Even giants learn to respect a goliath war party
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GOLIATHS
Between forty and sixty goliaths—three to five extended families—comprise a typical tribe. Most goliaths stay members of the same tribe for life. Tribes that grow too large and unwieldy sometimes split into two or three smaller tribes, and tribes that fall
Key Tribal Members Though tribe members are generally considered equals, several key roles are important to every goliath tribe. Chieftain: The tribal chieftain is the primary authority figure for a tribe, but by no means the only source of power within a tribe. The chieftain leads the tribe by acclamation when the former chief steps down (or is forced out). He is responsible for setting the path of the tribe, leading it to food-rich regions, and deciding when to move on once hunting is scarce. Each day, the chieftain selects a number of captains (“kathunae” in GolKaa) and gives each of them a task for the day, such as hunting, gathering raw materials,
CHAPTER 3
TRIBAL STRUCTURE
on hard times and become too small to survive on their own might merge with more stable tribes. However, such changes are rare; the lorekeepers of most goliath tribes can trace their tribal history back a dozen generations or more. Most goliaths identify far more strongly with their tribe than they do with their family. Family members generally share a sleeping tent and regard each other as particularly close companions, but the bonds between them aren’t as strong as they would be in a typical human society. The tribe as a whole raises its young, so children don’t form strong parental bonds. Marriages and remarriages are frequent among goliaths, so families tend to be rather fluid.
Illus. by T. Baxa
most mundane task into a race, wager, or other competition. Additionally, the social pressure to be a “good sport” is almost overpowering—cheaters and poor losers find themselves shunned by the tribe. Goliaths compete almost without thinking about it. A team of hunters might find themselves sprinting toward a mountain peak, but none of them announced a race and none of them could say who started running first. Goliath tribes tend to be generous and hospitable to visitors, as long as those visitors don’t pose a threat. In yet another indication of the race’s competitive nature, a goliath tribe will provide as much food and entertainment as possible for a visitor, hoping that tales of the tribe’s excellence will spread. This generous tendency is tempered by the fact that, as huntergatherers, goliath tribes don’t have much in the way of traditional wealth, and only when a hunt goes particularly well do they have a surplus of food.
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