Ipotanes

Overview

Ipotanes are mule-hooved humanoids with furred, unguligrade legs, long tails, small, pointed ears, and long manes that run the length of their spine. They are nomadic, occupying mostly the plains north and south of the Skyward Barrier mountains, but are, like other humanoids, found all across the world. They trend taller than other humanoids, but not by much, averaging around 6'1" with a normal buffer zone of ~5 inches. Herds usually keep small, anywhere from 20-80 individuals, and trend to the smaller side of this range post-cataclysm. Their native language is Paitarō.

A mare is a female ipotane; a steer is a male.

Physiology

Ipotanes are build for endurance and short bursts of speed: they are faster (on average) than any other humanoid in the event their path is clear- maneuverability has been traded for speed. Evolutionarily, they are pack hunters.

Ipotanes' vocal range, while variable by sex, is lower than most other humanoids. Even mares almost always have timbres in the range of a human man. Ipotanes have the least sexual dimorphism of any sunling.

Culture

Funerals

Ipotanes cremate their dead. They make elaborate urns out of clay in which they store the ashes and remaining bones. These urns are carried with them until their migrations take them to a burial site- of which they have many scattered across the lands they cycle through. When they next cross close to a burial site, the urns of any of those who have died since they last passed are left at the site and bade farewell until the herd next comes through. Even if there are no urns to place, herds always visit burial sites when their travels bring them there, in order to pay respects and check on the state of the site.

Urns are designed to be sturdy but not unbreakable- they must withstand travel until reaching the burial site, but once left there, are surrendered to the elements. It is believed that the soul of the deceased resides in the urn until it breaks. An urn must not be broken prematurely, that is, by intent of the living, but finding a broken urn upon return to the site is celebratory: it means the deceased has moved on to the afterlife and is no longer confined to the physical world. The urn breaks as the soul escapes from it. The urn is a necessary step, as an unconfined soul will simply float aimlessly, perhaps not even realizing it has died.

Life History

Ipotanes create jewelry for and in major life events. These adornments record their lives as they build around them, worn as both pride for- and, where relevant- shame of, the person they've become.

An ipotane's first of these will be a woven cloth bracelet, made at their birth. The color of the cloth corresponds to the season of the baby's birth- ipotanes do not celebrate birthdays, but hold a celebration for all members of a herd born in the same season at a chosen day that determines the beginning of that season. Ipotanes are considered a year older on this day, no matter when their actual birthday was. This bracelet, because it will need to both last their lives and be given to a baby, is not expected to exist without wear, and may be replaced entirely throughout an ipotane's life, particularly childhood, especially as they physically grow out of it. For most life history jewelry, this is not the case. The birth bracelet is also the only universal piece, as all others depend entirely on what any one ipotane's life looks like.

Another common one is for having children. Parents wear necklaces- usually beaded, but also braided or woven- for each child they have. Ipotanes with multiple children order their necklaces via age: longer necklaces hanging lower on the chest are for older children, relative to their siblings. Ipotanes with newborns up to a year wear these necklaces tight around their throats- the altering of the necklace to a looser fit welcomes the parent and child to the next phase of life. Color and style of the necklace can signify anything from how old the parent was when they had the child, who they had the child with, the gender of the child, the gender of the parent, the season of the child's birth, the location of the child's birth, and so on.

Earrings are a mark of mourning. Most ipotane's first earrings will be their parent's deaths- a piercing per parent. The left ear for a mother, the right for a father. Ipotanes may also pierce an ear for a sibling's death, a partner, very close friends, or other close family members. An ipotane not wearing an earring for a death is not an insult- it is entirely subjective based on the relationship between the deceased and the living. These are the most conservative of history jewelry- they only have so much earspace.

Other, more minor events will usually bear bracelets. Beads, braids, leather, cloth, ribbon, metal- each has a meaning which can be further specified by color, style, size or shape. Weddings usually bring braided, embossed leather. Changing herds will mark with woven cloth. Crimes may be marked with woven wire that cannot be removed over the hand. Bracelets are always stacked linearly in terms of time: the closest to the hand will always be the birth, and the farthest will be the most recent.

Names

Ipotanes have three parts to their name: a formal name, a personal name, and a family name.

The formal name is given any time from a few days to a season after birth. It is used, as you may expect, in formal contexts, especially in ceremonies. It is typically not used in day-to-day life, as doing so would not only be overly formal, but callously distant and inappropriate. These names usually carry much significance, typically referencing a piece of literature, a folk tale, a piece of religion, or other meaningful work to the parents and/or the child.

The personal name is the one used in casual. This is the one an ipotane will greet and be greeted as and by. Most people will only know an ipotane by their personal name- only select few individuals ever learn any one ipotane's formal name. Personal names are often passed down- not necessarily from parent to child, but children are often named after other members in a herd, especially those that have since passed on.

The family name, like with many other species, is the tie to the family. It functions largely as surnames do, passing from mother to child.