Revision [742]
This is an old revision of TheAshari made by JonahPetri on 2008-09-12 19:21:49.
The Ashari village was destroyed in 2007. Its ruins are rumored to be in the jungles of Cross River State, Nigeria.
Ashari means 'blessed by the earth' in Asha, the tribal language.
Ashari Beliefs: Man's efforts to tame nature are futile. Everything good that has been accomplished by man (medicines, agriculture, machines) have already existed in nature, and all the evils that man has wrought are children of his struggle against nature (destruction of the environment, health crises, flooded cities, etc). The Ashari try to shun manmade things, instead hunting/gathering for their food, using plants for medicine, constructing their homes from natural materials. Their appearance to outsiders is partly primitive (still hunting for their food), and partly very advanced (their medicine keeps them really healthy, they cultivate plants which are stronger than steel, etc). They constantly try to live perfectly within nature.
Additionally, the Ashari have a disproportionately high number of metahumans among the priesthood. All Ashari children are screened by the priests for metahuman powers (called 'Earth's touch', or 'Naharo' in Asha) at age 6. Those found to have earth-affirming abilities are segregated into the priesthood's keeping. Priests in the tribe all give up their original names when they enter into the priesthood, and live without a name, and under a vow of silence for a year. Then, they are given an "earth name" by the elders, and accepted into the rank of novice.
The Ashari were very reclusive. Hidden well within the jungle, most locals only ever heard rumors of their existence. Those that did come in contact with them came back with very strange tales of their way of life. Some rumors that were circulating as of 1998:
- "Even when we were starving during the droughts last year, they still had plenty of food..."
- "My cousin saw one of them get badly mauled by a lion, and was sure he'd die... but then 3 weeks later he saw the same man, running around as if nothing ever happened!"
- "My uncle took some rich white men hunting in the forest, but we strayed into their territory... one of them threatened us if we didn't leave, but one of the men we were guiding shot him... the shot knocked him over, but then he got up and ran away like it did not hurt at all."
Significant tribe members:
- ShesuAshari, the last earth priest of the Ashari
- TuraloOso, an Ashari priest
- NDore, ancient prophetess of the tribe
Belongs to categories: AllOrganizations
