Haroke Culture

The Haroke Culture was a Post-Collapse human, halfling and dwarf agricultural society that lived along the southern coast of Orana.

Art
Haroke pottery was very elaborate, featuring inlays of gemstones, shells and even animal parts, such as fangs, porcupine quills and hairs.

Dress
During the summer months, small loincloths and skirts were typical among males and females, with nudity not being uncommon. During the winter months, fur coverings were draped around the shoulders. Men typically wore tunics while women wore long skirts. Moccasins were worn on the feet year round.

Status and social position was shown with body paint, ornamental feathers, headdresses and pottery bead necklaces.

Language
The Haroke spoke the Haroke Language, which at the time could be broadly split into the east, west and middle dialects.

Naming Conventions
A Haroke child would be given a name by their mother, and would keep this name until adulthood, at which point they would be given a new name by the village shaman, often reflecting deeds, physical traits, aspirations or social position. The village shaman would be responsible for ensuring that every adult member of the village had a unique name. Names would be recycled after death.

Away from home, individuals would be differentiated by their home village and clan. This was done matrilinealy; thus a child of a Bear Clan father and a Wolf Clan mother would take the Wolf Clan as their own.

Religion
The Haroke believed in a duality of good and evil. A good deity, Nacafo, associated with the sun, watched over the Haroke and guaranteed them a good harvest. The evil deity, Fiklo, was represented as a crow who preyed on people and spread disease. The Haroke also worshiped the Old Spirits. By around 2500 3E, the following deities had entered their pantheon:
 * Sawa, goddess of time and harvest
 * Nani, goddess of death and undead
 * Hoki, god of love and the wind

Society
At the lowest level, the Haroke were organised into villages, with each village being ruled by a chief (typically male). A village chief would be chosen upon the death of the previous one by the shaman, an exclusively female position. Villages were then organised into clans, with each clan being led by a clan chief, elected by the village chiefs.

The Haroke were generally quite egalitarian in respects to both race and gender. In Haroke culture, it was traditionally assumed that humans were natural warriors, halflings natural farmers and dwarfs natural craftsmen. Humans tended to be chiefs more often than others, but it was not uncommon for halflings and dwarfs to assume the role.

War
Haroke clans warred among themselves and with the neighbouring Muuwato and Wenda people fairly frequently, often as revenge for the death of a clan member.

Technology
The Haroke used stone tools and crafted pottery artifacts.

Agriculture
The Haroke cultivated sunflowers, squash and beans, and by 1000 3E had domesticated the turkey.

Weapons
The Haroke primarily used bows and flint arrows, spears, wooden clubs and stone hand axes.