People of Song

Within the Bane'ile culture, there was a group known as the people of song. Now, I realize that you could easily describe all of the Bane'ile as the people of song, but what I'm talking about here is a specific group, within each tribe, who lived their lives in devotion to the spiritual well-being of their people. It was the people of song whose culture suffered the most in the diaspora that followed the destruction of the Bane'ile home world.  

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Culture

  The people of song were members of the tribe they were born into, and yet, they also shared a common culture beyond the customs and traditions of their individual tribe. They were the wisdom keepers, the teachers, healers, and spiritual advisors of the Bane'ile. Theirs was a spiritual culture, focused on living a life of balance and harmony in service to all living beings. Their customs included daily devotional practices, both personal and communal, involving song and movement designed to maintain coherence of mind and heart, body and spirit. In addition to their native tongue, many also spoke the language of the gods taught to them directly by the Singers of Songs. The people of song also spent a good deal of their time communing with and honoring the ancestors, so that they could provide their people with the guidance and education needed to meet life's challenges. The tribal singers and keepers of songs were raised and educated within this culture. The people of song organized the festivals and guided their people through all of life's ceremonies and rituals. In return, they were provided with food, shelter, and everything else they might need. They were highly respected and beloved members of society who were always well cared for.  

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Diaspora

  During the time leading up to the destruction of their home world, the people of song provided support and guidance for the Bane'ile through the heart breaking process of leaving their precious world behind. Some even volunteered to stay to provide comfort for those who refused to go. Throughout the great migration, they devoted themselves to the spiritual well-being of their tribes as well as the preservation of their songs. They clung to their customs and maintained their culture while they became scattered throughout the galaxy of Kantostara. They even organized great festivals to recapture the joy of coming together as one that all the Bane'ile remembered from the Festival of Titi'abule. In the beginning, people traveled from all across the galaxy to participate in these festivals, but as time went on, enthusiasm and attendance waned. The younger generations were becoming more and more assimilated into the cultures of their new homes and few felt called to join the people of song. Many didn't even learn the languages of their ancestral home let alone have a desire to study the songs. Eventually, there was no one left alive who had actually set foot on the great plain of Bo Kaabo or had first hand experience of the joyous sound of the songs echoing across the plain.   So much has been lost, and what remains has become distorted with the passage of time, but you can still hear whispers of the songs of the Bane'ile everywhere in the music of today. The diaspora helped to spread the ancient wisdom and technology of the Bane'ile, but the culture of the people of song has all but vanished.