Quick facts
Government - Tribal/diarchy
Religion -
Ethnicity - Selkie
Pinterest board -
Earth equivalent - Arctic circle
Arctic selkies fall under one of two confederations: the Ti'intalig confederation is a network of selkie clans occupying the northern coasts of Kessix; while the Ayamu confederation occupies northern and western coasts of Hylden
There are seven clans in the Ti'intalig confederation: Pebble, Sea-glass, White Bear, Sun-back, Light-eye, and Star-seeker. These are each headed by a matriarch, called the Sirintaq, and her council of Tiqits. The Sirintaq acts as a mediator between the spirits of the north in Ti'intalig beliefs, as well as an eloquent representative of the clan as a whole. The Tiqits are mediators of the people and travel between pods within the clan, bringing their knowledge back to the Sirintaq.
In the Ayamu confederation, there are four clans: Moon-chaser, Aurora, Sharp-coast, and Fjollvan. The latter is an exception to many of the cultural traits of selkies because of their connection with the islanders. The clans are ruled nearly the same way, though the names are different: the matriarch is called the Sirntag, and her council is comprised of Tyngits.
Traveling into another clan's domain uninvited is seen as rude, though not politically consequential. It is polite to give a warning or wait for a selkie from the other clan to take you. Borders are fluid, and the "domain" of the clan is defined by the area that they typically use for hunting.
Northern selkies are known for their ability to remember vast and complex networks of people within various clans. Most selkies have close connections with at least 20 other people within their clan, as well as a regular number of trading partners from other clans. Selkies will travel long distances quite often in order to meet with friends from other clans, most often during the spring and fall, after the hunting season but before the scarce months.
Ti'intalig selkies are known for their elaborate marriage rituals and feasts, and a common rite of passage for courting partners is to hunt for their own wedding meal. Ayamu selkies, especially Sharp-coast selkies, are more skeptical of marriage rituals, and when a selkie finds a life partner they keep it hidden. Many gambling games involving couples suspected of courting use the name of the betrothed as a bargaining chip. Neither confederation sees marriage as solely between two selkies, and marriages involving up to five selkies in the Ti'intalig confederation are not unheard of.
Children are raised by their birth parent and whoever that parent is living with at the time.
Neither confederation wear what could be considered clothing, though they both wear many varied accessories. Ti'intalig selkies wear braided kelp ropes around their wrists and waists, both to carry useful items and for decoration. Ayamu selkies, especially those near the Fjollvan islands, make bags of whale hide.
Tattooing is practiced by both confederations, though with different designs. The Ti'intalig selkies prefer winding patterns mimicking the northern lights, typically on their back and down their arms. The Sharp-coast and Moon-chaser Ayamu bear bold, pointed triangles wrapping around their arms and on their chest, and the Sharp-coast selkies will often use them to accent notable scars. The other Ayamu clans bear tattoos similar to Fjollvanic patterns of animals, intricate and small.
Near the shore, Ayamu selkies on the western coast build stone huts that jut partway out of the water, similar to a beaver's den. Sharp-coast selkies prefer to find natural coastal caves and furnish them. Ti'intalig selkies of most clans dig into the shoreline to create shallow inlets, piling the displaced dirt around the edge to form a wall, which they may reinforce with rocks or sticks.
Selkies of both groups spend much of their active time hunting and fishing, with older and younger selkies at home weaving kelp and maintaining tools. A child's first hunt is typically around the age of 14, where they will be entrusted to hold nets or herd straggling fish. Near the coast, Ti'intalig selkies living in lower latitudes will maintain gardens of kelp, which they trade with nearby clans for meat from their hunts.
Ti'intalig clans often argue about the rules of a traditional game that is played with a kelp ball stuffed with pebbles so that it sinks slowly. The most common variant holds that in order to make it to the selkies waiting at each end and score a goal, the ball can only be dropped to other teammates, not pushed through the water.
A favorite game in Ayamu clans is a chasing game, where three selkies are designated as "hunters" and the rest as "fish". A safe spot is chosen that the "fish" have to swim to, and it is the hunters' job to herd them away and tag them before they make it.