Child-Rearing
Appendix 5: The Mozo Tribe Origin Legends
The Maheechee tell many different, often conflicting legends. These are some examples:
“The first Maheechee was the Spirit Animal called Maheechee, and not one of the children of the Ice and Fire Spirits. Maheechee saw the other Tojeepah and decided it would be a fine thing to walk on two legs. So he did. And, now there are many Maheechee.”
“There was once an enormous nut tree that was so lonely that it grew many fruits. Those that fell on the wet ground became the first plants. Some of those which stayed on the tree became the animals of the trees. Then their droppings became the animals of the ground.”
“In the old times, Teratorn was always arguing with Glyptodont over who was more beautiful. Little Monkey could get no sleep. He stole Teratorn’s egg and ate it. When Teratorn discovered it was gone, she was very upset and she blamed Glyptodont.
They began fighting, grappling, rolling end over end. Hmm? What was that? You wanted to know where the Maheechee came from? Oh. I forget.”
Appearance
Maheechee have large ears, muzzles with small blunt noses, cheek ruffs, and extravagant head-fur.
They are covered in soft short fur. Those of the Mozo tribe range from sandy brown to black. The identifying characteristic of the Mozo is their very light colored paws and feet. Mozo have the same eye colors that are found in cats: pale greenish yellow, gold, orange, blue, green, and so on.
Like most Maheechee, the Mozo are a little short compared to the other breeds. They are usually slender, but there are plump Mozos too.
Clothing
For the most part, the Maheechee wear nothing more than simple loincloths and torso-wraps made of pounded bark. Until it gets cold, at which point they wrap themselves in whatever warm things they can find - even cast-off garments from the other breeds.
It is also common for Maheechee to wear a belt with holes for holding some favorite tools.
Maheechee often travel by swinging through the trees in their forest homes, so they do not like to carry anything in their hands.
Lifestyle
The Mozo are nomads. They are new arrivals in this land, and considered primitive bumpkins by the other breeds. They often seem to travel in a random
“drunkard’s walk”. Partly, they are guided by sniffing the air and going in the direction that smells of food.
They rarely hunt, and when they do it is usually only for small game.
Although the Mozo are familiar with how to use fire, and not afraid of it, they have little use for it except as a way to stay warm. This creates a problem: one can not build a fire in a tree without burning it down, yet being on the ground is dangerous. Maheechee are poor runners.
They prefer to be awake at dusk and dawn, between long naps at night and noon. Their ability to see in dim light makes them valuable companions to non-Maheechee.
Disposition
The Mozo are a relaxed and open-minded people who like to sit on branches, their tails hanging down swishing like pendulums. In places where there are no tall trees, they may cluster close together, eyes flicking about watchfully. They are not usually aggressive towards other tribes.
Amongst their own kind, they are competitive and status-conscious. There is constant bickering and gossip. The Mozo find the social lives of other breeds endlessly dull.
Diet
Mozo prefer fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Rather than gathering many different things and eating them at once, the whole clan finds a great quantity of one item, eats it all up, and then moves on to find another. Since coming into contact with the other breeds, the Mozo have talked about finding a permanent location to store food. So far, no plan has been decided.
The Mozo also like the taste of blood, and will drink some of it when there is a fresh kill. If they find one, the Mozo may use their small knives to scavenge from a recent carcass.
Mortality
The Mozo are all too aware that nature has cast them in the role of prey animal. In their southern homeland, individuals are picked off by bears, jaguars, eagles and snakes. Children are especially vulnerable. The Mozo have come north hoping for a better existence.
Accidents are rare among the Maheechee, thanks to their agility. A Maheechee with the memory required to be a good healer is rare, so there aren’t many Mozo healers. Most of their medicinal herbs are applied by chewing and spitting. Others are burnt, and the vapors inhaled. Since coming to these lands, however, finding the right roots, leaves, and berries has been very difficult.
Gender Customs
The Maheechee are gender egalitarians, but it is customary for the males to dress more brightly and groom more fastidiously to look good for the females.
Before initiation into adulthood, a Mozo is considered genderless. There are manhood rituals for older boys and womanhood rituals for older girls.
They involve exotic discomforts such as being rolled on an ant hill or being scarified with a tiny sliver of bamboo.
Occasionally a Mozo will declare themselves
“Chaheeka”. Chaheeka dress in loose-layered clothing that conceals their gender, and are referred to using the same neuter pronouns that are used for children. Chaheeka are supposed to be unusually inventive, and a bit eccentric.
Courtship
Impressing prospective mates and dallying with current mates is a major part of Mozo life. They are constantly forming or breaking up relationships.
Sometimes Mozo mates stay together for weeks, sometimes months. On rare occasions a pair stays together for a few years. Eventually, though, the attraction cools and they move on. The Mozo do not have a status equivalent to ‘marriage’.
Mozo relationships are publicly known but sex is private and discreet.
Most Mozo are “serially monogamous”, remaining faithful at least at the start of a liaison. A few, both male and female, take multiple mates at the same time. Sometimes this occurs with their mates’
consent, but usually there is some duplicity involved.
Child-Rearing
Maheechee mothers often give birth to twins. This is a burden, but she can expect no extra help from her clan-mates. Eventually, one child (the ‘primary’) becomes her favorite, and gets most of the attention and food. The other (the ‘secondary’) is more likely to be carried off by predators. If the clan has to flee, the mother will carry away the primary while the secondary is abandoned.
Seconds who survive invariably grow into smaller adults. They are the second-class citizens of the group. They do more of the menial tasks, such as separating sprouted seeds from hulls. If there is competition for a mate, the second almost always loses.
As a result of coming north where there are fewer predators, the Mozo clans have gotten larger - since more secondaries have survived to adulthood. They aren’t growing up quite so stunted anymore, either, and they are starting to question the traditional social order.
Leadership
Mozo clan chiefs are chosen by an informal consensus of the adults of the clan. There are many small discussions, and eventually someone emerges as the de facto chief. The chief’s job is to decide when discussion is over, and to announce what course of action will be taken.
One current Mozo clan chief is Tudacha, a young and popular male. His stated goal is to bring all the Mozo to a place where life is always pleasant and happy. He has only been chief for two years, with mixed success.
Tudacha took over from Sanuma, a middle-aged female who was a reasonably good leader.
Unfortunately, each of the past five winters has been worse than the last. Sanuma is jealous and wants to reclaim her former place as chief of that clan.
Beliefs
Many amongst the Mozo have a small amount of Spirit Lore about a particular Animal Spirit - their personal totem. The tribe is in transition because some animals that were common in their homeland do not live in the tribe’s new northern home. Without their Spirit sponsors nearby, the older shamans (who were organized as a society across several clans) have lost the influence they once had. The disorganized younger generation of shamans are bonding with the local creatures.
The elder shamans promoted the custom of mating in private. Not because of prudishness, but rather the flaunting of relationships used to cause immediate violent conflict over “mating rights”. As the younger shamans take over, physical conflicts of this kind are returning.
The Mozo think that gender only exists for adults.
Children and adolescents are referred to with neuter pronouns. It is taboo for young people to talk about sex, so kids are careful not to let the grown-ups catch them at it.
The Mozo are drawn to those who exhibit bravery.
This could mean courage shown during armed conflict, or it could mean the guts to perform in front of a crowd.
Pets
Little pet animals are popular for companionship and as decorations ‘for show’. Carnivorous pets are forbidden, however, even for shamans with the appropriate Spirit Lore.
Mozo distrust proto-dogs in-general, and half-heartedly try to drive them off. They are usually too kind-hearted to kill or seriously injure them.
Shelter
Standard Maheechee housing consists of a hastily-made roof of large leaves over a makeshift nesting platform. Maheechee can see the sense of the dwellings favored by the other breeds, but feel claustrophobic when surrounded by walls.
Several times Mozo clans have begun constructing roofs on posts, on large platforms between several trees, for winter shelters inspired by the ones used by the Tanui Falora. They were to have floors made of stone, so that fires could be built there. One clan’s prior chief, Sanuma, was not able to lead their tribe into accomplishing this ambitious plan. The new young chief Tudacha has completely forgotten about it.
Entertainment
Most nights the Mozo have a community gathering where stories might be told, or songs sung. Small high-pitched panpipes and clapping are accompanied by dancing. Although the sexes are equal, the males tend to sit with the males and the females tend to sit with the females. When it is late, they slip away to their own nests, or sneak off to the nest of another.
Mozo Shamans engage in deep discussions. If the clan is fortunate enough to have a Chaheeka, the shamans may assist them in developing strange new inventions.
Young Mozo have many activities. They like to play hand-clapping pattern games with little rhymes.
They tie vines between trees and play jumping games. There are games of catch involving passing several unripe fruits around at once, with elaborate rules for who goes next. “Baby Bird” is a game where a small hunk of skin with feathers tied to one end is kicked back and forth within a circle of players.
Sometimes Chief Tudacha holds a wrestling tournament, or a rock-throwing contest, or some similar test of prowess. In preparation for this, individuals practice on their own or with teachers.
He invites those he deems worthy to sit by him during the contest. Someone is always falling out of favor, and someone else is always eager to replace them.