The Shela Kingdoms

Other Pages

Appearance

The Shela are an olive-skinned race, with jet-black hair and dark eyes.

Clothing

Living in a tropical climate, clothing is generally minimal. The region between the hip and the knee is a taboo area, and so is covered by a long skirt or pants. Going topless is fine. The Shela like to wear jewellery, either made from leather and wooden beads or from precious metal and gemstones (a matter of social class). Anything approaching a hat is uncommon, due to the Shela reluctance to wear anything that casts a shadow on the face.

Gestures

For similar reasons, the nod is absent from the Shela repertoire of gestures. Agreement, and also respect, is indicated by a downward flick of the eyes. This may be accompanied by a sweeping gesture of the hands, palms forward, away from the sides of the body. This is also the gesture of greeting and farewell.

Recreation

---

Rrutashiil Fedara - 'Nine Stories'

This is a card game.

Beri

This is a game played with two teams of equal number. Each person begins with a small ball which is the colour of their team. These balls (usually about the size of a golf ball) are commonly made of wood, although other objects such as pebbles can be sustituted. Using irregularly shaped objects is seen as a way to make the game more interesting. Each person may carry at most two balls (one in each hand). If you have one of your own team's balls, you can tag a member of the other team, at which point they must throw one of their balls to a teammate. The other team will try to intercept the ball midair. The goal is to capture all of the other team's balls.

Triple beri is a variant played by three teams, two of which are actually competing. The aim of the competing teams is to exchange their sets of balls. The job of the third team is to intercept, and they may tag players at any time. When all balls have been exchanged or captured, the team who have managed to gather the most of the other team's balls wins. Triple beri is often played when there are uneven numbers for forming teams, although it is disliked by some because it is easier to cheat (by deliberately throwing badly so that the ball doesn't get caught).

Sejista

---

Food

The commonest Shela foods are fruit, meat, bread and eggs. On the whole, the food is fairly bland, although the Shela do like their salt.

Common Foods

---

kree
uwen (kayilin, uwenil, ...)
noikiler
kolish

Meals

The Shela eat three main meals a day. The biggest and most important is at midday. Food is served on a central table, from which everybody helps themselves. The wealthy upper class eat sitting at a table, but most people sit on the floor (or the ground - in nice weather food is often eaten outside) and cradle their bowls in their laps. People eat using their hands, or a spoon and/or knife.

Breakfast is a light meal, consisting mainly of fruit (fresh or dried) and perhaps bread as well.

Lunch is the main meal of the day, and is the time when the whole family comes in out of the heat and sits down together. This is when hot dishes will be served.

The evening meal often consists of lunch leftovers. Usually hot dishes are not served. The family usually does not eat together, food is left out and each person helps themselves as they arrive home, or finish the day's work/chores. Evening is considered the 'quiet time' of the day, when everybody can wind down.

Drink

---

teriisa (chich a)
tak
sepi

Alcoholic Drinks

---

ames
miichi (rilatini, uwen ijor, ...)
(note on fa wine)

---

---