Shaju
As the Cojuni spread across distant lands, a new generation was born far from the city of Coju itself. Over time, these children of mixed heritage,raised among foreign customs yet bound by ancestral Cojuni values, found themselves caught between worlds. By the third and fourth generations, particularly in places like the Isles of Refuge and the western ports of Ardania, this cultural tension gave rise to a groups known as the Shaju.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Shajuri: A blending the Cojuni language with local dialects, used in marketplaces and in their close-knit communities.
Culture and cultural heritage
Distance from the Homeland: The further the Cojuni merchant families settled from the Eastern Lands, the less direct control the old merchant houses exerted over them.
Mixed Heritage: Intermarriage, once purely a business strategy, led to children who no longer fit neatly into one culture.
Urban Cosmopolitanism: Growing up in trade hubs, they were exposed to an ever-changing swirl of languages, music, and ideas. These pressures created a population that no longer wished to simply replicate Cojuni ways, but instead forge a hybrid identity.
Social Role: While some of the Cojuni merchant aristocracy view the Shaju as “watered-down,” they have become indispensable intermediaries. Their hybrid upbringing allows them to move easily between cultures, broker peace, and navigate markets others cannot.In some regions Shaju families have even risen to form their own councils, independent from the old merchant houses.
Cultural Tension: The old city of Coju often sees them as a troubling departure from “pure” tradition and foreigners sometimes suspect them of being “too Cojuni,” especially when Shaju negotiate favorable trade, causing dual tension makes the Shaju both outsiders and connectors everywhere they go.
Shared customary codes and values
Independence: Where the traditional Cojuni prize lineage and mercantile discipline, the Shadari place value on adaptability, innovation, and personal reputation over ancestry.
Common Dress code
They favor layered, brightly dyed fabrics, combining Eastern flowing garments with local cuts and jewelry of mixed styles.
Art & Architecture
Music: Shadari music is famous for mixing instruments from three or more cultures, creating unique blends of music that is rarely heard of.
Art: Their art often incorporates symbols from their blended heritages that show they have pride in both of their heritages.
Ideals
Courtship Ideals
Marriages are not done for political gain and instead for personal gain through wealth and politics of one own family.
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