Baszku people

The Baszku people (Baszku: /’baʃ.ku/), sometimes written as the Bashku, are an indigenous human ethnolinguistic group in Abexilas. They are historically native to the lands of Zilatra and the surrounding regions. Within Zilatra, Baszkus are the largest single ethnic group. In other nations like Transaria and Sentara, they also make significant portions of the population.

The vast majority of Baszku people speak the aptly named Baszku language.

Etymology
It is unknown exactly where the term “Baszku” originates, but it is believed it originates from the Middle Baszku language word for “to mine”, “baszkan.” When conjugated, the term “baszku” could translate to “they [who] mine.” In the modern Baszku language, “to mine” is “baszan.” The term “Baszku” is still used today in the language to refer to the people group, even though the original verb has since changed.

The term “Bashku” has sometimes been used in Traveler’s Tongue to refer to the people group; this is just the term “Baszku” altered to fit the orthography of Traveler’s Tongue. The other most common language in countries like Zilatra is Lo’Oi, where the term “Baxku” is used to refer to ethnicity.

The term “Baszkus” exists solely within Travler’s Tongue. The proper way to pluralize the term Baszku in the Baszku language is “Baszkuku”, and in order to make it an adjective (i.e. someone or something which is or has elements of the Baszku) you would say “Baszkuya”. If in the adjective form and describing multiple subjects (i.e. the noun it is describing is plural), the adjective must also be plural, becoming “Baszkuyaku”.

Cuisine
Baszku cuisine has had a tremendous impact in its historical homelands; even the surrounding regions have often embraced Baszku dishes.

The largest cultural export of the Baszku is yeqa, a spiced tea. It is generally brewed using black tea leaves and water. Spices, called tuqilku, are often toasted and added alongside the black tea. These traditionally include nutmeg seeds, cardamom pods, vanilla beans,  and rosemary leaves. After the water has been steeped with the tea and tuqilku, it is either strained, and/or the tea bag is discarded. Honey is then added to sweeten the tea. Sometimes milk or cream — called czakata — is added to the tea afterward, though this is a particular staple of the Baszku in Northern Zilatra. In other nations like Sentara, cane syrup may be added to the tea. Yeqa is generally consumed in the morning for energy, and consumption is practiced widely in numerous nations and by many people, although yeqa originates specifically from the Baszku people.

Numerous dishes are commonplace in Baszku cuisine, some becoming popular abroad among non-Baszkus. Czusa dabu (lit. venison stirred) is a venison-based dish browned and cooked with a spiced sauce, mainly comprising Zilatran peppercorns, lemon, and, to a lesser extent, tuqillku. The meat is often marinated in plain yogurt with a small amount of vegetable stock before cooking. It is often served with rice, though in other countries like Sentara, the dish has been popularly modified to include noodles instead of rice. Other popular dishes include saye janu (lit. beef fried), a spicy stir-fried beef dish often served alongside fried sweet plantains and/or vegetables. Preparation of the meat often is done in a similar method to czusa dabu.

Funeral rituals
Death is not considered to be a taboo within Baszku society, as it is seen as a natural element of life. As such, this extends to funerary rituals. Instead of an event for mourning, funerals are often seen as a celebration of life. The deceased are typically wrapped in red fabric, which is sometimes embroidered (an art form called daszuminji) with messages from loved ones and sometimes even strangers; this is done elaborately and shows things that the deceased loved in life or fond experiences. Sometimes, the elderly may even embroider their funeral fabrics to include things they wish to take with them in death and fond memories.

Traditionally, the deceased are buried directly into the ground without a casket to hasten the decomposition process. However, nowadays, caskets have grown in popularity due to the influence of Lo’Oix migrants. These funerals often accompany a feast and sometimes traditional dance and music. Particularly, the deceased's favorite foods, music, and dances are typically performed.

Wedding rituals
One of the highest moments in one’s life is typically regarded as a wedding, also called the yalanji. Unlike in other places, this is often not considered a one-time event, and there is no taboo against divorce, re-marrying after being widowed, or even wedding multiple people. Spouses, regardless of gender, are expected to help provide for one another to the best of their abilities. It is expected that someone should only have multiple spouses if they can help provide for multiple spouses; which the vast majority cannot, therefore polyamorous marriages are uncommon, but considered socially acceptable.

These events generally include the spouses, their extended families, friends, and even just community members congregating in a public space for a feast. Both spouses wear special wedding-specific garments that are not worn outside of that predicament. Gold jewelry, called gasz, is adorned across the body. Traditionally, the spouses wear multi-colored garments, often consisting of gold and red; other colors are often based on the spouse's origin. One village may traditionally include purple for instance while another may traditionally use brown. Gold represents life within traditional Baszku culture and is therefore the most primary color featured on wedding garbs. Red is also often featured, as the color signifying death, to represent that the love between the spouses will continue until their deaths, or the symbolic death of the relationship (i,e. divorce).

Women generally wear an extravagant dress, called a kuqa si yalanji or simply kuqa. Men will most commonly wear a traditional strapped robe with jewlery called a tugaqal si yalanji, or simply tugaqal. Those identifying with third sex in Baszku society wear whichever garb they prefer, though the tugaqal is most common. Both on the tugaqal and kuqa, golden coins are often tied onto straps and/or the garbs to represent the spouses’ wealth or the richness of their love for one another.

After the wedding feast, the spouses generally go to an altar or special location where they exchange a golden ring. Traditionally men would most often wear a ring on the finger, while married women would adorn a golden nosering. These noserings would often feature a thin golden chain which may loop across the cheek and attach to a golden earring. These jewelry pieces are generally only worn at special events to avoid damage or losing them.

After the formal wedding procedure the spouses and their guests will often dance to traditional music, drinking alcohol at weddings is highly taboo as one is meant to remember the occasion vividly. So much so that the phrase “to drink at a wedding” in the Baszku language is used to express shame in forgetting something, especially a special date, festival, or event.

Music
The Baszku people are well known for their musical traditions. The most popular type of music traditionally played by the Baszku is called Gadisaji. This type of music is mostly accompanied by fast-paced style of dance called Balanji. In the traditional Gadisaji style, a drum (called a bakur) maintains a fast rhythm utilizing syncopation. Several other instruments, namely string instruments, including Zilatran lutes (daqenka) and guitars (kutacza, lit. “corset”) will play along and maintain a rhythm for dancing. Gadisaji is widely played at weddings, festivals, and sometimes even funerals. Gadisaji is widely played throughout the entire region and has found popularity in non-Baszku majority countries like Sentara and Transaria, though it is still incredibly popular in its homeland in modern day Zilatra.

Only one other genre of music has found relative popularity among the Baszku, a newer introduction to the region inspired by the music of migrants from Eldham. This is called Kaszkiya (lit. Kazkayan), and utilizes Serronan fiddles (called a lusz qe kutacza, lit. Lo’Oix guitar), combining Serronan instrumentation with the traditional music of Gadisaji, though drums tend be more mellowed with much heavier focus on strings. Kaszkiya has strong popularity among the Lo’Oix diaspora across Abexilas and in Baszku urban centers.

Naming conventions
Traditional Baszku names feature a personal name and the personal name of the one who gave birth to them. Furthermore, personal names are traditionally based after events at the time of birth. Most commonly, children are born after the name of the week, the season, or the month they were born. Sometimes the names are more complex however, with children being named after festivals at the time of their birth, or natural events like harvests, weather, and how well childbirth went. All names are traditionally gender neutral. Sometimes names have nicknames.

For instance, someone with the name Dusaja si Balic has the personal name Dusaja, indicating they were born on a Monday. Variations may include names like Dusanya or Dus. The name of the person who birthed them is Balic. This is a name indicating that they were born during a harvest. Variations of this name include Balicya and Bal. Within this context, “si” literally translates to “of” in the Baszku language. This is not to be confused with “qe” which also translates to “of” but refers specifically to ownership.

Frequently, foreign names may be given a modification to fit into the written Baszku language. These may not fit into the traditional naming scheme. An example may be historical figures like Xeroise Ronango’O, who in Baszku communities is often called Szeruse [si] Runaczu; despite this name being nonsense in the Baszku language. Furthermore, the ideology of Xeroism who is named after her is called Szerugal to fit into Baszku orthography and grammar.

Clothing
The clothing in traditional Baszku society earned the people a reputation for being very wealthy; though in pre-history this wealth was largely reserved for the higher class and aristocracy, in the modern day styles have become less extravagant, flexible,  and embraceable by working people.

In traditional women’s dress the staple garb of choice is often the kuqa. This is a traditional gown that consists of three parts: the skirt (nasze), bodice (kutacze), and a ruffle, also called a top (aheka). All three, depending on if its a formal gown or not, may be accented in golden elements called gasz; typically in the form of coins. Everyday working clothes generally do not consist of this and gold-accented gowns are reserved for formalities. The ruffle or top of the dress is a ruffled and segmented tubular section of fabric positioned just below the shoulders and typically extends to about the mid-point of the breasts. The skirt is very similar, however is much longer and often features more details, ruffling, and segmenting. The skirt generally extents from at least the top of the hip to ankle-length, though some modern variations may have the skirt at knee length. The ruffled and movable nature of both the top and skirt are designed for dancing and give the impression that the gown flutters when dancing. Especially when spinning, the ruffles underneath may be decorated or brightly colored so that it may be surprising upon its reveal. Underneath the skirt and top, the bodice is generally worn and goes from the breasts to the hip. This does not constrict the body as the kuqa as aforementioned is designed for dancing; instead it is meant to help keep the breasts in place and give shape and attachment for the separate elements of the gown. These are most commonly dyed blue, gold, white, and red. The function of the kuqa is perhaps most comparable to karabela gowns.

The other most common form of garb is the tugaqal. These are often worn by people of all genders; though among women in particular it is often used as “loungeware” as opposed to something worn in public. These are generally a long piece of unstitched rectangular fabric; in warmer climates things like linen, silk, or muslin may be used while in colder climates wool may be used. They are wrapped decoratively over the body as a kind of robe — being draped and held to the hip, and if necessary, the breasts, with fabric left to hang down going down to at least the calves, with the remainder of the fabric draped over the arms and back acting as a kind of shawl. Particularly in men’s fashion, the shawl-part of the tugaqal may be kept in place with leather straps and further straps, or even stitched pockets, may be added to the robe.

Over the last century, imported fashions from both elsewhere in Abexilas and also Eldham have greatly influenced Baszku fashion, namely the introduction of standard shirts (busku, from Lo’Oi buskos) and standard-cut pants (baya, from Lo’Oi bála). Variations of these styles have been made, however, and Baszku will often wear a style of baya unique to them featuring a wider bottom meant to give airflow to the otherwise restrictive pants and also allow for things like boots to be worn more easily; this style of pants is widely popular among all genders. Busku has also been made with the stylistic ruffling of aheka, mostly worn by women. Formal baya and busku are most favored among government officials and is used in everyday life by members of the government in Zilatra.

People of all genders with long hair often tie their hair into a low bun or wear a micon, a ruffled hair wrap, or a scarf to protect their hair and keep it out of the face, especially during physical activity. The color and design of one’s micon may indicate where one is from; for instance, a white micon with golden-color floral designs may indicate a specific region. Hair, when tied up, is sometimes left with very short hairs in the front that may either be curled stylistically or in style most popular among young people, gelled and arranged in curls directly on the forehead and cheek.

Gender traditions
Within Baszku society there are three forms of gender: male (edan), female (tara), and third-sex/non-binary (hamalu). While people are generally assigned a gender at birth, there is little to no prejudice about changing one’s gender to another. Someone may be edanya (male, as an adjective) and transition later in life to become hamaluya (non-binary, as an adjective), for instance.

While neither men nor women have strict caste dynamics or separation from one another, women do tend to work in the agricultural industry or fine arts meanwhile, men tend to work in more extraneous labor such as mining, hunting, and factory work. Traditionally, the hamalu were often employed as teachers, healers, and scribes. These were not mandated by any means, however, and people flexibly went into different roles, though it was sometimes considered taboo to work outside of gendered roles, namely in rural spaces and provinces. This was particularly the case before the rise of female Saguns in the Baszku Kingdoms, and particularly before the social reforms that took place across the regions around the 290's TE.

Folk healing and magic
In traditional society, the Baszku had what was called the hatanya, or a healer. Namely by foreigners, they have sometimes been called witch-doctors, and the hatanya in Baszku society has sometimes been demonized.

They generally gather materials and herbs used for medicinal purposes, where tinctures, teas, balms, and pastes are used and can be applied to help with ailments. During healing ailments, the hatanya will often recite prayers, poems, or songs associated with the ancestors of either the hatanya or the recipient of the care. Incense (tabak) is often lighted in these treatments to help relax the recipient and soothe their anxieties.

In foreign poetry and epic texts, Baszku hatanya are often associated with assassinations and tricksters because of their clever knowledge of the natural world and plants. However, this is often considered offensive to most practitioners of the career today. This arose following the assassination of a Sagun (King) named Kabli si Hada (Sagun Kabli II) of the Qudakya dynasty, the final leader of the Second Baszku Kingdom (Baszku qe Dekya Sagungal). The alleged assassin, a hamalu named Adaczili si Rahada, was a hatanya.

The term “hatanya” is not to be confused with “hatanyali,” which refers to brewers, i.e., people who make alcohol and potions. However, the term is directly derived from hatanya.

Language
The most commonly spoken language by the Baszku people is the Baszku language. The vast majority of Baszku people speak some dialect of this language. Many in the modern-day speak multiple languages; however, the most common is Lo’Oi due to the substantial Lo’Oix population in Zilatra and Sentara following the Eldhamite migration. Other languages, such as Dwarvish, Sentari, Vula, and Mari (names to be updated) are sometimes spoken as a second or third tongue.

Loanwords from all these languages are present within the Baszku language, especially words describing new technologies, ideas, people, and countries. For instance, the word for the courthouse is “dakatu”, derived from the Lo’Oi word “drikato”. Similarly, the word for Ryzan is “Riczanut,” derived from the Lo’Oi name “Rizanoto.”

Notable Baszku people

 * Ahudenya si Dal
 * Balic si Adaczi
 * Szal si Ahuden
 * Ahud si Bati
 * Jayali si Tuqe
 * Qadi si Gadus
 * Rahada si Gadusaja
 * Tal si Hala
 * Rufus A-Ikalanji
 * Talun si Batiku