Section 2 - The Domestic Scene

Family
  While in this HWR we use standard usage of family terminology, the Tanagoro do not.  They consider all members of a clan family, as well as some outsiders.  All a father's brothers are considered a "father" while all of a mother's sisters are also "mothers."  Bigamy is allowed, so one has many "sisters" and "brothers" even though they may be from different mothers.   All clan members are also considered "sisters" and "brothers" though in a less direct sense.  
Marriage
  For this reason, the Tanagoro are exogamous and must marry members of another clan.  Being a patriachical society, the female is the one who leaves her clan, rather than the male (though her relations are still considered family by her children).  The new bride cannot enter the cattle area of the tribe until she has been fully accepted, which may takes months or even years.  The reverse has been known to happen though, especially if the male's family is not on the best of terms with him or is less approving of the match. There is a "bride-price" of generally 3 to 10 oxen (much more for a princess) but marriages are not arranged by the parents - the technicalities of "buying" the pride only take place once the loving couple has already decided to wed.  It is a custom for younger brothers to marry the widow of an older brother who has passed on, but widows must wait a year to remarry.  As in many other bigamous societies, the wives function as a "team", sharing duties and helping each other out, often uniting to stand back to their husband when one wife would not have much say.  Large families are rare, though, as few men have more than one or two wives, and almost none have more than 5.  Marriages are most common around the Thyatian month of Vatermont (the Tanagoro do not make use of a calendar system), after the crops have been harvested, a time of little work and lots of food.
Deviance
   The Tanagoro are a prudish people.  Homosexuality and prostitution do not exist.  Rape is very, very rare, as is domestic violence in general.  Adultery is a capital offense.  On the other hand, marital relations outside of marriage are approved of.  If a child is born of such a match, though, both parents undergo severe ostracization and the child is abandoned.
Age
  During pregnancy, a female is required to abstain from certain foods and avoid the tracks of certain animals, for the sake of the unborn life inside them.  The father-to-be, on the other hand, was required to partake of certain foods and had to avoid crossing waters to ensure the baby's well-being.  Most of these requirements are due to superstition and custom, but some do truly benefit the child.  Infant mortality is still high in areas without a reliable cleric, witch doctor or herbalist (see later).  Twins are deemed highly unlikely, and one is killed at birth always.
  During infancy, a child undergoes strengthening ceremonies - it is smoked in fires or buried up to its neck and abandoned for short times, for instance.  Such ceremonies rarely take lives and are responsible for the tougher nature of the Tanagoro (in the form of HP bonuses mentioned in the HW book).
  Kids will be kids and will play all sorts of games of their own imagination, which any adult could not hope to comperehend.  As they age, of course, they lose some creativity and start following established pasttimes.  Boys for instance enjoy crafting clay aurochs (4" long) and then have them "fight" by charging them into one another.  If one child manages to break off the horns of his opponent's toy, he is considered to have won the match.  (NOTE:Some such toys are magical!  They may well be overlooked due to their childish nature and not be taken seriously but a spell will show the presence of power, usually minor.  The powers of such magic toys are up to the DM.  Often the creation of such magic aurochs speaks of magic talent in the youth.)  Girls enjoy crafting clay dolls and caring for them as if they were children.  Both boys and girls play a version of "tag."  It is similar to the game we are all familiar with, except after each tag the tagger sits down and cannot be tagged again till they get up and run once more.
  At age six, youths start caring for younger siblings (if there are any) and also begin chores appropriate to their gender.  Boys start working with the herds, for instance.
  Parents are expected to be distant and respected and are not to be addressed unless they initiate conversation.  The eldest son inherits any property - this does not include land, which is communally owned. 
 Elderly people are revered and cared for as well by their family.  They are most certainly not considered a burden or a nuisance.
Death
  The dead of the Tanagoro get buried one day after their deaths, with a headstone being promptly placed over the grave.  On the third day after death, family members begin the "official" mourning ceremonies.  Heads are shaved bald, except for widows, who simply cut their hair shorter than usual.  Numerous foods are avoided till the hair grows back to older levels.  One year after the death, a public ceremony is held in which the spirit of the dead is bought back to dwell in the cattle-pen with the other ancestral spirits.
  
Residences
Individual
   The Tanagoro reside in huts of woven saplings supported by poles, with a thatch dome overhead.  A single low door permits entrance only on the hands and knees.  The floor is of a hard-beaten clay, but to sit on this bare ground is considered improper.  Therefore, reed sitting-mats are used while sleeping is done on grass-mats and wooden pillows, stored off to the side when not in use, as with most items.  The left side of the hut is for female children and pets, such as goats, sheep and calves, which are kept in an enclosure there.  The right side is for male children, with the mother sleeping in the middle.  Each married woman has her own hut, with residences for older males separate.  There are several bad points to this dwelling - it is highly flammable, for one.  As mentioned, it is difficult to enter.  Little light gets in, so reading is nigh impossible inside.  It also needs repairs frequently, and to do so is the work of the males of the village, just as building them initially is.  The design also offers many brights spots - the temperature inside is moderate and well-balanced due to the thickness of the walls.  They are fairly rainproof, and take but a few hours to put together.  Perhaps most amazingly, they are portable - when moving, men lift from both inside and outside, then haul the hut to its new location, doing needed repairs upon arrival at their destination.  As with most people, pride is taken in the cleanliness of the home.  Making sure things are neat and tidy is the responsibility of the females of the house.
Village
  The general outline of a kraal, or village, goes something like this, if drawn very badly using ASCII:

   _
   _(B)_
  (A__ C)
 ( / _\  )_ _
(D(E _F   _F_
 ( \__/  )
  (A   C)
   ( B )
    ___

That should be two circles, one inside the other, with an exit gate for each (F)  The chief resides at the D, the cattle in the interior circle (E).  The chief's wives (husband) and children live at A while others live at B.  C are guest residences.  The cattle area is also referred to as a kraal.  The ancestral spirits are clustered around and within the cattle pen and reveal themselves through good or sometimes bad events (rarely attributed to what we call luck) and also through dreams.  Sample kraal names from the real world are Emgungundlovu, KwaBulawayo, Ondini, Nodwengu.