Inky is grinning

A few years ago, I went to an anatomy conference and they had a huge 3D printed vampire skull, and these thoughts have been on my mind ever since I saw the teeth up-close. 

The under-utilized potential for this bothers me a lot… like in movies… it’s just bite and done!

What happened to ritual shaving or elaborate skin engraving?

Inukpasuksuk [Inuit mythology]

Giants play a significant role in Inuit mythology. Although they are usually evil creatures, beings to be feared by humans, there are also some giants who were benevolent and kind towards humans.

The most well known among them is Inukpasuksuk, also called Inukpak. Simply called “Giant” in Inuktitut, he was so large that he would step into the ocean, wading into the water, and catch whales as if they were normal fish. He could hold smaller species of whales in the palm of his hand. It is said that Inukpasuksuk could cross mountains and the greatest rivers by simply stepping over them.

Throughout his travels, he once encountered a human man. As time went on, the giant came to like and respect this tiny little creature and he eventually chose to adopt him as if he were his own son. The two went on many adventures and as such, they play a significant role in Inuit folktales.

One time, when the two were traveling the cold plains, Inukpasuksuk and his human son were very hungry, for they had not eaten in a long time. As luck would have it, they came upon another giant, one who was even larger than Inukpasuksuk. The creature had a lot of food with him. Inukpasuksuk asked his fellow giant if he could have some of the food, and also a little bit for his human companion, for they were starving and if they didn’t find animals to hunt soon, they would surely die.

But the larger giant was selfish and did not want to share. This was his food, why should he have to share it with others? Inukpasuksuk should leave and find his own game to hunt. At this, Inukpasuksuk got angry and soon the two giants came to blows. But the other giant was larger and stronger, and it quickly became clear that if nobody interfered, Inukpasuksuk would lose. Suddenly, the larger giant fell over, as if he lost his balance, and Inukpasuksuk won the fight. While the two giants were brawling, his adopted human snuck behind the larger giant and cut the tendons on one of his legs, causing him to fall over.

Cultures, like anything, take time to build. They are what define a people and what make their customs. It’s complicated and integrated into their society. It changes as the people change but the fundamentals often remain unchanged even centuries and millennia into the future.

When creating new worlds, if it’s not set in the world that we know, then the people, while being similar, will be different. What they hold as value will be different. That’s where new cultures come in. countries will be define by something and way out of the way towns will have things that are connected to them. Making new cultures can be a messy process, and I am by no way an expert, but there are at least five things that define a culture and should be present and known.

Customs

Customs are a traditional ways of doing something specify to a set of people or place. If you can’t think of any, think of some traditions that are from where you’re from. For example, in America and many other countries, it’s traditional to put up a tree for the winter holidays. 

If the story you’re writing centers around a new culture, then the customs of its people is something that should come into play, even it’s something small. Maybe it’s someone coming of age. Maybe it’s someone passing away. Whatever the case, customs are a personal thing that people share. Be sure to not overlook them.

Arts

Art is a way people share their thoughts that are hard to convey. A way to pass on knowledge and to capture the emotions. Perhaps they capture their history in tapestries and artisans make paintings for a living.

Not only that, body art is an important part of many cultures. Maybe tattoos mean something at a certain age or it’s something like a brand. Perhaps they’re just decorative and meant to look flashy.

Social Institution

A social institution is a group of people who are together for a common purpose such as economy and government. These institutions are a part of the social order of society and they govern behavior and expectations of individuals.

For example, a charities and other nonprofit organizations fall under this category. In this culture you’re writing about, how do they feel about such organizations? Are the promoted? Frowned upon? Not only that, but this includes the education system, cultural groups, how families are defined, health care, market values, politics, and religions.

Each of these things may not hold equal value, or perhaps they all have the same weight. Are the church (in this instance used only to refer to religion) and state separate or together? Is the market, trading goods and services, more important than anything else? What’s the health of the people like and what methods do they use for healing?

Achievements

Achievements, in this case, are defined as things the people have done to better and further themselves. What are some of the things these people have done since they became a people? Was something medical? Was it something that benefited not only them, but the people around the as well?

However, the achievements don’t always have to grand. It could be something small like finding an easier way to make paint or a way to make their weapons. Achievements are things that are well earned and come from something small like inconvenience or big like a fight.

And not all that glitters is gold. An achievement can benefit the majority, but what about everyone else? Is it useful to everyone? Does it need to be? More importantly, what was the reason? It doesn’t always need to be known in detail, but things happen for a reason. As the writer, you, are the very least, need to know.

Behavior Characteristic

We all know that there are somethings that are frowned upon in modern culture. Things like people with breasts going around topless or anyone walking pants-less through the streets. There are certain things people just don’t do because of the consequences and the culture.

What are some of the things that are okay for people to do? What are things that are harmless yet frowned upon? There are things that are widely accepted and if these normal things are challenged then it should be explain if it’s not something carried over from a real culture.

If there are things that are carried over from real cultures, then that’s a tricky ground to walk on if you don’t know anything. Research and asking are an important part of this process if you want to do this. Carrying over form real cultures is fine as long as it’s not a bastardization of it.

Of course, like I said in the beginning of this, I’m not an expert. I don’t really know everything there is to know but this is what I’ve realized when making new cultures myself.