Separate branch of the simian lineage from stock humans, and others of that lineage. Infertile across the species barrier, but there are perverts in both directions. And there have been known to be marriages that happen across those lines, even though there would be no viable offspring. What a heart wants, it often gets. Although some Dwarves raised (and bred) humans like pets, but not so much anymore, now that humans and the other breeds of that grouping insist that they are sentient, and worthwhile.
Dwarves live a lot longer than stock humans, and also grow more slowly. It is not unusual for a Dwarf to be friends with “contemporary” humans across three or four generations, and outlive them all. Being that they are not seasonal breeders, in a similar fashion to humans and others, and the length of time available for viable breeding is longer per Dwarf woman, Dwarf families (when there isn’t resource constraints) can get quite large, and multi-generational references are often name-based, because visually there might not be much difference between a just mature child, and the great grandparent of said child, and they could be mistaken (without other clues) for siblings.
While Dwarf aging is slower, the brain is often the last to go. The body will wear out before the brain will, and, in most Dwarf communities, there are a group of oldsters who have to be assisted out into the sun, or over by the fire, and then back to bed. They sit, think, tell stories to the youngsters, have their opinions consulted, and make suggestions where appropriate, as their bodies just slowly decline, until one day or another enough of the body’s functionality no longer works, and they have passed on. While this has been known to happen during sleep, it is more likely to happen during the day, and they just stop, mid thought or sentence, and sort of sink into themselves. Mourning happens, but, most often there is a family garden that they then become part of, not embalmed or preserved, but mixed in, so they can be part of the plants and flowers. Their bones and flesh can be fertilizer. Dwarves who know they are dying of age without others of their kind near, will often make a nest of sorts at the foot of a tree with a good view, facing sunrise, and spend their last months and/or years there, contributing to the tree and surrounding when they pass. They will often trade stories and insight, for flower seeds that they would keep about their body, in hopes of starting even just a bit of a garden.
Dwarves tend toward crafting and building, always having at least one craft, or art project to hand. From knitting to stained glass, small or large, everyone likes creating things. They also don’t think it strange for a creation to take years or decades (or longer) to come to fruition. Part of the sadness of Dwarf aging, so that the body gives out before the mind, so, some projects just have to be passed down when an oldster can no longer effectively contribute. There might be a secret cult of Dwarves that believe that once one is body-dead, no matter how sharp the mind is, euthanasia is appropriate.
Because populace can get large, civic duty, and elder respect are also (necessary) species traits. This helps when resources become limited, or are understood to become limited. Also it
means that they tend to plan ahead. Generational planning is commonplace. Taking the time to craft and build things well, even if it would take several Dwarf lifetimes to complete is normal thinking, rather than just using something fast and easy that would have to be replaced in just a decade or so. Their decision making process is slower as well, so, sitting around, contemplating a question over a pipe or three is quite common, and the greater the project, the more folks who’s opinion is sought, and the longer the decision takes.
Of course, the understanding and expectation of elder respect and civic duty is also a drawback, because they tend to regard folk who do not have that level of respect for both authority, and community as deranged, and therefore are, as a group, often taken by surprise when that occurs.
Note taking, and recording events are very important as well, and records are often safeguarded replicated, and stored in many different ways, so knowledge doesn’t get lost. Part of that is the Dwarves have a much longer written and recalled history than any other of the simian descendants that they know of. They go back much further than stock humans, and others (see also breeds, above) although it isn’t very important, except to a very few snobby Dwarf folk, and historians of other species who keep trying to rewrite the actual past, the rest of the dwarves species is just waiting on the other species to grow old enough to “mature out as a species”.
While Dwarven crafts are much respected and completed projects sought out by all sorts of folk, very few non-dwarven folk have the patience to wait the twenty or so years it might take for a properly crafted blade. A stained glass window, depicting an appropriate scene might take similar time. Things like that. Since Dwarves tend not to make surplus (they don’t make more than the plan requires, with some room for breakage, and spoilage) there aren’t just extras lying around. Also since things are crafted, and not manufactured, they have intent and purpose, so often, if they get taken, the crafter and the individual or group that it was crafted for are particular about getting it back. Not necessarily fast, but particular.
Sociologically, there isn’t much difference between a male and female Dwarf. Physically there are some differences, similar plumbing differences to other binary-gendered simians, the way the zygote gets produced/stored during gestation, etc, but there are no particular “male” or “female” roles. They are about the same size, strength, mental abilities, etc, and it is considered strange how other species differentiate so much. Being that families are so extended, and there isn’t a concept of “mate for life”, children are negotiated for, both from a good breeding perspective, and a current partnership negotiation perspective. But families are seldom one bloodline, so most siblings will only have one parent physically in common, but lots of adults who raised them in the parent role, gender being irrelevant to that role.partnerings in families are, most often around complimentary or synergistic skill sets, and interests, generating love and caring, rather than any particular biological urge, or balancing formulae. Most of the time, the only reason that gender even comes up, is if a particular genetic combination is being sought. Granted, this is generalization, and variation exists, just as some folk are fascinated by what other folk think is commonplace, and beneath notice, but you are more likely to find, say a glass worker fetishist, or a fiber arts fetishist, than a gender fetishist, since the former is overwhelmingly more culturally important.
The various religions are not even really uniform across Dwarf groupings. There is a common story about the Great Artist, and how we all are taking part in what might be the greatest artistic endeavor of all time, but, like our Easter Bunny, and Hogfather, it’s mostly regarded as a tale told to children to remind them that everyone, everywhere is part of the Great Work, and therefore precious and important. Other religions practiced often revolve around creating order from chaos, creating beauty, forge gods, weaving gods, etc.they definitely tend to worship muses, but what they take inspiration from could be quite the variety of things. It is more likely that things are done in the name of collaboration and cooperation, than any particular deity.
Most Dwarf diets tend toward vegetarian. They are omnivores, but, from a sustainability and planning perspective, maintaining a mostly vegetarian diet scales better and is a more efficient use of resources. Insects rather than meat animals make up the bulk of the remaining non-vegitave proteins. With fish and eggs being the second choice. Aquaculture and livestock are maintained to fill those tastes, to greater or lesser extents, depending on the collaboration between the land, the resources, the demand, and the sustainability of it. They do brew, and have found a connection between illumination levels, and inspiration.