See Homins: Part 1
Culture
Ethnic Groups:
Tropic
Geographic Range: tropical rainforest, humid subtropical forest, mangrove forest
Provisioning: arboreal foraging, horticulture (agroforestry)
Vegetation/Agriculture: Palm fruits, mangosteens, granadillas, tree nuts and berries, bamboo shoots, truffles, cocoa, coffee bean, black tea leaves, mango, papaya, soybean, fig, almonds, cashews, macadamia, kola nuts, banana, plantain, avocado, yam, sugarcane, bell pepper, hot pepper
Livestock: worms, snails, ants, termites, chicken, peafowl, meal-worms, bamboo worm
Game: beetle grubs, dragonfly, gecko, frog, small river-fish, bird eggs, honey, grasshopper, tarantula, mopane worm, bee larvae, centipede, cicada, cricket, flying ant, stink bug, louse, sago grub, scorpion, water bug, lemon ant, leaf-cutter ant, hissing cockroach, millipede
Common distinctive features:
Curly or frizzy hair common, other rare
Black & Brown hair common, Auburn uncommon, Blonde and Blue rare
Epicanthic folds of the eye (mono-lids) very common
Brown, Green, Hazel eyes common; Amber uncommon; Blue, Gray rare
Tawny, Tan, Olive, Brown Skin
Small, broad low bridge noses
Societal Behavior: The tropic cline was the original and thus all other ethnic groups of homins descend from their tribes. Many of the jungle groups of homins employ a hunter-gatherer method as their sole means of food collection. This involved combining stationary food sources (such as fruits, grains, tubers, and mushrooms, insect larvae and aquatic mollusks) with wild game, which must be hunted and killed in order to be consumed. As such homins are high level predators and are rarely preyed upon, except by large animals like wildcats, or carnivorous dinosaurs.
Tropic homins build nests via foliage, specialized for both day or night use. These are carefully constructed; young ones learn from observing their parent’s nest-building behavior. In fact, nest-building is a leading cause in teenage homins leaving their family group for the first time. From childhood onwards, they practice nest-building and gain proficiency by adolescence.
Due to the humid tropical settings, it is the norm among most ethnic and family groups in daily life to not to wear any clothes. Adult male homins however are likely to wear clothing on their lower bodies to cover their genitals when hunting, foraging. These can be as simple as penis sheaths or more covering like loincloths or wrap skirts. Women are expected to lack clothing but some may wear decorative versions to stand out or during festive dances. Tropic homin groups often decorate their bodies with semi-permanent tattoos from various materials such as ink or clay. They serve as a visual shorthand for an band or tribe and serve as an important marker for newly created bands to establish themselves.
Ancestral tropic homins were able to find shelter in trees occupied by spirits and forest faye by paying their respects to their neighbors. Astounded by their innate magic, homins myths and legends revered them and local traditions and religions revolved around learning how to pay their respects to them. As such many families have permission to cohabit in the canopy of fairy homes or dryad maintained trees, as long as they protect them.
Forest
Geographic Range: deciduous temperate forest, monsoon forests and woodlands
Provisioning: horticulture (agroforestry), arboreal foraging, pedestrian foraging
Vegetation/Agriculture: pome fruits (apple, pear), drupes (peach, cherry, plum), berries, bamboo, legume trees, mushrooms, bulbs, maize, rice, peanuts, soybeans, pecans, hazel nuts, chestnuts, acorns, walnuts, locust legumes, bell peppers
Livestock: snails, ants, bees, silkworm, mealworm, earthworm
Game: beetle larvae, beetles, termites, trout, bass, raccoon, rabbit, squirrel, opossum, turkey, locust, bee larvae, bamboo worm, cicada, centipede, dragonfly, fly pupae, grasshopper, hornworm, june bug, midgefly, pill-bug, wasp, wax worm, caddis fly larvae (zaza-mushi)
Common distinctive features:
Wavy hair common, straight uncommon, curly and frizzy rare
Black hair & Brown common, Auburn & Blue uncommon, Blonde Rare
High noses bridges common
Monolids common
Brown, Amber common; Green, Hazel, Blue uncommon, Gray rare
Widest complexion range: Beige, Cream, Tan, Olive, Brown Skin
Societal Behavior: Forest homins first made their homes in the temperate woodlands and the surrounding subtropics.Like their jungle based ancestors, they have a good standing with other tree dwelling sentients like dryads, wood fairy. Certain forest homin tribes live near garter and lamia territory and wetlands where brackish merfolk dwell. They are also in contact with certain varieties of henge, often having celebrations or being tricked on depending on the species in particular.
Their shelters are crafted and fully furnished in the tree tops, with multiple ones forming a town. They often share the tree with wood fairies living in the trunk and/or dryads living as the spirit of a tree.
Different classes of these homins wore different clothes. Upper class Homins wore cotton clothes and feather headdresses. Ordinary people wore clothes made from maguey plant fiber. Men wore loin cloths and cloaks tied with a knot at one shoulder. Women wore wrap around skirts and tunics with short sleeves. It was normal for children to go naked. Later in their history clothes became more elaborate and colorful.
Forest homin cultures often have a high affinity to music and an extensive variety of instruments are used by their people. Dance is also a large aspect as forest cultures as many festivals will also have mass dance groups to entertain the masses.
Island
Geographic Range: tropical rainforest, wet dry subtropic forests, coastal swamps
Provisioning: arboreal foraging, aquatic foraging, horticulture (agroforestry)
Agriculture:plantain, banana, breadfruit, legume trees, palm fruits, coconut, mangosteen, granadilla, drift fruit/seeds, warm season grains, sugar cane, pulses, mango, pineapple, taro, macadamia, cashews, almonds, seaweed, kelp, red kelp, brown kelp, sugar cane, bell pepper, hot pepper
Livestock: pigeon, bees, termites
Game: bird eggs, dragonfly, mealworms, centipedes, flying ants, pill bugs, sago grubs, tarantulas, water bug shrimp, hermit crab, coconut crab, sea cucumber, lobster, codfish, clams, oysters, mussels, squid, octopus, fish, cane grub
Common distinctive features:
Straight & Wavy hair common, Curly uncommon, Frizzy rare
Black & Blue hair common; Brown & Blonde uncommon; Auburn rare
Prominent cheekbones rounder faces
Broad and low bridge noses
Blue, Hazel common; Green, Brown, Gray uncommon; Amber rare
Olive, Brown, Dark Brown Skin
Societal Behavior: Island homins are more often isolated and smaller than other clines of homins. That being said, their native ranges have a similar climate as those of the jungle but they are more inclined to forage near the shorelines. This leads to their diets and recipes contain more seafood than other homin clines and thus their diet and cuisine have more crustaceans and mollusks than insects.
Not surprisingly given the hot climate island homins wore only light clothing. Men wore a loincloth and a kind of kilt. Women wore a long cotton dress called a huipil. Islander homins created leather sandals and wore them when walking on hot beach sands.
They commonly have contact with both brackish and marine merfolk when they go to the shoreline. Depending on the island chain in question, they can be close to those of tropical lamia, wood fairy, even traveling giants.
Their close proximity to bodies of water means their people often forage for aquatic forms of life to eat. Many even go as far to build canoes and boats to sail and fish, unlike the majority of other homin clines. Of the few seafaring homins that have been acknowledged, the vast majority were island homins. Such island homins tend to be good swimmers and divers, many women in particular are assigned to dive for objects like seashells or pearls.
Taiga
Geographic Range: Boreal forest, northern swamps and bogs, alpine forests, montane cliffs
Provisioning: arboreal foraging, horticulture (agroforesty)
Agriculture: pine nuts, pome fruits, temperate berries, shrub berries, leaf vegetables, tubers, bulbs, mushrooms, walnuts, chestnuts, acorn
Livestock: silkworm, earthworm, mealworm, bees
Game: ants, scorpion, maggots, wax-worm, wasp, hornet, centipede, millipede, shrew, silverfish, pill-bug, vole, dragonfly, caterpillars, crickets, grasshoppers, frogs, toads, newts, lemmings, muskrat, possum, woodpecker, sparrow, swallows, minnows, pike, trout, bass, perch, lake sturgeon
Common distinctive features:
Straight & Curly hair common, Frizzy uncommon, Wavy rare
Brown & Blonde hair common; Black & Auburn uncommon, Blue rare
Hazel, Green Gray eyes common; Brown & Blue uncommon; Amber rare
High nose bridges
Beige, Ruddy, Cream, Tawny Skin
Societal Behavior:
Native taiga homins live in more northern and in colder regions than the other groups. While most make their homes in mountainous evergreens, a few have made a living under rock cliffs. In the summer however, the areas they live in become rather swampy.
The weather encourages the taiga cline to dress most of the year round, especially as adults. It if turns cold both sexes wore a cloak called a manta. With this, their clothes are intricate as most families sow in special patterns in them.
Homins of the boreal forest are much more in contact with species of the youkai culture such as Huli Jing and Bake-danuki. As such apsects of their culture are seen such as purity rites when dealing with their dead, cleaning places to prevent corruption of its personal spirit, or wards to protect themselves from troublesome spirits and magical beasts. Rituals are a very important part of taiga culture. The homins celebrate a good harvest with a big feast to which nearby villages are invited. The village members gather large amounts of food, which helps to maintain good relations with their neighbors. They also decorate their bodies with feathers and flowers. During the feast, the Taiga homins eat a lot, and the women dance and sing late into the night.
Architecture
Structures are built around or in trees like tree houses
For tropic and island homins, initially, a suitable tree is located: Homins are selective about sites even though many tree species are utilized. The foundation is then built by pulling together branches under them and joining them at a point. After the foundation has been built, the homin bends smaller, leafy branches onto the foundation; this serves the purpose of and is termed as the “mattress”. After this, they braid the tips of branches into the mattress. This increases the stability of the nest and forms the final process of nest building.
Homins may add additional features such as “pillows”, “blankets”, “roofs” and “bunk-beds” to their nest. Homins make “pillows” by clumping together leafy branches with the leaves in the center and the twig shoots pointed outward. They bite the twigs to blunt sharp ends. Pillows are added to night nests but are usually absent from day nests. A “blanket” consists of large leafy branches with which orangutans cover themselves after lying down. Homins may create a waterproof overhead shelter for the nest by braiding together a loose selection of branches. They may also make a “bunk-nest” or “bunk-bed”, a few meters above the main nest.
Forest and taiga homins used various material like fallen wood to construct shelters with the strongest branches of a tree. The result typically resembles a tree house which can have many variations in size, design, carrying capacity, and the like. Many have side or hanging gardens to plant flowers, crops or animals that would normally only be on the ground.
Spirituality
Early in their history, they encountered various local spirits and many had to determine which were helpful or harmful. This resulted in early societies having animist beliefs rooting in appeasing the local spirit creatures around them of called Deshsa. When djinn missionaries entered their settlements, they brought with them their major religions and the concept of divinity.
The variety of Deshsa followed by taiga humans has many purity rituals and a stronger focus on the exploits of spirits animating nature due to their history of contact with those of the youkai culture.
Djinn missionaries began the spread of monotheism, particularly Islam and Christianity within the homin tribes of the Eastern Zomia Tropics and surrounding island chains.
Education
In general, children are socialized and educated informally education basically anywhere. It involves imitation of what others do and say as well as experimentation and repetitive practice of basic skills. This is what happens when children role-play adult interactions in their games.
Urban centers provide much more formal education where teachers provide knowledge to students in a specific area.
Dress/Modesty
Homins in humid regions are very lax about modesty as most differentiate nudity from sexuality. As such children innocently go around with relatively little or no clothing, symbolizing innocence. Even most adults are not likely to take note of others nudity in most settings, exceptions including settings where they operate heavy machinery, office administrations or places with heavy traffic of other species less comfortable with homin nudity.
The is somewhat different for taiga homin cultures where the need for clothing in subartic environments developed more expectations of dress at a certain age.
Science and Technology
Transportation
Most of their history involved walking or climbing among trees. Some homins began creating devices that made this easier for special populations like grappling hooks. With the introduction of large cities, inventions like cable cars had to set up to get people around the cities.
Weaponry
Like humans, homins started out with wooden or bone tools such as knives, clubs, axes, and spears and slings for ranged attacks. Some Homins have also learned metallurgy from neighboring species to create metal weapons like swords. Soon homins adopted to the use of firearms as projectile weaponry.
Communications
For most of their history lacked long distance communication and mostly relied on oral records and stories. Slowly came the adoption of recording things in books and video but the rapid efforts of globalization meant young homins found use in cellular phones quickly.
Energy
Majority of societies are fueled by various biofeuls and biodiesels extracted from vegetable oils, algae, and unused cellulose waste. Due to lacking ordered spellcraft, homins that use charms or alchemical generators to power their homes, had rely on preternatural/supernatural neighborhoods to resupply them. In response, homins were able to come up with similar charms or reactors that could be resupplied with their own mana plasma sorcery.
Medical Treatment
Herbalism from past traditions remains alive and well but are intergrated with antibiotics and vaccination administration. The holistic approach often favors the doctor to talk with their patient and helping them to prevent a condition or common ailment, many doctors taking house calls.
Manufacturing
Using small strings of bark and roots, they weave and decorate baskets. They can use these baskets to carry plants, crops, and food to bring back to their nests. They are also known to dye the baskets with berries and clay, as well as to paint their bodies and dye their loin cloths. After the baskets are painted, they are further decorated with masticated charcoal pigment. Similar processes were copied for other materials to trade with others.
Contributions
Rope
Sandals
Basket-weaving
Anesthesia
Parachute
Cable cars
Styrofoam
Helicopter
Handheld cameras
Organ replacement
Utility belt
Handheld grapple pistol
Genetic engineering
Genetic testing for inherited diseases
Gene therapy
Vaccinated fruit
Zip-lines
Cochlear implants
Chocolate
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