#huana

some examples:

It only comes up a handful of times in Deadfire, but I’m so fascinated by the idea of Rauatai as a matriarchal-leaning society where “hard” power (military might, sailing ships, guns) is gendered feminine. The Biha quest in the Gullet hints at this - if you’re playing a female character, she thinks Sedūzo will take you more seriously. She also points out that pretty much all the highest-ranking Rauataian military officials are women, which seems to be borne out by the game. (Karū, Sedūzo, and the hazanui from Tekēhu’s story are the only people of that rank we see or hear mentioned, and they’re all women.) Atsura also has an incredible turn of phrase where he refers to something as “like a child picking up her mother’s pistol” [might be paraphrasing a bit].

So if “hard” military power is seen as feminine in Rauatai, does that mean “soft” political power is seen as masculine? Maybe! There’s the divide between Karū and Atsura as the most obvious example; she’s the head of the operation who gets to be very blunt and straightforward about her intentions, while Atsura is the power behind the throne influencing events much more subtly. The ranga nui himself is a man, though I don’t think the gender of a ruler holds much weight without knowing the genders of previous rulers. It’s 100% headcanon, but I’m imagining that high-ranking politicians skew male the same way high-ranking military officers skew female.

It’s worth noting that I don’t think Rauatai has strong gender roles; absolutely nothing about their society or the characters we meet suggests that. There are plenty of men in military careers (including among the higher-ups) and they don’t seem too concerned with gender as a whole. If this divide exists, it’s more like mild background radiation that influences the way people view themselves and each other. I do feel like it adds something to both Maia and Kana’s characters if this is yet another pressure they had to deal with growing up. Some of Maia’s bluntness and in-your-face approach to life is just personality, but another part is her trying to be a Proper Rauataian Lady! Kana has to be skilled at playing politics whether he likes it or not! He talks about his mother pushing his sisters hard to succeed aaaand all three of them ended up in a military/sailing career. There’s a lot going on there!

This led me to thinking about gender in Huana culture(s), because I’m also endlessly fascinated by the similarities and differences between them and Rauatai. Gender doesn’t seem to matter to the Huana at all, not even in a very minor sense; caste is the main determiner of your role in the community. Tekēhu refers to Ukaizo as the “land of [his] mothers”, which is a friendly little reminder that There Is No Patriarchy Here (no legal marriage, no nuclear family, no tracing the bloodlines of children or differentiating between “biological” vs “adopted” kids in a household, children aren’t seen as “belonging” to their parents…) but aside from that, very little is gendered. We do see more women in leadership than men (Ruānu is the only male ranga I can think of, and he’s quite easily displaced by Nairi), but the sample size is small enough that that’s probably a coincidence. I feel like this is what enables Ahimi to shrug off Durance’s misogyny - it does bother me that the Watcher can’t answer back, but in her case, I don’t think she even sees it as worth acknowledging. She’s never had to deal with any kind of shame around or restrictions based on gender/sexuality, so he’s just saying words. (This is a point of friction between her and Pallegina, whose experience of godlike-ness is inextricable from painful gender expectations.)

Half the setting and lore is the boldest, best and greatest in a video game, but because it's PoE and everything has to come back round to the white atheist edgy big brain 'philosophy' they do a Pterry's Nation and cast all the good aside to affirm themselves over the world they have created and the real world people's it is grounded in.

While that may be true, he still does give insight into their problems. While doing several quests in Neketaka, I found a chain in the quest line. One being taking Tekehu into the Undercroft to witness the shapers aiding the Principi. He was distraught. Not at what they were doing... but how they were doing it. Tekehu is a man of art, religion, and perseverance. Yes, he is naive. But he is passionate about preserving the history of his people. And the sanctity of the Deadfire. He’s just... well... a little too privileged to realize what is happening beneath his feet.

Within the few quests I’ve done he’s not only realized that a.) the system his people have upheld is not working but also b.) the system the Roparu have put into place is working... and he agrees with it. For better or worse, Tekehu supports his people. Even if it means working in Delver’s Row. He is Ngati’s chosen, as they say. With that, for him to shed light on how the criminal activity is helping the people when the crown could be stepping in says a lot.

To me, this is a big a step for the Huana in Deadfire. That with newcomers arriving with their chips ready to play, that means the Huana cannot continue to treat their lower caste so poorly lest they be swept away by another culture. Tekehu sees this, speaks on this, and though he may not be ready to take action... he is willing to back the Watcher and speak to the crown on it.

Refreshing an old sketch