A tribe consists of: - the Imai - the Azhadi (warrior caste) - the Moaku (lore and secret keepers) - the Amrazi (artisans and child rearers)

Imai

The Imai leads the tribe – she is their spiritual leader and their mother (the Imai is always celibate and always kept apart from the rest of the tribe except in audience). She has responsibility for the welfare of the tribe. An Imai also bears personal responsibility for the environment in which the Imai dwells. When there were many tribes, each Imai considered herself responsible for the welfare of the planet overall. She is required to do whatever she feels is necessary for the good of the people. Two tribes cannot merge into one unless one of the Imai dies. She remains a virgin for her entire life and receives visions about the future, about what she will need to do for the people. She knows all that the Moaku know and in fact, teaches them. The Azhadi, who would kill anyone who violated the laws governing audiences with the Imai, always guards her. Those rules are:

• • Speak only when spoken to – and speak respectfully no matter what. • Do not touch the Imai in any way. • Remain seated with head bowed until you are addressed. • No weapons can be brought into the presence of the Imai (the Azhadi of the tribe are an exception to this rule since they are responsible for guarding the Imai). • No recording devices in the presence of the Imai

Some who have held this position have also been able to see into the minds and hearts of those who wished audience with her.

Azhadi

The Azhadi, or warrior caste, are what is known as 'the outward turned face'. As such, they are the ones who make first contact with outsiders and are responsible ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all members of the tribe. When becoming members of their caste, they give themselves to a life of service and because of the nature of their service, Azhadi expect to die young. While they are warriors, they are also as a group very curious and wish, first and foremost, to explore the unknown. The Azhadi do not participate in tasks relating to setup and breakdown of the campsite. They do not carry supplies of any kind. They handle all guard details and take care of hunting and fishing for the tribe. As with all the Kulathi, the Azhadi prefer to live simple lives without dependence on technology. This is not to say that they are not technologically aware – they are and routinely use vastly complicated devices while in service. However, within the tribe or Edun, technology is disdained. The Azhadi sleep on thin reed mats and sit on the ground. Azhadi vessels have very few chairs; most ship stations are built so that the warrior stands for the entire shift. The Azhadi do not collect personal possessions – they have their bedroll, which is carried by the Amrazi when the camp moves, their weapons (which they create themselves as part of the initiation ritual) and their clothes. That’s it.

Moaku

The Mo’aku are the Intellectual Caste and the knowledge and history of the tribe and the planet is their responsibility – as is maintenance and operation of the automated planetary defense system (a mystery strictly forbidden to the Azhadi). Once an individual has received his/her caste marks, he/she is permitted to begin learning the knowledge of the people and the history of the tribe in particular. What they learn, they are forbidden to share with anyone outside of their own caste – especially not to off-worlders. It is rumored that the Mo’aku maintain knowledge of ancient, highly advanced technologies, which they guard jealously. The Kulathi people have little need for such power and do not wish to make such power available to the universe at large. Their closed society, the limited exposure to others, and the strict prohibitions against sharing their knowledge with the Azhadi, except by order of the Imai, stems from the need to safeguard the technology. The Mo’aku also serve as counselors to the Imai and it is from their caste that the new Imai (always female) is chosen. As a group, the Mo’aku focus their energies on expansion of the mental disciplines – they are not telepathic and have no interest in the Dusai (and vice-versa). They love logic games.

Amrazi

The Amrazi are the only caste permitted to bear and raise children. It is their sacred privilege. The Amrazi, similar to Geishas in ancient Japan, learn how to provide pleasure and comfort to those that visit their compound. The Azhadi are always welcome there and once there, an Amrazi will choose an Azhadi for the night. The Azhadi, as the outward turned face, pay the highest price for the good of the tribe and the Amrazi honor their sacrifices by providing pleasure and comfort whenever needed. Amrazi females bear children and bestow “fathership” on any Azhadi that she deems as worthy. Thus, a child can have 30 or 40 fathers. The tribe helps in raising the children; the honorary fathers help the child if he/she chooses to enter their caste. Everyone starts as an Amrazi; some leave when their calling to Azhadi or Mo’aku is realized – others stay and accept the caste marks. At that point, they are no longer free to choose another life. Only at that point, after acceptance of the caste marks are they free to begin having children though this is not required. In ancient times, the Amrazi were not permitted contact with outsiders. While this is no longer the case, they are protected, almost as well as the Imai herself. To harm an Amrazi is to risk the wrath of the Azhadi who accompany him or her.

Language

Among the Kulathi, there is the high speech, spoken only within the tribe, and the low speech, which can be spoken to outsiders. Kulathi are natural linguists and learn languages easily. They do not rely on translators for an understanding of what is being said. Outworlders are not permitted to learn the high speech. Technology is not permitted within the tribe so that the language cannot be captured/learned by computers. The Azhadi also have a highly developed sign language which they use among themselves to communicate.

The Mysteries

For every tribe, there are the mysteries. When the tents are set up, there is one tent set aside to house the mysteries. The tent is kept clean at all times and is available at all times to the tribe. There are two sections, the common area and the area containing the mysteries. The common area is used for meetings; there is a fire ring and a ornate wooden stool on which the Imai may sit. If the Imai needs to address her children, she does so here. If the leader of a caste wishes to talk to the members of his caste, he does so here. There is a filigreed metal screen that separates the common area from the Mysteries. No member of the Azhadi may travel beyond the screen. No member of the Azhadi may see what lies beyond the screen. When an Azhadi dies, his/her body is laid to rest before the screen – that is the closest to the mysteries that the Azhadi ever gets. The Mo'aku are permitted beyond the screen. However, only the Imai knows the entire contents of the Mysteries (an ornately decorated metal box). The Mo'aku have the honor of caring for the tent and carrying the Mysteries from place to place. This place, close to the Mysteries, is the religious heart of the people. There is no belief in God per se … more of a belief in the universe itself. The Kulthi believe that the Imai, speaks to the Universe and learns its wisdom, and imparts to her people what they need to know to live. Many of the people meditate in the tent, in the common area, or come here to seek answers to perplexing questions.

Forgetting

The Azhadi have traditionally been the only ones to have contact with other worlds. They are the ones sent into service to fight and die on alien worlds. It's their life. Because of that, the Mo’aku who remain within the Edun or the Tribe maintains the history and traditions of the tribe. The Mo'aku do not tell the Azhadi all that they know since that would make the information vulnerable. Were an Azhadi to be captured and tortured, information could be gained that would be damaging to their people. Thus, to prevent the Azhadi from telling more than they should, and to ensure the safety of the people, an Azhadi could be 'ordered to forget' any segment of their knowledge or their lives. This is a discipline that the Azhadi have learned and is born out of their training. It is no small thing to forget one's past and not have that past haunt the person in dreams or other places. The Azhadi who have already accepted the course their lives will take, are able to do this without harm. What does that mean for the Kulthi now? Right now, the Azhadi know how to forget on command. It is taught and practiced during their training before caste marks are given. This is not something the Azhadi would choose to do themselves for personal reasons -- this is something they are ordered to do by the Imai of the tribe for the good of the tribe. There is no agreement that the Azhadi would be allowed to remember at some future point -- for all intents and purposes, the loss is permanent and is dealt with in that way. The Mo'aku, who treasure and even hoard knowledge, reject such disciplines completely. To forget, even the smallest thing, is abhorrent to their nature and their caste. The Mo'aku understands and maintains the planetary defense system. It is from their ranks that the Imai is chosen -- and it is her job to maintain the Mysteries (the greatest secrets of the tribe). They understand of course that the Azhadi must forget since this ties in with their need to preserve what they know for the good of the tribe and the world. The Mo'aku are trained and accept as part of their life choices that they would willingly die rather than allow the information they guard to pass into other hands. The Amrazi are healers and caregivers. As such, they have no exposure to outworlders and have no need to practice such disciplines nor do they ever possess information that could be of danger to the tribe. Thus, the Amrazi do not practice the discipline but they do understand it ... since, as healers, they are sometimes called upon to assist younger Azhadi either in helping block off the memories or teach how to block off the memories correctly.

Suicide

The Azhadi retain the right to commit suicide should they presented with dishonorable/unlawful orders and are so cornered that no other option is possible. Such suicide is considered honorable; method of death is similar to that used by the Samuri though an Azhadi cannot be ordered by an employer to commit suicide. (Note that the employer could order the Azhadi to attack even when the odds of survival are small. How the attack is planned is up to the Azhadi, but the attack will proceed. That too is an honorable death.)

Funerals/Death Rituals

Whenever possible, the dead are returned to the tribe for cremation – the body is lain before the Mysteries (in the common area, just touching the screen) for one day so that members of the tribes can pay respect and then the body is burned at nightfall. When time/circumstances do not permit such tribute, the bodies are cremated on the field and the weapons/Jetai returned to the Leader at the first opportunity. The Azhadi Leader distributes weapons and Jetai belonging to the fallen Azhadi to those he/she deems worthy of the honor.

Dusai

Life form, in appearance resembling a cross between a bear and a dog, that travel on four legs and is sentient. Dusai are strong and have razor-sharp claws on the forepaws that excrete a lethal poison. They are deadly when aroused and fierce fighters. It is believed that the Dusai are not native to Sumiko IV. They are telepathic and live in wild herds. They seems to have a joint understanding of what is good for the planet for both the Dusai and the Kethiri. For reasons unknown to anyone but the Dusai, one dusai may choose to partner with one of the Kethiri – they always prefer Azhadi to anyone else. A Dusai that partners with an Azhadi (warrior caste) does so for life. The Dusai travels with the Azhadi and provides information through the telepathic connection (images/not words) regarding non-technological dangers in the area. When in physical contact with its Azhadi partner, the Dusai transmits the emotions of the Azhadi to the other Dusai in the area … and also provides comfort and calm through its presence to its Azhadi partner. A Dusai that chooses to partner may travel across a planet to reach its new partner or walk onto a ship that is traveling toward its new partner. For the most part, Dusai suicide if the Azhadi partner dies though occasionally some have been known to choose a new partner or return to the wild. If rejected by its chosen partner, the Dusai will starve itself to death as close to the Azhadi as it can get and radiate its distress to all other Dusai in the area. Dusai are omnivores and do not need to eat every day … once every three days seems to be sufficient.

Service to the Tribe

The Imai has within her power the right to accept service on behalf of her tribe. Service is another way of saying a contract between the tribe and an alien group that needs what the Azhadi can offer. To request service, an alien delegation comes to the tribe’s encampment and is escorted, themselves unarmed with Azhadi escort, into the presence of the Imai. Once there, they wait for permission to speak and then, only to answer questions. To be disrespectful in the presence of the Imai is an immediate death sentence. Service can be a short task or a long one that would take generations to accomplish. In all cases, the Imai demands that the Edun be constructed in place where only their feet and the feet of the Kulathi may touch. The Edun is off limits to their new employers except for conferences that are held in the Edun under the same kinds of restrictions governing taking service. If the Imai believes the service to be honorable and worthy of the sacrifices her children would make to perform the service, she will accept on behalf of the tribe. When this occurs, she determines how many (sometimes all) of her “children” (members of the tribe) will go into service. The group going into service is called an Edun and is composed of Azhadi with some Amrazi – they are lead by a new Imai.