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.

Decline

However, as these villages grew more prosperous and grew, the system was unable to cope. Wars between villages grew more common, and conquests of other territories meant that elements such as Foujandel were no longer possible. It also largely relied on the decentralised nature of Bahian Fetishism, and when this was replaced by centralised monotheistic religions such as Irfan and Sotirianity the importance of local clergy and centralisation of political authority on shrines could no longer be maintained. The arrival of more advanced administrative technology and ideas was another major factor, as these permitted the expansion of political entities beyond localised village levels and enabled the birth of the state. These factors meant that even before the Bahian Wars of Religion the Sâre system was overdue for a reformation.

Bahian Consolidation

A statuette depicting a Founagé horseman, 11th century

The final collapse of the weakened Sâre system came at the hands of the Irfanic invasions of the tenth century. Incursions across the Fersi Desert by Irfanic warbands led to the conversion of several Ndjarendie clans to the faith. United by the charismatic preacher Musa Ibn Fuad, these tribes formed the Founagé Dominion of Heaven and launched a series of raids on neighbouring villages. Having adopted Badawiyan administrative ideas and military organisation, the Founagé quickly overpowered their neighbours and took vast swathes of land. In these areas, the Irfanic faith was spread and the Sâre system was extinguished. The Founagé seemed unstoppable, and their destruction of idols and shrines led to a widespread fear of complete societal destruction.

It was at the village of Kaanmabe in modern-day Mabifia that the fetishists were able to strike a blow against the invaders. In what could be described as a military coup, a visionary merchant named Koyizo Nzorfu took control of the village and managed to coerce its neighbours into paying him tribute. With a centralised authority and military force, Kaanmabe was able to defeat the Founagé in several battles. This blunted the advances of Irfan into eastern Bahia, and though there were several other invasions in the following years they never reached the same levels of success. This was due to the spread of Nzorfu's reforms, which spread like a wildfire amongst the more wealthy castes across Bahia as they saw a way to preserve their status and religion. The Great Bleeding, the period of intense violence as Bahia transitioned from the disunited Sâre system to the centralised Hourege system, spelt the end of Sâre in Bahia.

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.