Galea Tribe
| File:Galea Map.png Galea Tribe region and the location of the largest Galea settlement (Stelton). | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| c. 60,000,000 | |
| Languages | |
| Galee |
The Galea Tribe, also called the Galea people, are an indigenous people of the river delta region, who live in Wolfgalia and New North Yorkshire. They make up just under all of the present day Wolfgalian population and a majority of the New North Yorkshire population and have inhabited the river delta for hundreds of years, dating back to 1200 BC. Today, Galea people are citizens of Wolfgalia and New North Yorkshire and live all over the nations.
In the middle of the 18th century, the Galea tribe began to live under the protection of the Astari republic, a protection that lasted until the foundation of the nation Wolfgalia in the year 1832. Due to this protection, the Galea tribe continued to flourish, even in the modern era, as the tribe was allowed to develop it's own modern society with the help of trade with the Astari and with Aziallis, who created a trading outpost in the south, along the Cordola River. This overview of the Galea Tribe was the runner-up Featured Article in Anteria for the week of 10/7/18.
Name
The name Galea comes from their autonym, Galae, which means "happy, hopeful, and prideful" in Galee, the original language of the tribe. Alternately, Galee means "speaker" and the -a ending to words is equivalent to the English plural "s." This would refer to their history of speaking to the water and to the land to communicate with the gods.
The Galea people, when first encountered by the Astari, were an association of related peoples who spoke a common language different from anything found in existing nations. Until spoken communication was possible between the traders and the tribe, the Astari referred to them as "genu-folk," referring to their unconditional kindness and willingness to take explorers in for the night and give them food and shelter.
Territory
Lands traditionally considered Galea Lands were the banks of the northern river (present day Yorke-Wolf River). When the tribe met with Astari settlers, many groups expanded northward and, significantly, southward, unhappy with the relationship developing with the relative strangers, inhabiting the river delta and the land around the Cordola River. The Galea Tribe lived in small towns along the southern banks of the northern river and had a large town located where the two branches of the river combined at the southern coast, called Stelton after the water goddess Stel. The chief of the tribe lived in this town up until 1870, when Chief White River (English translation) moved to Wolftown to run the colony, soon to become Wolfgale. He soon encountered Aziallian traders, who developed a trading post in Mira'ele, a large Galea village up the river from Wolftown.
Language
The Galea tribe speaks the language Galee, which has a very unique history in that the language's origin comes from random sounds that the early tribe members associated with the environment around them. As time developed, more words developed, and eventually words began to stem from sounds that the world around them made (example. the Galee word for wind is Shesh and the word for home is Eeckeyhee after the sound of a squeaking wood under bare feet). Today, approximately 96% of Wolfgalian citizens speak Galee.
When Astari traders first encountered the Galea tribe, communication relied completely on visual cues, as Astariaxi (the Astari language) and Galee were drastically different. Some words changed over time in Galee because as the colonists began to learn the language, they associated Galee words with Astariaxi words that actually meant something completely different. The first known example of this was recorded in explorer Morris Vundgren's journal:
"the man held up the fruit in front of me. It was clear as he moved it towards my face, that the word he was repeating, 'Feyah', meant 'eat.'"
"Feyah" actually meant Gift, but because of Vundgren's misinterpretation, the word changed overtime to mean Eat.
Society
Dieties and Spiritual Beliefs
The Galea Tribe believes in the existence of two gods, twins named Farran and Stel. Farran (name translates into "Forest") is the god of the land, and he guards over the ground and the plants, keeping them healthy and beautiful. Stel (name translates into "Water"), the goddess of the water, controls the rivers and the ocean, preventing them from straying off course and destroying the villages on the rivers. These gods, known as the "Twins," are considered to be in control of everything that naturally occurrs, and the Galea Tribe will often speak to the water or to the trees to pray to one of the two dieties.
There are many myths and legends about the twin dieties. One of the most popular beliefs is that, being siblings, the gods want to spend time together. To accomplish this, Stel will travel on land to visit her brother by arriving in the form of rain, pouring down on the land, her brother Farran, to be close to him. Having siblings of their own, the Galea tribe celebrate the rain, honoring the reunion of the godly family. Heavy, thunderous rainstorms are considered special days in Galee culture, and it is considered good luck to call your sibling and tell them you love them on these days.
Spirit Animals
The Galea tribe believes that every person has a spirit animal that guides them through all of the decisions in their lives. These animals are the three pets of Farran and Stel. They believe that the spirit animal is determined by birth order, and that on a person's 14th birthday, their spirit animal inherits a trait that the person has shown through the first years of their lives. From that point on, it is believed that the person should make all decisions with their given trait as their prime motivator.
Each spirit animal has specific traits that are associated with it:
- Wolf, First Born Child
- Courage
- Confidence
- Commitment
- Pride
- Loyalty
- Responsibility
- Fairness
- Politeness
- Lovingness
- Conscientiousness
- Fox, Second Born Child
- Wisdom
- Proactivity
- Forgiveness
- Authenticity
- Generosity
- Kindness
- Reliability
- Self-Discipline
- Hawk, Third Born Child and After
- Integrity
- Honesty
- Respectfulness
- Humility
- Compassion
- Determination
- Perseverance
- Optimism
Hunting and farming
In the Galea Tribe, hunting and farming was not divided by gender. Tribe members would be tested on the day after their 12th birthday to determine if they were more suited to hunting in the forests, fields, and rivers, if they were more suited to planting and harvesting the bountiful foods that populated the region, or if they were most suited for weaving and building. Tribe members would have claims to pieces of land for their family, but the land was considered to be owned by Farran. The areas surrounding the Galea towns were very rich and well suited for corn fields and the Galea people quickly became experts at cultivating crops.
In the 1700s, when the Galea tribe and the Astari traders began living together, they introduced the colonists to their prime crop, corn. In exchange, the colonists introduced advanced, mechanical methods of cultivating crops that made it much easier for the people to harvest. The colonists also introduced guns that became the new favored method for hunting animals. After a terrible incident where a tribe member shot his father out of rage in 1865, it was determined that guns would only be accessible to those who need them for their jobs, such as hunting, which has remained law in Wolfgalia ever since.
Housing
The Galea Tribe built large longhouses out of heavy branches and bigger leathers they would collect while hunting and gathering. Upwards of eight families would live in one longhouse, where one adult, typically a first born with the Confidence, Responsibility, or Fairness trait of the first born, would be considered the 'Eeckeyheenah', or the "Home Head." In the houses of the chiefs of each village, only four families would live, as the rest of the longhouse would be used as a meeting hall for the tribe's elders.
Houses in Stelton would very often be dyed bright colors to make the village easier for returning hunters to find. Most were dyed purple, as it was the first born who was generally the 'Eeckeyheenah' and the one who oversaw the construction of the longhouse. As well, violets and other purple flowers were abundant around Stelton and could easily be found, picked, and made into dyes.
Clothing and Adornment
Classic Galea Tribe attire consisted of leathers made from animal hide. Men would wear the hide around their waists in the style of skirts, which they would tie together with rope made from plants. The women would wear the same, as well as a top piece that draped over their shoulder and covered their chests. The leather would be dyed different colors depending on the tribe member's spirit animal, with purple standing for the wolf, red for the fox, and blue for the hawk. When the nation Wolfgalia adopted the wolf as the Wolfgalian Sigil in 1840, it also adopted the purple color associated with it, which quickly became the primary color representing the nation.
In 1784, the Galea tribe discovered cotton growing in a the north of the nation, near the city of Parkvalle, which quickly became the fabric of choice in the consistently warm environment. Leather became less common, eventually becoming the standard wear for formal occasions.
The Galea tribe also adorned themselves with claws from animals and nice rocks. When they showed the traders, they made upgrades by carving them into more aesthetic shapes such as spheres and prisms.