Sâre

Sâre (pronounced /sa:r/, SAA-r), from Ndjarendie Saare, meaning "village", often referred to as the Village System in Estmerish, is a historical societal structure that preceded Hourege in Bahia and defined societal constructions from its inception with the rise of Bahian civilisation up until the Bahian Consolidation. Sâre is less finitely defined in its timespan among Bahiologists, as it preceded in many cases written language and other reliable means of understanding society's function, but is generally defined as having arisen alongside Bahian fetishism. Under Sâre, the largest polity was the village, an organic entity centred around a focal point such as a shrine or market. Administrative duties were usually handled by a Foujodel, a sort of citizens assembly where all free citizens of the village would come together and vote by raised hand, though high amounts of power were held by religious authorities.

Function

The functionality of Sâre was heavily rooted in the cultural and economic realities of early Bahian civilisation. Unlike in Badawiya or Euclea where the geographic, religious and technological situations encouraged the formation of empires and other larger states, Bahia was far less interconnected. The high ethnic and linguistic diversity, itself benefited by the terrain which is dominated by mountains and hilly areas covered by thick rainforest, meant that such states were infeasible. There was no centralised religion either, with the Fetishism that dominated Bahia being a loosely affiliated group of faiths which shared several gods and general rites, although these differed widely from village to village and group to group. Society instead centred itself on local ties, with tribal and clan affiliation being very important.

Sâre was based on the village, which formed the general unit of societal cohesion. This, in turn, centred itself on the focal point. The focal point was a location of interest such as a river crossing, fetishist shrine, market, or any other area where people gathered. As these populations grew organically, they began to gain a sort of collective interest. This collective interest was the basis of Sâre as a system. Villages began to adopt forms of local political authority, developing decision-making processes in order to protect the interests of the village's inhabitants.

The actual structure of this political authority was never fully standardised, but there were several key trends within the system. Villages that were centred upon focal points of religious significance tended towards theocratic rule, with the clergy wielding the most authority, while those centred on markets often leaned more towards tribal elders and other more wealthy figures. One element of decision-making which was widely adopted across the Sâre system, however, was Foujandel. This was a form of what would nowadays be called Direct Democracy, where the free inhabitants of a village would come together and vote on issues. This operated hand in hand with the unofficial influence and authority of the clergy or tribal heads, providing a method of governance that was reasonably stable.