The Basilisk Tribe beckons.
Apparently basilisks vary somewhat in appearance, as the tribe can't quite seem to get a single image of them down, but the more common depictions are of something sinuous and multilegged, probably a lizard with a frill or crest. Individuals often depict incarnations somehow fitting to themselves, so a fat warrior tribesman might carry a shield with a similarly plump and aggressive basilisk. Probably eating twig basilisks that were laughing at him, but I digress.
Basilisk tribesmen favor long hair and various dangling bones, claws, and teeth. Officially this is to shroud them in the power of the dead, though the frequency with which children play with, wear, or craft such ornaments because they like the sound they make when clinking together might point to a more, uh... mundane origin. But what do kids know anyway?
The Basilisk Tribe knows of two generally preferred methods of burial. The first involves digging out and burying their dead beneath trees. When this becomes a habit around a single tree, it tends to end up festooned with bone ornaments and bearing some mark of whatever family, clan, etc. uses it to store their deceased. They consider such sites at least mildly holy and worthy of respect, but the whole idea is to return them to nature, so in theory they'll be gone gone soon anyway. Nonetheless, in keeping with their notions of actions marking places and objects (see below), extreme use of this method can turn trees into veritable gateways to the afterlife, which hopefully means ancestors can commune through it, if they're there, not busy, feeling helpful, etc.
The second is to be eaten by scavengers. This is more fitting for warriors and hunters, especially since the idea is for the body to get eaten where it fell, not to be dragged near a den of hyenas because damnit soil is HARD and I don't want to buy a shovel.
In a pinch, burying a body under any sort of plant life (lusher the better) or a cairn stone is acceptable, and leaving it somewhere beetles or flies (bigger the better) will find it is still not considered totally abandoning it, though it's pretty shoddy. Cairns are worse at getting the soul on its way, so they're typically meant for those who still need to exert influence on the world of the living.
Basilisk tribesmen are generally a bit cautious, superstitious, and covetous. They believe actions can taint items or places, so they tend to covet things won in certain ways and shun those acquired in other ways. This means they generally avoid doing bad things for items, since they don't want a new murder rock, but also that they tend to strive to get items in the best way possible, since they DO want a new valor rock. This also makes some items non-transferable, since they're only valor rocks if you get them through valor, whereas many taints are transferable, since they're still murder stones if you get them from trading the fruits of your murder for them.
I suppose they just inhabit a forested bluff within not-casual walking distance to the ocean, with a fairly open valley field down a somewhat difficult, rocky path. You know, hard to get through on a casual day, easy when there's a bear chasing you. Surrounding that are more forested hills with occasional rocky cliffs and clearings.
As for the plan...
First we'll get to work hitting rocks against each other to make sharper rocks, then trying to use plant fiber to tie those to sticks and get working tools. If that fails, pointed sticks it is, unless we're better at tying than hitting, in which case hammers it is. The best hunters will then promptly scurry off with their stone axes and spears/stone hammers/pointed sticks/harsh language to hunt things, drag their carcasses back to camp, and use everything they can. They'll also scout the area for anything unusual/useful, and try to get a general sense of what sorts of animals live where, among what plants, and so on. If they get the unusual chance to capture anything and tie it to a tree and call it domesticated, they'll take it. They'll also bring back samples of any plants they don't remember seeing about the general camp area.
Meanwhile, the less hunterish members will try to make their residence more habitable, gathering up good sticks, perhaps hammering branches off trees for more, weaving plants into some semblance of a fiber, testing various plants to see what's good for what, and ultimately making crude huts incorporating the trees as supports/wall sections, hopefully. Just pile grass on it for the roofs if the weaving doesn't work so good. Why'd we settle where there were no palm fronds again?
In fact, a small group will scout out the beach, bring back anything potentially useful or shiny. Seashells are a must, but if we can find palm fronds for roofs or coconuts for, uh, gourds I guess, we'll take them. Other members will do the same for the general area, bringing back anything unusual or useful.
Finally, once we know what we're doing, we'll begin a bit of selective encouragement, making sure seeds from useful plants end up strewn about near where we are.
We'll more or less continue this throughout the year, trying to stockpile less perishable foods for both winter and simple bad fortune. The more okay we get on food, the more we focus on textiles, crafting, curiosity, and domesticating anything that moves (including in the wind). If it's not cheating, we'll also work on fire and salt harvesting- if it is, hopefully smashing rocks together and combing the beach for anything shiny will eventually get the job done.
Well, that's long. Anything I'm forgetting?
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Topic: TRIBES - a prehistoric tale of prehistoric people doing prehistoric things (Read 13965 times)