Naga (The Bird Series) - Culture

Culture

Nagas have very pleasant and peaceful lives compared to the other three races that dwell above the Limit Line. They claim Keyboren, a giant jungle which covers the half of the world. Food is all around them in a form of wild animals in Keyboren, and they do not even have to saw or tender. They do not have a need to wage war against each other, for they give fewer offspring and there are plenty food and space. This abundance of life and peace in their lives allows the nagas a room to afford luxuries and develop grand cultures, it seems.

Because nagas cannot see visual lights and can only see the world as temperatures, they do not paint pictures. They have to write texts in ink and in very large letters, as ink absorbs heat allowing its shape to be recognized by a naga's eyes. When they want more delicate texts or blueprints they carve lines on a metal sheet, and water will be poured over it to be read. Nagas do enjoy many forms of art such as musical, sculpture, and specially dancing. Dancing is a common leisure for the highclass of the nagas society, a way for people to show off their artistic abilities. When nagas dance they hold metallic rodes, which are heated at the end when dancing. With these dancers will play with the heat and the movement of the air as the rodes scorch the air nearby, which is a great treat to another naga’s eyes.

When nagas appaud, they do not clap as sound is no use to them. Instead, they sprinkle water on a brazier nearby. The explosion of heat when cold water meets hot coals will look very bright on a naga’s eyes. When someone says 'The braziers have all cooled' it indicates that the person has done such a great job, people have sprinkled so much water on the braziers they have almost cooled down, therefore making it a great praise.

Because the nagas depend on the forest for their food and survive, they traditionally love trees. It would be not unlike the worshipping of sheep in the nomadic Jewish culture, or Asian religions and traditional favour of rice as they depend on rice to survive. Because of this, nagas call trees as their friends, treat them as equal as they would treat another naga, and are horrified by the idea of destroying trees. For this nagas have learned to use stone as their building and furniture materials. For example, the whole city of Hatengrazew was made out of white stones, probably limestones or marbles. Trees are very rarely cut down, but after a grand ritual and a tree funeral. Such wooden products from one are considered as an extreme luxury.

Nagas use the same language as the other three races. However, the remains of their older, independent language still survive in bits and pieces. Such examples are words such as Vyienaga, -grazew and Shozain-te-shyictol.

Read more about this topic:  Naga (The Bird Series)

Famous quotes containing the word culture:

    The hard truth is that what may be acceptable in elite culture may not be acceptable in mass culture, that tastes which pose only innocent ethical issues as the property of a minority become corrupting when they become more established. Taste is context, and the context has changed.
    Susan Sontag (b. 1933)

    The purpose of education is to keep a culture from being drowned in senseless repetitions, each of which claims to offer a new insight.
    Harold Rosenberg (1906–1978)

    The white dominant culture seemed to think that once the Indians were off the reservations, they’d eventually become like everybody else. But they aren’t like everybody else. When the Indianness is drummed out of them, they are turned into hopeless drunks on skid row.
    Elizabeth Morris (b. c. 1933)