question about a culture...

[Arc.Smiloid]

I finally got my copy of SEIV!!!!

Just in time too because I finished my race style.

I use the Kushan. A race based off the games Homeworld and Homeworld: Cataclysm.

Now I'd like some input about what kind of culture these guys have...

It borders around politician/renegade...

quote:

---

Society on Kharak is organized along loose family associations, many of which now include hundreds of thousands of members. An extended family grouping is called a kiith (plural: kiithid), and most anthrocists agree it is a social artifact that probably dates back before our arrival on Kharak itself. Interpretation of ancient legends and translations of texts found in the ruins of Khar-Toba suggest that our ancestors' journey to this world had been arduous enough to break down all social structures except the most basic family bonds. When the power plant at Khar-Toba failed, refugees in all probability fled in small Groups of friends and relatives. Harsh conditions and the passage of hundreds of years hardened what was originally a practical system, taking care of your own loved ones first, into a ritualized system of alliances and loyalties we have come to know as the kiith system.

A kiith has a loose hierarchy based on one's social position within the family. Originally this was based primarily on seniority, but as technology has changed the face of life on Kharak, the kiithid too have changed, and now family ranking is based more on wealth or personal influence than simple age. Organization within the kiith is recursive in nature, and models that of a core family unit. Where a single family has a primary leader, a secondary and then a group of dependents, the next level of kiith organization is based on the same system—there will be a Primary family that makes policy decisions, a Secondary family that hears disputes and makes recommendations, and a number of families of lesser power that have sworn allegiance to the Primary. The Primary family of families for a kiith is called the kiith'sa.

This structure is not static by any means, and while it is not a trivial matter, families are free to change their primary allegiances as they see fit. A family's position within the kiith rises and falls with the number of people who swear allegiance to them. Although it is much more rare, from time to time a family will move from one kiith to another or even feel the need to become their own full kiith.

In ancient times, a kiith'sa could direct the entire kiith to war, demand that all families dedicate time and finances to special projects, or even move the kiith to another region. In modern times, the kiith'sa is a political and financial leader only in that it acts on the wishes of the entire kiith as established by referenda. The kiith'sa from all over Kharak meet in the Great Daiamid located in the capital of Tiir to debate global policy and resolve legal conflicts between kiithid.

Traditionally, kiithid usually concentrate their power in one or two disciplines and gather families under their banner by being the best place to find advancement in a particular field. For example, Kiith Sjet has been associated with the sciences on Kharak for over a thousand years, and is known to have the most advanced computer labs in the world. Bonded couples interested in the field often apply to a Sjet family associated with such labs. Alliances between kiithid are also based on mutual interests, and they often lead to closer ties or complete reorganizations. During the Last century, when the manufacturing families of Kiith Hraal realized that the future was in orbital systems, they first tried to influence Sa Hraal to begin investing in aerospace technologies. When this gambit failed, the entire manufacturing branch of Kiith Hraal broke away and joined with a relatively small kiith that specialized in space technologies. The new kiith, LiirHra, has gone on to take the lead in the design and construction of the Mothership.

In the modern era, the kiithid have slowly had their power transferred to the individual, but it should be noted that it is still a powerful means of social identity. Today Kharakian society pursues a single goal, and our new sense of racial destiny has reminded us that we are all families of one grand kiith. Unfortunately for the unity of our people, tradition dies hard, and it takes little stress for any Kharakian to think of their family first and Kharak second.

-quote taken from homeworld.sierra.com

---

What kind of advantages/disadvantages do you think this culture would have in SEIV?