Hanzar

The western Hanzari jungle is home to the primitive Hanzari people. They believe the Guardians to be the spirits of nature that surrounds them. Long before the first King of Eirena, the Hanzari left the rest of the world behind and took to the trees and forest floors. They do not interact with outsiders, believing the rest of the world to be barbaric with their wars and destruction of nature. The one concession to the outside world is the Temple of Iske’el, home of the lake temple’s Guardian, Adroni’an. They are the guardians of the temple, allowing access to no one who is not worthy.   The Hanzari do not use formal names, believing it gives power over the person to the speaker of the name. Instead, they use nicknames or roundabout ways of addressing a person (“the one who speaks to the elder” or “the woman with the shells around her wrist”).   The population is small, only about 20,000 people in the jungle. Because there are so few of them, the Hanzari are very much about family, with large family groups living together in a shabon. The shabons are whole villages under one roof and each village lies along the river or next to a lake.   Magic is encouraged in Hanzar, with men being shamans and women excelling at healing. As river and lake dwellers, they have mastery over the waters, some even able to control the flow or depth of a river. Many shamans can also shapeshift and call forth animals.   The jungle of Hanzar is also home to the Hanga, a type of spirit animal, and the Kanayma, evil spirits that roam the jungle looking to influence the Hanzari.  

You shine.

-common greeting

 

TRADE

Hanzari do not trade with outsiders, but they trade amongst themselves. Baskets, bows, specially fletched arrows, clay pots with unique designs and intricately weaved hammocks are the most popular trade goods.  

BIRTH AND DEATH

Births are not considered special days and women typically go back to their work by the next day, carrying the child in a sling across her chest for easy feeding. When a woman goes into labor, she retreats into the forest away from the shabon, usually taking only her own mother or closest female relative for assistance.   There is no effective birth control, but several abortifacients. Sadly, one 1 in 4 children live to see their fifth year.   When a death occurs, the body is wrapped in leaves and taken into the forest away from the village. After two moons, when the body has been consumed by insects, the bones are collected and cremated. The ashes are then mixed into plantain soup and consumed by family members on remembrance days.  

Let your light shine!

-Hanzari blessing

 

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS

The average male is 5’5” and females are about 5’1”. Hanzari have dark complexions, though green eyes are a sign of magic.   Women pierce their lips and cheeks with sharp sticks and decorate their ears and hair with flowers. Both men and women use a temporary pigment to make designs on their skin.  

HEROES AND VILLAINS

They do not have many heroes or villains, but they do have a few.   SUHINA was the warrior who protected the Hanzari from the spirit of the blood moon who ate the souls of deceased children. He killed the spirit with an arrow and where blood fell, the Hanzari were created.   NAHO was jealous of his very attractive brother Hanzar, who had two wives. He used magic to kill his brother and became the first Hanzari to use dark magic.  

EDUCATION

There is no organized system of education, but parents teach their children the trades needed to survive. All stories and histories are word-of-mouth and they do not have a writing system, so they are an illiterate people.  

POLITICS

Each village takes care of itself, so there is no centralized government. Each village is led by the Elders, who are, for the most part, very much against allowing trade with outsiders. The younger generation want to open trade with Eirena. There are tentative peace treaties between villages, but they are prone to fighting at the smallest slight.  

FIGHTERS

The weapons of the Hanzari include blowguns spears, clubs, and bows, all made by the hunters. Each man who has reached puberty becomes a fighter, protecting their village from other Hanzari. All told, there are probably about 20,000 fighters in all of Hanzar, though the villages rarely work together.  

CALENDAR

They do not keep track of days, only going by what plants are in season. They do celebrate the ripening and harvest of the pasegero fruit and villages will gather by the northern shore to share the wealth. The death of a villager becomes a celebration of their life and a feast is held when the body is cremated.