The K'mir Tribes

K'mir, K'miri - The K'mir are the matriarchal, nomadic tribes of the mountains of Sarain. They herd ponies and are ferocious warriors and riders. The Saren lowlanders despise the K'mir and are continuously at war with them. There is a small established population of K'miri in Tortall, a demographic that hearkens back to the days when the Saren princess Thayet jian Wilima became Queen of Tortall; Thayet was half-K'miri.

Who They Are
Not much is known about the K'mir - they keep to themselves, when they're not hunting lowlanders or living outside the tribes.

Tribes
What is known is that they live in tribes - or family groups - and that there are many of them. The smallest clans typically have over thirty members, and the other clans can only get larger. The tribes are a very social people - within each group - and they often gather together to honor the dead or a marriage or to celebrate a birth. These events are important to them, and everyone participates.

Class system
The K'mir have no noble system like Tortallans or Marenites do; whatever honors a person has, they earned themselves. However, that does not mean that some K'mir will not serve another clan. One example was that of Buriram Tourakom, whose tribe, the Hau Ma, served that of Thayet's mother's clan (name currently not known.) It is also known that they do have some sort of royalty system, as Kalasin was a princess of the K'mir. Whether or not it is like that of Tortall remains to be seen; likely, the answer is no.

Unlike many organizations and groups, the K'mir, being a matriarchal society, permit women to rule as chiefs of the tribes.

Customs and Personality
K'mir armor is based off of the feudal Japanese samurai armor, and is described as being lacquered in bright colors such as red, blue, or green. The K'miri also take after the samurai's in that suicide can be seen as an honorable option; such is witnessed when Kalasin sings her death chant, telling why she is killing herself, and then jumps out of her tower window.

The K'mir are a warrior people, and as such, every child is reared to fight. They have to be; the lowlanders take them for slaves when they can, and steal their ponies. The are also shown as being prideful people, confident in their skills as warriors and riders. It was implied by one K'mir that they do not beg or plead.

They have their own language, which is known as K'mir. When they introduce themselves as from a clan, a K'mir will state, "I am [name] of the K'mir [tribe]."

The K'mir do not have executions as they are known in Tortall. Them as did wrong are given to the families of those that they've wronged, and the families execute them.

Known Tribes and Members
1. The Hau Ma 2. The Raadeh 3. The Churi
 * Kalasin
 * Thayet jian Wilima (half-K'mir)
 * Buriram Tourakom
 * Pathom Tourakom
 * Onua Chamtong

Worship
The gods that the K'mir worship are the Four Horselords. They also worship an all-creating mother and father:
 * Bian North-wind - goddess of trade, sleep, horses (she gave birth to horses), fertility
 * Chavi West-wind - goddess of cleansing, belief or religion, music, marriage
 * Vau East-wind - god of creation (helped Bian to give birth to horses), travel, strength, truth
 * Shai South-Wind - god of magic, volcanoes, sex, healing
 * Father Storm and Mother Fire - gave birth to the world and the stars, parents of
 * Grandmother Stone - goddess of age and time

Who They're Based Off Of
They’re based partly on the Mongols in that they’re riders, partly on the Montagnard tribes of the central highlands of Vietnam, and a bit on the Maya at least in their facial bones. Their language is cobbled from the Montagnard. You may have some trouble tracking pictures of them down, but they come from similar aboriginal stock to the Laotian Hmong and Meo tribes and the Thai hill tribes. And their armor is a bit like the armor of the samurai, only it’s lacquer over bamboo in layers and cured to an iron-like consistency.