each clan. This will cover some of the occupations in each clan. Another important note is that while occupations are generally hereditary and people need to do an occupation within their clan, there is no taboo to changing to another occupation within your clan. The taboo (fixed by adoption) only happens when doing jobs outside of the clan.
The
Phruyā (rulers) clan contains occupations relating to government. All princes come from this clan, as do the high kings. "Lower" families are in charge or regions, serve as mayors, or in particularly poor cases are simply landowners with no real claim to a territory. As such, members of this clan are found throughout Kikxotian territory. Kikxotian governance is complex and ever changing and not the topic of this article. It suffices to say that a mayor with a sufficient warlord backing could become the high king, as unlikely as it is, and he would be seen as legitimate.
The
Srīsu (warriors) clan's main official duty is watching the
āwung hākanat in the
wōboth. Every settlement, from the smallest village to the great cities, has one of these towers with a signal fire inside. From these towers, the warriors defend their locality and keep peace. Now, all military officers come from this clan, but when there are not enough warriors, soldiers and guards are often drawn. Thus, a small town may only have one or two warrior families. A village without a resident warrior might either try to attract one with money or more likely have their fire kept by a resident given authority to do so from the closest mayor and warrior. Many warriors become mercenaries, especially when conflict between princes is low. Due to their higher status and education, they are often the leaders of mercenary bands, rather than just foot soldiers.
On the female side of the Bear
Kkubī, there are the
Gīsto (clergy/priests). There are three occupations within this clan. The first are the
Bqīyu, or preachers. They lead
úōhod, interpret scripture and generally act as community leaders to their followers. The next ones are the aforementioned
wyīúuzō. Finally there are
Ltīxu, who perform sacrifices and rituals. Unlike the other two clerical occupations, there is almost no lateral entry into the priesthood. You must be born into it (or be adopted in). Similarly, almost no priest leaves to another occupation because there's generally always very high demand for them. This can be very frustrating to the much more numerous
bqīyu who often become missionaries or travel long distances trying to make a living.
Then there are the
Olūvat (scribes). The primary occupation of the scribes is to be literally that, so many are located in large cities and trading hubs. Some are researchers or follow other scholarly pursuits. While the scribes are known for their literacy, many people in the Bear
Kkubī can read and write. It is also common among merchants, some craftsmen, and some artists.
Next comes the Sheep
Kkubī. These clans all deal with food production and are often more geographically concentrated than the Bear
kkubī, because they are not essential state administration. The first one is the
Rxību (hunters). This clan is not only in charge of bringing in meat from the wild, but also act as butchers (including for the shepherds), curers and tanners. In short, they are the ones who turn animals into materials that can be used by others. Many hunters have a close relationship with warriors and often serve (part time or full time) as guards, soldiers, and mercenaries, though hunters are often jealous of the higher status that warriors have. The hunters are often seen as the most mysterious and aloof clan by the others, due to the long time they spend in the wilderness, emphasis on combat. Non-butcher hunters are rare in cities and often subject to abuse and suspicion. In turn, many crime rings are allegedly run by hunters. Slavers also often come from the hunter clan.
Compared to the hunters, the
Shbīmu (fishers) are a relatively beloved clan. Beyond extracting resources from the sea and rivers, fishers are sailors, delivering goods down the river and across the bay. As sailors, many are also pirates, especially in times of instability. Pearl divers and trepangers form one of the more closed off occupations, mostly due to geographic and skill constraints.
The
Wyīúu (herders), not to be confused with the clerical occupation, take care of animals. The richer ones own their own herds. Others care for the herds of others. There isn't much more to say about them, really. While they do not do butchering, they do milk animals and create milk products. They have close connections with almost all clans that might have stables, though in more individual circumstances, people of all clans take care of their own
kōduh. Farmers also plow fields with their own
cōmum though large landholders with many oxen will probably hire a herder to take care of them.
The last of the Sheep
Kkubī is the
Ānīvs (farmers). These are the people who grown plants from the ground. Pretty straightforward. Some of them own their own land, others don't. Some tend the gardens of merchant and princes in cities (though that's more likely to be a slave). Some have enough land to hire other farmers or slaves to work for them. Outside of growing food, the farmer clan is responsible for some processing and storage. However some other types of processing are more commonly done by other groups.
The Bee
Kkubī represents a diverse set of clans. The first is the
Cxīlu (gatherers). This encompasses anyone who gathers materials from the natural environment for processing. The biggest group of these are the miners and lumberjacks. In some cases, these people act more as foremen of operations, leading teams of slaves and poorer gatherers.
The next are the
Shtuzā (processors, literally those who make things become something else). This clan contains all the specialists that turn resources into something more usable, but do not make final products. The foremost occupation in here are the millers, who process plants into more edible things. Brickmakers are here as well. In fact many odds and ends type occupations are in this clan, especially when they aren't focused on a final product.
The last male clan is the
Rqīnu (merchants). This clan encompasses all middlemen and people in charge of bringing goods and services from one place to another. Many are travelers (and the role of caravans in Kikxotian society merits its own post) with close connections to the warriors, fishers and hunter clans. It is important to emphasize that there is no dishonor when people from other clans engage in trade. However, the only clan allowed to do it full time without dishonor are the merchants and they are the only people who routinely travel great distances for trade. Another occupation within this clan are the moneylenders. Finally, while tax collecting can be done by anyone, this appointment is dominated by hereditary tax collecting families from the merchant clan. While traditionally not a highly respected clan, they are wealthy and
strong in contemporary Kikxotian society, which is heavily reliant on
trade. One major class struggle is the inability for rich merchants to marry their children into the Bear
Kkubī, though sacrifices and gifts sometimes sway
wyīúuzō into "seeing" and approving merchants' children's adoption into those clans.
The first female bee clan are the
Qsurā (craftsmen, lit. shapers). This encompasses all occupations related to creating finished goods. Some of the notable jobs are smiths, leatherworkers, potters, weavers, bakers, and brewers. This does note include joiners/carpenters/coopers or masons. A note about food production: there is no shame in cooking for oneself or family. This includes baking and brewing. Many, if not most cooks in rich households are slaves. The cooks occupations are fairly small and specialists. But they do fall in here.
The next female bee clan is the
Hnību (builders). Other than the day laborers that physically erect buildings (mixed in with slaves, of course), this includes architects, carpenters, shipwrights, (civil) engineers, and masons. Basically if the craftsmen make small items, the builders make big items (well buildings and vehicles).
The final clan is the
Simat (dancers, covers all artist types). These are the traveling minstrels, actors, dancers, griots, poets and other such artistic occupations that aren't tied to making something physical. They're one of the most looked down upon clans. Almost all
simat are nomads and their well known for their taboo against sea products. Despite the general mistrust people have in them, they often serve as spies (or at least sources of information) for princes. In fact, restricting the movement of a
simatzō is considered highly taboo, even in times of war. Custom provides that they must always be allowed to move, because stopping their "dance" is an attack on their duty.
I'll finish off by discussing some harder to place occupations, followed by some patterns and symbols. I will then end with a brief discussion on the societal implications of the caste system. Medical occupations are spread out through different clans, depending on the role. 'Spiritual' doctors come from the clergy, while physician-surgeons are scribes. Finally, apothecaries come from the craftsmen clan. Midwives can belong to any clan. Sorcerers (
qlusāzō) do not below to any clan, as it is a taboo occupation. This is true of other taboo occupations as well.
As can be seen, male clans are more associated with destruction, with gathering and with movement, while female clans are more about creation. Male is seen as external and female internal. While really the discussion for another article, this aligns with traditional gender roles in kikxotian society. Other symbolism can be seen with the animals. Bears are a symbol of power and the verb
agdōk "to be noble" comes from the same root as
gōduk "bear". Sheep, as bearers of wool, meat and milk, are a completely understandable symbol for the clans that are dedicated to food production. Finally, bees are seen as productive workers who work together to create good things. This fits well with the different non-food producers and creators, who are constantly working together to different things. As such, while the scale of each constellation is different, they are all very respectable.
Finally, a bit of sociology. The caste system both causes and solves problems for the Kikxotians. The fact is that many broader tasks require input from different clans working together in close quarters. Even a small village requires at least farmers, leaders, and warriors together, plus probably some extractors and craftsmen, maybe some priests, in comes a merchant, so on and so forth. Thus, there even though there are strong status differences between, the caste system actually makes people earn some respect from their peers (hopefully). At the same time though, it does hold those same hierarchies in place. Exogamy and a way to change castes also helps with keeping peace in society. In the first case, it furthers the bonds across clans rather than creating competition. The other case allows for fluidity to face demographic problems and (to some degree) gaps between wealth and status. Speaking of demographics, is suffices to say that the bear clans are much smaller than the others and that this is some variation in size between the different clans. They also are definitely not equally spread out geographically. A final thing to mention is that the omnipresence of kikxotian religion helps legitimize the caste system, while the system helps the religion remain omnipresent in their society. It is hard to say which came first and the most likely answer in that they coevolved. Even more liberal sects do not touch the caste system very much.
