Post by ErosThanatos on Jan 29, 2013 19:18:49 GMT -5
Species Name: Jintaro
Species Type: Humanoid
Planet of Origin: Oarobos
Average Maximum age: 120 years
Age of Maturation: 20 years
Average Height: 6’5”
Average Weight: 175 lb.
Notable biological features:
Jintaro have three sexes. Each sports a single pair of 12 to 15 inch head-tails, starting at the forehead and sweeping back along the skull. Their middle and ring fingers are longer than the others by a factor of nearly two. Each of the sexes has four eyes, and a slender and largely vestigial fin-tail. All Jintaro have highly cartilaginous bone structures, theorized to be a holdover from their amphibious origins.
Jintaro skin pigmentation is predominantly blue and green with even pale Jintaro retaining some color.
The Jintaro have fairly dense muscle-fiber spindles, giving them a deceptively svelte frame. Though not as durable or hardy as most humanoids, Jintaro have at least comparable power-to-mass ratios.
Number of limbs and Type:
All three sexes have four limbs – two arms and two legs. Five fingers per hand, two toes per foot. Each digit ends with a small, non-retractable claw.
Sex:
The Jintaro culture is a complex, tribal unit based around the three sexes of the species and the five genders which accompany them. Examination of those form a basis to understanding the species as a whole. Tribes are small and close-knit as a result of the Jintaro reproduction cycle requiring three parents.
The "Gifter" is the Jintaro male-analog. Their reproductive role is to supply the initial non-motile spermatium. The male-analog has a vestigial third claw on the insides of its ankle, and is on average larger than the other two sexes.
The "Giver" is an androgynous sex, both in morphology and societal role. It is the enzyme unique to a Giver’s physiology which allows the non-motile spermatium to become a motile spermatozoon- without the Giver’s involvement, a female-analog Jintaro cannot be impregnated. Like the male-analog, The Giver has a vestigal third claw on the insides of its ankle. In stature, it stands halfway between male and female-analog.
The "Gifted" is the third sex, a female-analog. Jintaro gestation lasts for up to ten months – and it is not unheard of for a pregnancy to last up to a year. The female-analog is the only one of the sexes to have practical secondary sexual characteristics, ie functioning mammary glands. It lacks the ankle-claw of the other two sexes and is on average the slightest in stature.
Gender
In Jintaro society there are three gender roles aligning to each of the three sexes, one gender role that is a rough analog of transgender, and a final gender role that is mostly asexual. It goes without saying that the Jintaro's unique and complicated gender roles are often the hardest aspect of the species for outsiders to comprehend.
Normative Gifters are seen as providers of their family unit. They're expected to hunt the fens of Orobos, or farm its fields or work in its few settlements. While helping to educate their offspring, the Gifter is the least directly involved in bringing up Jintaro children.
Normative Givers have the most pliant gender-role in society, which is only natural considering their role the reproductive cycle. A Giver is expected to mediate between the Gifter-sex and the Gifted-sex, helping where they are needed. There is something of a stigma to a Giver who is not naturally selfless- of the three gender roles, it the Giver has the largest expectation attached to it.
Normative Gifted are the caretakers in Jintaro society. They bear and nurse adolescent Jintaro, educating them and carrying on a great deal of the oral traditions that sustain individual tribes. Though a child's Gifter might help, it is the Gifted who are expected to be the primary educators of Jintaro children.
"Those Between Waves" is the somewhat poetical euphemism used for Jintaro whose desired role in the family-trio or reproductive cycle does not match to their biological sex. Essentially 'transgendered', these Jintaro are often adopted into family-trios, or adopt so that they can fulfill the role their reproductive biology does not allow.
"Dry" Jintaro are the fifth and final gender-role, and unlike the other four it is almost entirely removed from the reproductive cycle. Roughly analogous to 'asexual', these Jintaro do not accept or feel drawn to the role generally expected of their sex. Neither do they feel drawn to any sexual role whatsoever- as the name implies they are outside the waters of sexual or gender role. Dry Jintaro often act as warriors or explorers in society, as they are naturally independent the close-knit family units that make up a tribe.
Nomenclature
Jintaro children learn early on the means by which to refer to their parents – and indeed all other Jintaro – in the form of simple prefixes.
To call someone La’Dolla for example would mean “Dolla, Who Births” and would identify them as a Gifted.
By the same token, Do’Dolla would translate roughly to “Dolla, Who Carries”, referring to a biological Giver.
A Gifter would be called Gol’Dolla, or “Dolla, Who Sees”, referencing the Jintaro belief that all Gifters see their offspring in a dream before their initial conception.
Jintaro Between Waves are the most complicated- most prefer to use the prefix which aligns with the gender to which they identify. Though biologically a Gifter, for example, a Jintaro Between Waves might want to use a Gifted's prefix. Others will combine the prefix for their sex and their gender-identity; "Do'Go'Dolla" for example. There is no real standard, and much of it comes down to the individual Jintaro's preference.
Dry Jintaro are the only ones who are without a prefix, befitting their somewhat 'outside' status. Lately there has been a small movement to invent a new prefix for Dry Jintaro but it doesn't seem to have caught on.
There are other prefixes and honorifics worth mentioning. O’Dolla would be the expected manner in which one referred to a member of the tribe, literally “Dolla, who is Kin”. A’Dolla would be a member of another tribe, literally “Dolla, who is not Kin.”
Culture
The Jintaro species are generally peaceful, though that is more circumstance than anything else. Oarobos is not an arid world where resources are hard to come by, and the Jintaro are happy to remain unindustrialized. Consequently, there have been few large scale conflicts over resources - most tribal fights have been matters of territory or honor.
The Jintaro have little unified government to speak of, though their planet is host to a small offworld trading outpost. Should the need arise, the largest Jintaro tribes will occasionally elect a single leader from amongst them- this was only done in times of large-scale conflict in the past, in order to mediate the central dispute. The last such leader elected was done so in response to first-contact by an offworlder.
Jintaro take a life of violence gravely, and no one learns how to become a warrior without fully embracing the implications of that lifestyle. In point of fact, it is rare to find a Jintaro warrior that is not "Dry" gendered.
Each tribe - ranging from ten to a thousand family units - has their territory. Some live predominately as farmers, others hunt and gather, and some do both. Since the arrival of offworlders and a spaceport, more and more Jintaro have become settled. It is only a matter of time before the more loosely defined lifestyle of swamps and fallow fens gives way to towns and cities. Already, the osmosis of foreign ideas onto Oroboros is filtering through the tribes- the blaster rifle is now a more popular hunting tool than the bow and arrow.
History:
Discovered in 3854 by a Republic Stellar Cartographer, Oarobos was marked a mere curiosity at first and largely ignored for the next thirty years. In 3884, a Sullustun named Ghenan Gnunb applied to set up a small trading outpost on the planet – its proximity to a small but useful tradelane made it a perfect stopover. During the course of the planetary survey Gnunb conducted, the Jintaro were discovered. Their lack of a unified government – as well as their generally small numbers – made the Jintaro a ripe target for exploitation. In an admirable turn of events, Gnunb instead reported the discovery of the Jintaro and applied for their protection under Republic law.
Ten years later, Gnunb saw his spaceport built and was afforded the title of “O’Jintaro’Gnunb” or “Gnunb, who is Kin to Jintaro”.
Picture of three Jintaro; a small child, a Gifter and a Giver. I do not take credit for this picture.
Species Type: Humanoid
Planet of Origin: Oarobos
Average Maximum age: 120 years
Age of Maturation: 20 years
Average Height: 6’5”
Average Weight: 175 lb.
Notable biological features:
Jintaro have three sexes. Each sports a single pair of 12 to 15 inch head-tails, starting at the forehead and sweeping back along the skull. Their middle and ring fingers are longer than the others by a factor of nearly two. Each of the sexes has four eyes, and a slender and largely vestigial fin-tail. All Jintaro have highly cartilaginous bone structures, theorized to be a holdover from their amphibious origins.
Jintaro skin pigmentation is predominantly blue and green with even pale Jintaro retaining some color.
The Jintaro have fairly dense muscle-fiber spindles, giving them a deceptively svelte frame. Though not as durable or hardy as most humanoids, Jintaro have at least comparable power-to-mass ratios.
Number of limbs and Type:
All three sexes have four limbs – two arms and two legs. Five fingers per hand, two toes per foot. Each digit ends with a small, non-retractable claw.
Sex:
The Jintaro culture is a complex, tribal unit based around the three sexes of the species and the five genders which accompany them. Examination of those form a basis to understanding the species as a whole. Tribes are small and close-knit as a result of the Jintaro reproduction cycle requiring three parents.
The "Gifter" is the Jintaro male-analog. Their reproductive role is to supply the initial non-motile spermatium. The male-analog has a vestigial third claw on the insides of its ankle, and is on average larger than the other two sexes.
The "Giver" is an androgynous sex, both in morphology and societal role. It is the enzyme unique to a Giver’s physiology which allows the non-motile spermatium to become a motile spermatozoon- without the Giver’s involvement, a female-analog Jintaro cannot be impregnated. Like the male-analog, The Giver has a vestigal third claw on the insides of its ankle. In stature, it stands halfway between male and female-analog.
The "Gifted" is the third sex, a female-analog. Jintaro gestation lasts for up to ten months – and it is not unheard of for a pregnancy to last up to a year. The female-analog is the only one of the sexes to have practical secondary sexual characteristics, ie functioning mammary glands. It lacks the ankle-claw of the other two sexes and is on average the slightest in stature.
Gender
In Jintaro society there are three gender roles aligning to each of the three sexes, one gender role that is a rough analog of transgender, and a final gender role that is mostly asexual. It goes without saying that the Jintaro's unique and complicated gender roles are often the hardest aspect of the species for outsiders to comprehend.
Normative Gifters are seen as providers of their family unit. They're expected to hunt the fens of Orobos, or farm its fields or work in its few settlements. While helping to educate their offspring, the Gifter is the least directly involved in bringing up Jintaro children.
Normative Givers have the most pliant gender-role in society, which is only natural considering their role the reproductive cycle. A Giver is expected to mediate between the Gifter-sex and the Gifted-sex, helping where they are needed. There is something of a stigma to a Giver who is not naturally selfless- of the three gender roles, it the Giver has the largest expectation attached to it.
Normative Gifted are the caretakers in Jintaro society. They bear and nurse adolescent Jintaro, educating them and carrying on a great deal of the oral traditions that sustain individual tribes. Though a child's Gifter might help, it is the Gifted who are expected to be the primary educators of Jintaro children.
"Those Between Waves" is the somewhat poetical euphemism used for Jintaro whose desired role in the family-trio or reproductive cycle does not match to their biological sex. Essentially 'transgendered', these Jintaro are often adopted into family-trios, or adopt so that they can fulfill the role their reproductive biology does not allow.
"Dry" Jintaro are the fifth and final gender-role, and unlike the other four it is almost entirely removed from the reproductive cycle. Roughly analogous to 'asexual', these Jintaro do not accept or feel drawn to the role generally expected of their sex. Neither do they feel drawn to any sexual role whatsoever- as the name implies they are outside the waters of sexual or gender role. Dry Jintaro often act as warriors or explorers in society, as they are naturally independent the close-knit family units that make up a tribe.
Nomenclature
Jintaro children learn early on the means by which to refer to their parents – and indeed all other Jintaro – in the form of simple prefixes.
To call someone La’Dolla for example would mean “Dolla, Who Births” and would identify them as a Gifted.
By the same token, Do’Dolla would translate roughly to “Dolla, Who Carries”, referring to a biological Giver.
A Gifter would be called Gol’Dolla, or “Dolla, Who Sees”, referencing the Jintaro belief that all Gifters see their offspring in a dream before their initial conception.
Jintaro Between Waves are the most complicated- most prefer to use the prefix which aligns with the gender to which they identify. Though biologically a Gifter, for example, a Jintaro Between Waves might want to use a Gifted's prefix. Others will combine the prefix for their sex and their gender-identity; "Do'Go'Dolla" for example. There is no real standard, and much of it comes down to the individual Jintaro's preference.
Dry Jintaro are the only ones who are without a prefix, befitting their somewhat 'outside' status. Lately there has been a small movement to invent a new prefix for Dry Jintaro but it doesn't seem to have caught on.
There are other prefixes and honorifics worth mentioning. O’Dolla would be the expected manner in which one referred to a member of the tribe, literally “Dolla, who is Kin”. A’Dolla would be a member of another tribe, literally “Dolla, who is not Kin.”
Culture
The Jintaro species are generally peaceful, though that is more circumstance than anything else. Oarobos is not an arid world where resources are hard to come by, and the Jintaro are happy to remain unindustrialized. Consequently, there have been few large scale conflicts over resources - most tribal fights have been matters of territory or honor.
The Jintaro have little unified government to speak of, though their planet is host to a small offworld trading outpost. Should the need arise, the largest Jintaro tribes will occasionally elect a single leader from amongst them- this was only done in times of large-scale conflict in the past, in order to mediate the central dispute. The last such leader elected was done so in response to first-contact by an offworlder.
Jintaro take a life of violence gravely, and no one learns how to become a warrior without fully embracing the implications of that lifestyle. In point of fact, it is rare to find a Jintaro warrior that is not "Dry" gendered.
Each tribe - ranging from ten to a thousand family units - has their territory. Some live predominately as farmers, others hunt and gather, and some do both. Since the arrival of offworlders and a spaceport, more and more Jintaro have become settled. It is only a matter of time before the more loosely defined lifestyle of swamps and fallow fens gives way to towns and cities. Already, the osmosis of foreign ideas onto Oroboros is filtering through the tribes- the blaster rifle is now a more popular hunting tool than the bow and arrow.
History:
Discovered in 3854 by a Republic Stellar Cartographer, Oarobos was marked a mere curiosity at first and largely ignored for the next thirty years. In 3884, a Sullustun named Ghenan Gnunb applied to set up a small trading outpost on the planet – its proximity to a small but useful tradelane made it a perfect stopover. During the course of the planetary survey Gnunb conducted, the Jintaro were discovered. Their lack of a unified government – as well as their generally small numbers – made the Jintaro a ripe target for exploitation. In an admirable turn of events, Gnunb instead reported the discovery of the Jintaro and applied for their protection under Republic law.
Ten years later, Gnunb saw his spaceport built and was afforded the title of “O’Jintaro’Gnunb” or “Gnunb, who is Kin to Jintaro”.
Picture of three Jintaro; a small child, a Gifter and a Giver. I do not take credit for this picture.
