Tangorin Ethnographical Questionnaire
Dr. Zahir’s Ethnographical Questionnaire was compiled by David Zahir to help in the description of concultures, and can be found in the files section of the Conculture group at Yahoo.
Questions of Place
Describe the geography of where your society calls home.
The Tangorin Empire centers around the Vale of Tangor, which centers around the river valley of the Tanan River. South of the Vale, the land is wet and marshy, while the north is dry and mountainous. The west is typically flatter and less forested than the east.
Describe the climate your society deals with. How severe are their seasons?
The Vale has a temperate Mediterranean climate. Winters (panrigal) are cold but dry, and there is rarely ever snow. Early spring is the wet season (midrigal), but still cold. From late spring until fall, in the dry season (vathrigal), there is some rain but it is relatively hot and humid.
What kinds of natural disasters has this society gotten used to?
The southern end of the river floods during the wet season, while the eastern ports face typhoons and stormy weather. The north has strong winds, but they rarely cause damage.
What are the most commonly-grown foods?
Wheat and barley are major crops. Oats, buckwheat and rye are less common but are still a part of the diet. Corn and rice are rare. In the northern part of the Vale, grapes, blueberries, and other berries are commonly-grown fruits, while the south's warmer climate is more suited for pomegranates, tomatoes, and citrus fruits. Gourds and pumpkins are also popular crops.
What are the most commonly-eaten meats?
Beef and poultry are the most common meats.
What foods are considered exotic or expensive?
Venison and mutton are uncommon meats, as well as pork and boar. Apples and pears are expensive due to the insects and blights caused by the humid summers. Honey is also a delicacy.
What forms of alcohol are common? Rare?
Mead is a common and popular drink. Grape and berry wines are common among the rich. Spiced wines are a delicacy among the poor. Pomegranate wine, honeyed wines, and other fruit wines are considered exotic. One favorite drink among the wealthy is bog orange wine, which is made from a citrus fruit growing on the trees lining much of the bogs along the southern part of the Tanan.
Is there usually enough food and water for the population?
There is usually enough food for the people, except during a rare drought during the dry season.
What is this place's most abundant resource?
Grain and fruit and vegetable crops are abundant. Stone is quarried and iron is mined in the north.
What is its most valuable resource?
Gold, precious metals, and precious gems are mined in the Vale of Tangor and exported to other areas. Peoples sometimes also pan for gold in the Tanan.
What resource is it most lacking?
Lumber is lacking in the Vale of Tangor, because the forests are mostly made up of thick, hardwood trees that are not able to be carved or shaped easily, so wood is usually imported from the east. Spices are also brought in from the eastern ports.
How do people travel from one place to another?
People travel along the various roads and bridges that have been built, or sail on the Tanan.
Are the borders secure? In what way?
Borders usually follow natural boundaries, but trade with other groups is encouraged, and borders are often expanding.
How many people live here?
About 10 milion people inhabit the Tangorin Empire.
Where in this place to they congregate?
When they gather, they gather around major trade centers and cities in the Vale of Tangor along the Tanan.
What part of this place do they avoid? Why?
They avoid the deep wilderness, some of the southern marshes, and much of the northern cliffs, as they are dangerous and can be home to bandits.
What are the most common domesticated animals here? And what are they domesticated for?
Ducks, turkeys, and pheasants are domesticated for food, and cows are domesticated for meat and milk. Horses and donkeys are domesticated for riding.
What are the most common wild animals?
Wild geese and pheasants, foxes and wolves, and sometimes deer are common in the wild.
Which animals are likely to be pets? Which ones won't be?
Cats are popular pets to control pests, while dogs are kept mainly by the wealthy for protection. Falconry is also popular among the rich.
Questions of Time
How far back does this society's written history go?
5,000 years.
How far back do its people believe it goes?
Because religious texts are considered historical records, the people believe that their history goes back to the beginning of time.
What is the worst disaster they believe they've faced?
The invasion and conquest of the Balagar from the northern regions, which lasted for 150 years, is considered the worst disaster in their history.
What was the best thing that every happened to them?
Kanar liberating the Vale from the Balagar and establishing the Tangoring Empire is the most important event in their history and is a popular theme of ballads and performances.
What in their past makes them feel ashamed?
What in their past makes them proud?
What are they afraid of happening again?
What are they hoping will happen? Do they think it likely?
What do they assume the future will hold?
How has this society changed? Do its current members realize this?
What are the most popular stories about the past?
Tales of Kanar and stories of the rise of the empire.
Who in the past is the greatest hero? The worst villain?
Kanar is the greatest hero.
Do people think the present better or worse than the past?
About the same.
Do people believe the future will be better or worse than the present or past?
Better
Questions of Sex and Family
How many spouses may a man or woman have?
Who decides on a marriage?
Can a marriage end in divorce? How?
Who usually takes custody of children if a marriage ends for some reason?
How is adultery defined? What (if any) is the punishment? Who decides?
How are families named?(g) What happens to orphans?
How are boy and girl children treated differently?
Are premarital relations allowed?
How does your society define incest? Rape? How do people react to these?
What, if anything, is considered a good marriage gift?
What secret vice is believed to be widely practiced?
What secret vice actually is practiced?
What sexual habits are widely believed common among foriegners?
How do people react to homosexuality?
How do the genders dress?
Is prostitution legal? How are prostitutes viewed? Is this accurate?
What professions or activities are considered masculine?
What professions or activities are viewed as feminine?
What inanimate or sexless things are considered male or female?
What is the biggest sexual taboo?
Does this society connect the ideas of marriage with love?
What does this society mean by the word "virgin" and how important it it?
Questions of Manners
Who speaks first at a formal gathering?
What kinds of gifts are considered in extremely bad taste?
How do younger adults address their elders?
What colors are associated with power? With virtue? With death?
If two men get into a fight, how is this supposed to be resolved?
If two women get into a fight, how should that be resolved?
When is it rude to laugh at something funny?
What kinds of questions cannot be asked in public? In private? At all?
How do people demonstrate grief?
What does this society do with their corpses?
What kinds of jewelry do people where? And when?
Who inheirits property? Titles? Position?
What happens to those suffering from extreme mental illness?
What are the most popular games? How important are they?
What parts of the body are routinely covered?
How private are bodily functions like bathing or defecating?
How do people react to physical deformity?
When and how does someone go from child to adult?
Questions of Faith
Is there a formal clergy? How are they organized?
What do people believe happens to them after death? How, if at all, can they influence this?
They belive that if they are good in life, they will got to
