#jinaw

The cornerstone of the religion of the Ḑuqqall is balance. There is a duality between the divine twins: light and darkness, life and death, man and woman, domains blending together, each needing the other. An excess of one or the other disrupts the order of the world. Knives symbolize this balance, as a tool used by each of the twins, used in bringing life into the world, maintaining life, and at times ending it. When expecting a child, a Ḑuqqall father will craft a specific knife for them, primarily of bone but potentially with wood or metal elements depending on the wealth of the family, which is called a dhāw. Its first use is to cut the child's umbilical cord, after which is will be kept in safekeeping until the child is deemed old enough to be given it during their coming of age. The dhāw is tied to the life and fortune of the owner, and is only used in certain ceremonial instances or in emergencies.

i figured out some hair stuff. (everyone looks very same-y bc this was originally supposed to be just hair so i copied the base faces)

basically jinawi with tighter curls who don't opt to just shave go for either hair wraps to retain moisture or twists. people with looser curls or waves wear it simple and short, or longer but wrapped partially or entirely in fabric.

braids are worn for important events. hair maintenance beyond basic combing if applicable is preformed every week or bi-weekly.

as much as the environment is harsh on the skin and hair, ingenuity has led to some rather impressive care products that can be traded to those in the cities, though more common flax and olive based concoctions remain the standard. turns out a lot of people don't consider the usefulness of dairy products for non-food items until most of their lifestyle revolves around dairy

some pretty mid-tier jinawi outfits

like with most cultures, bright colors = more wealth, but especially for nomadic jinawi bc living in the desert doesn't do dyed cloth any favors. this affects jinawi in sedentary cities marginally less, and they provide a lot of the cloth and dyes for their more nomadic cousins. embroidery is also time consuming and makes the wearer look good

general cut of the clothes are pretty universal, though sometimes instead of a separate headpiece there's a hood sewn to the main dress. women's hems also tend to be slightly shorter. head wraps and eyeliner are both masculine. preferred colors and patterns used in embroidery vary between tribes and also I have to do a lot more thinking about patterns. jewelry is unisex and a sign of wealth, and all jinawi have a knife used to cut their umbilical cord that they keep through their entire lives, though usually only men carry theirs on their person on a daily basis. this is just a filler hair style I still have to think about that as well but it's probably nothing wild

sleeves have pockets on the inside

image 1 - a man with his headscarf tied to the side to be more secure for windy conditions. his outfit is modest but respectable.

image 2 - a young man wearing clothes that are embroidered but has colors quite faded with time. likely a son wearing his father or older brother's hand-me-downs. a thinner belt that i realize now i forgot to color - he's probably stuck on shepherding duty and won't be doing anything more strenuous than looking at goats all day. instead of a headscarf he has an attached hood he can pull up as needed, but it's not secure

image 3 - a woman with clothes somewhat fancier than the other two, but still definitely daily wear and not wildly impressive, it's more than respectable.

been focused on sirine a lot but pulling away from them to think about their neighbours to the north

proper trees are quite sparse through most of the region, making those that do manage to survive in the desert notable, markers of strength and resilience and important resources when they do appear. this has led wood to being a symbol associated with marriage, as trees embody qualities one would want in a marriage.

jinawi wedding rings match with their partner(s) to match and combine as one larger ring. if one dies, the survivor wears the ring of the deceased with their own, though in the instance that the ring can't be recovered, (which is rare considering their lifestyle) a replacement crafted from another type of wood is worn. they wear this even if they get remarried. for marriages with three people, the one joining the marriage last has a piece made that fits between the two already existing. marriages with more than three people don't quite exist, though sometimes two families will live together, pooling resources, and commonly each marriage has distinct but similar ring sets.