Political Structure of a Tahari Tribe
In this article I want to show once again that Taharian tribes differ substantially from the known Gor as portrayed in most Second Life Gor Sims. Unfortunately most players do not know those differences and apply “normal” Gorean politics to a Tahari SIM. This often results in bizarre structures and players being confused about how to correctly play their characters.
In order to understand what is actually the cause for this mix up, lets look at the Governmental structure in a “normal” Gorean city:
The high council
The normal Gorean city is Governed by what is called the high council. The council is formed by the heads of the 5 high castes: The initiates, the scribes, the builders, the physicians and the the lowest of the five: The warriors. The men of each caste vote (in most cities women do not have voting rights but may be elected) a head of caste. This head of caste is the one who represents the caste in the high council.
In the really big cities, there might be one person that represents all of the low castes, this person does not have voting rights in the council but can take part in meetings and voice his opinion.
The council votes about laws, regulations and hold trials. Usually praetors, magistrates and the ambassador report to the council. The power of the council is absolute, if the council says leaves are black then leaves stop being green.
The council then votes an administrator who basically runs the city based on the laws voted upon in the high council. The magistrates execute the councils and the administrators decisions. It has to be notes that it is the magistrates who are are in command of the city guards not the head of the red caste!
Magistrates are the only power that can issues a warrant of arrest or order the enslavement of a citizen. In many Second Life Gor cities this is done wrong and an ubar or worse: the captain issues a warrant of arrest against a citizen or enslaves a citizen. That is totally wrong as the guards have no such power.
An Ubar is the head of the warriors caste who has been given by the council temporarily the power and command over the city in times of crisis, such as a war. In that function he rules by decret. When the crisis is resolved he gives back the command of the city to the council, assuming he respects the warriors code.
This is how it should be. Now what is different in the Tahari oases?
The short answer is: Non of the above exists in the Tahari
There are no castes hence forth there are no head of caste, there is no council, there is no administrator, no Ubars as such and no such thing as elections. Not even a civil register or slave papers.
Instead the tribes are headed by the high pasha. Now lets look at where they come from. The following quote from Tribesmen describes it best:
“It is not unusual for the genealogy of most of the pashas sovereign in the various eases to contain a heritage of raiders. Most of those in the Tahari who sit upon the rugs of office are those who are the descendants of men who ruled, in ruder days, scimitar in hand, from the high, red leather of the kaiila saddle. The forms change but, in the Tahari, as elsewhere, order, justice and law rest ultimately upon the determination of men, and steel.”
In another words, the pasha is the descendent of a man that was simply the strongest in a group of raiders. He settled down in an oasis and founded a tribe. Simple as that.
The pasha is council, ubar, head of whichever profession, magistrate and head of the warriors, in command of the guards – all in one person. His ruling is absolute, untouchable and about the concept of an elected council he would burst out laughing and probably kill the person suggesting such non sense. He sees the tribe as the heritage of his grand grand parents, the oasis was their land and a council would be seen as intruding in his birth rights.
However the Pasha delegates some of his power:
Military power is given to a captain. The captain runs the warriors and the guards. Civil power is given to a Magistrate or Judge. He decides in trials of criminal and civil nature.
Both of these report to the Pasha.
The Pashas, Suleiman as well as Hassan the Pasha of the Kavar where described as very strong and honorable men. They cared for their people to the extend that Hassan disguised himself as a bandit and traveled the Tahari to find out what is the real reason for the provocations of the Aretei.
Therefore a Pasha was not perceived by the men and women of a tribe as a tyrant but more so like the father of the tribe, a patriarchal structure.
Conclusion:
We should forget about things like ubars, castes and councils. There is no place for them in the Tahari desert. Of course, if your character is from another city, you have a caste. But it is irrelevant and not recognized by the tribesmen of the Tahari nor does being of caste give any special rights or status other then that of a guest.
Sheraka
Is this analysis BTB or earth-history lore? That citation about Pashas as descendant of raiders is true for any of given earth dynasties in all regions. That is not contradictory to caste system or council system.
Turkish tribes in middle asia (“stans”, kazahstan, uzbekistan, tadjikistan and such) are caste-divided and council-advised. You can see it at present Afganistan “Loya lirga” or council of elders of the tribes.
Turkish imperial rule is surely caste-system stratified. In Turkish, word for caste is “Esnaf” and rudiment of caste system is live up today in former Turkish client states.
In Beduoin tribes, Chief is advised by Council of Elders. But i doubt that Bedouins are role-model for “Tribesmen of Gor”. Pasha is title of Turkish tribes, not Bedouin tribes. (Turkish tribes lives in whole of central Asia, from Istanbul to Chinese Wall). Also, “Kasbah” is turkish word for fortress, not Arab and not beduin. Scimitar is, also, turkish weapon of choice Bedouins fight with spear. If i remember good, Tahari was at some time vassal to Turia power? That also speaks about analogy with Turkish runaway client states (Alger, Tunisia, Tripoli, Bengazi, Albania, Bosnia, -stans and others)
If model for Tribesmens of Tahari are Turkish-speaking peoples from Asia deserts, then they had surely taken Caste system from Earth to Gor.
Hi Hassan
Its a BTB analysis not a “counter culture analysis”.
However you bring up some good points here. I was always under the impression that the Tahari culture is the counter culture of the Syrian Beduins which is fairly close tu Turkey. I could be wrong here.
Your analysis would mean Turia being the counter of the old Turkish empires. Makes actually sense as Norman often used words with similar sound (Tyre – Tyros, Turia – Turkey, Kar – Kartago and so on.)
In that case a comparison with the Syrian Beduin is most appropriate and the caste system not applicable to them but to the Turians of course.
The Turians actually claim souveranity of the Tahari maybe thats where the cultural influence and the Turian/Turkish terminolog come fromy?
Also explains the Taharian obsession for Tea
Sheraka
Oh yes
A council of elders as advisors of the pasha would in my opinion be appropriate.
Sheraka
…and if we trace analogy Turian=Turkey, then victory of Kutchuk against Turia is same as victory of Mongols against Turkey Sultan at Angora.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ankara
But Mongols was less noble then Kutchuk – they had taken Sultan Bayazid in cage to Samarkand and he dies in that same cage.
yep
That makes a lot of sense. You see some of counter earth is less cruel then its Earten origins
)
Sheraka
And think of Turian baths!!
Sheraka
Hassan
I think we have to go further back in history then the Ottoman Empire. Turia has actually many elements that one would find in Constantinopel at the time of the Roman Empire.
Especially the emphasis that Norman puts on its unsiegable walls,its wealth, the bath houses and that it is described as the Southern counter of glorious Ar in the North.
If the ottoman empire would have been the counter part of the Turian empire, then the City of Tor would be part of it. Tor in the books was describe as totally independent.
During the ottoman empire the counter city of Tor (Bagdad) was Turkish. So the tuckuks are more likly Ghendi Kans fellas.
Sheraka
Sheraka
Sure – that’s just i had proposed, Tuchuks and their leader are counter Mongols, and their beating of Turia is counter of Mongol beating of Turks in 15th century. But at the Turkish time there was a lot of realms which was semi-independent or independent, who had combined Turkish and Tribal culture. (Samara, Kokand, Buhara in Central Asia, then Tripoli, Benghazi, Tunis and Alger in Africa, Bosnia and Albania in Europe). All that places had have a mix in between urban Turkish culture and their tribal customs.
Respect and Honor,
Hasan
Istanbul had just continued traditons od Constantinopolis… build more baths (Hamam), collected even more wealth. Only they didn’t have a thing for horse-chariot racing, so that practice was abandoned.
All right
So we agree on the counter culture being turkish and syrian bedouin. The nomads find their counter in the mongolian riders.
If the counter of the events is int he 15th cenrury, that means that Turia on Gor would be far younger then the cities in the North, whos counter cultures are in the ancient Romans, Greek and Phonicians around 400 before christ.
The Priest Kinds evolved their experiment into younger Earthean cultures? Well why not actually, the red savages might even be younger then that.
Wish I could ask Norman
Sheraka
The scimitar is actually found in many different middle eastern cultures
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scimitar
In Northern Afrika including Marocco a fortress is also called a Kasbah. One might argue that this is because of turkish influence during the ottoman empire, nevertheless its not an definite indication or prove that Norman was refering to turkish desert tribes as a counter to the Tahari tribes. But I admit its possible.
In either case, the absence of the caste system is definetly BTB. You are actually the first person I encounter in Second Life with whom I am discussing counter earth cultural background.
I wish more players would educate themselves about these things, it would help getting rid of all those missconceptions about Gor and Gorean role play.
Sheraka
There is another big hint in the books actually:
The Tharian tribes where all big into agriculture, especially in growing date plams. So here is question for you Hasan: Which either turkish, beduoin or arabic tribes where big producers of date during or before the ottoman empire?
I don’t know actually, but when hearing date palms I think of Northern Africa.
Sheraka
Unfortunately, they are grown at wide space of Africa, Asia and even Middle America… but they are most succesfull in Egipt and Lybia. So, if we trace way of date palms we will come to Turkish-Berberian pashaluks of Tripoli, Benghazi and Derna, and, more exotical and back to the past, to the Garamantian slaver empire of deep desert of today Libiya and westernt Egypt (700BC – 300AD).
Honor and Respect,
Hasan
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garamantes
So Garamantes was living in roman times, they were desert tribesmen, slavers, date palm famers, fossil-water exploiters, salt miners and stubborn in war… And they had misteriously dissapeared from history. Maybe they was takeno aboard PK ships? * Wink *
However, i will opt more to Benghazi pashaluk.
That sounds actually like the Kavar
And it is in Normans prefered time.
Are you some kind of a Professor in History?
Sheraka
I’m professor in Philosophy who becomes tabloid journalist… but my father is Historian specialized in Turkish Empire period on Balkans.
Very insightful discussions going on here. I’m following a bit but I feel as if I’m out of my league at the moment.
Hasan
If you want to puplish related articles here on the blog. I make you a co-author. All you need is a wordpress.com account.
I am sure you can contribute insighful articles about the philosophic background of Gor regardsless if you agree with Lange.
Interested?
Sheraka
With regards to your post about date agriculture:
So date agriculture being most successfull in Egypt. Egypt being part of the ottoman empire at one stage and hosting nomadic bedouins as well.
Are we getting closer? The Fayheen being counter river of the Nile?
Kasra = Kairo?
Exciting root tracing this….
Sheraka
Sheraka dear… I would like a lot to publish about Gorean philosophy, SL Gor and SL, but honestly i must learn more about it. I had read 4 books from Norman so far and a lot of internet stuff… I have lot of ideas about hermenautic reading of Lange and connecting him with context of Existencial philosophy, but I must first read more of it.
However, as a proffesor in Philosophy (by education) i’m much honored by Your proposal. As a tabloid journalist (by Job), i will propose it even bigger: I think we are crazy if we will not make a book about virtual Goreanism as world-wide phenomen.
Honor and Respect,
Hasan
Kasra=Kairo, Turia=Turkey, Tor=Tripoli, Tahari=Sahara? I like it.
So, Ianda will be Luanda slaving city… and Shendi legendary Shaba in Congo.
There is a Shaba in “Explorers of Gor”
Hasan
Just that Tor is described like old Bagdad.
But look at “Raiders of Gor”. Tyros = Tyre and some obvious references to the ancient Phoenicians.
Kar = Kartago?
Sheraka
Tyros is curely Tyre, and Kar Kartago… it same position across the sea, and Kartago hadn’t stable ruler… they had unique system of buying of rulership. Most rich merchant in Carthago can buy rulership for some period, but with this move merchant will also take responisibility to pay scribes and staff. So political instability of Kar is counter of that same situation in Carthago…
And Kartago was colony of Tyre… Kartago means New City.
So, war in Vosk delta is counter of Roma-Carthago war… catastrphe of Ar army in valley of river Vosk is counter of catastrophe of Roman army in valley of river Po ( Battle of the Trebia, the Battle of Lake Trasimene and most famously at the Battle of Cannae). But in counter earth Carthago-Phoenicians had have more sucess.. I’m sure Carthago/Phoenician/Punic culture is dear to Lange because of their emphasise on slavery and culturaly accepted promiscuity of submissive woman (they had have, in gorean terms, unrestricted pleasure slaves at temples)
This is why its called counter-earth
Sheraka
Port Kar is actually know for importing wood from the wild Northern Forest. Just like the Phonicians in Tyre and Kartago imported wood from the Libanon.
Any guess what else we encounter there, at least in Greek Mythologie? Just a litlle bit more North in a wild uncivilised area called Scythia?
Yes you may have guessed it: Wild and fierce women hunting with bows and living without men…:-)) called the Amazons!
Sheraka
Counter-earth is for me like mix of Carthago-Roman city culture with inner politics working of late Turkish empire… But with pure Honor in place of Faith in God. In terms of philosophy, it is Ayn Rand meeting deeper meaning of Marquise de Sade… and that is that man and woman are mere beasts. “Philospohy in Budoir” of De Sade is, in fact, Jean-Jacques Rousseau book about “Noble Savage” inverted. Rousso had stated that man is in his heart Noble… and De Sade had written his book as mockery of Rousseau, inspired by cruelty of French Revolution, and disguise his writtings in pornography.
Very similar are work of Lange/Norman: in my opinion, he had stated, (together with De Sade, Crowley and Freud) that man and woman are beasts… but he had disguised his philosophy in pulp fiction rather then pornography or mystican writing.
Hi Hassan
I found actually a hint hat Tor was indeed part of the Turian Empire. The slave pens in Tor where numbered TURIAN slave pen numbers.
Another hint for its relation to Ottoman Turkish Empire.
The garamantes is amazingly close to Tribesmen, that could be it. What is their origin?
Sheraka
Yes, and Ottomans had their style of letters and numbers during empire… (Turks today use Latin alphabet and numbers). I remember that slaver in Tor speaks about “Taharic script” so scripit in Desert and Tor is different then mainstream Gorean.
Garamantes were forefathers of today Berber nomadic people. They had used Punic/Phoenician script for monuments.
Ok, so with the berbers we are pretty close i guess, whether its garamantes or pashaluk is really too much splitting hairs, what you think?
Sheraka