May the reason and judgment of the Zebra be with you all your lfe.

            The Takanir are a large, peaceful tribe living in various parts of the country Zadakir. Usually small in stature, the Takanir are agile and nimble, constantly moving throughout the rainforest, savannahs, montane forests, and sometimes even the lowland forests of Zadakir country to forage and search for sustenance. There is a wide variety within the population in regards to age as well as physical appearance. Takanir men and women have a myriad of tones of skin colour, eye colour, and hair colour, more diverse than any other tribe in the world. Because of the robust differences, ideas of ethnicity or race are foreign and unheard of in Takanir culture. They do not find contact with the outside particularly surprising or shocking because of this interesting biological staple.     

             Linguistically, the Takanir speak a language called Yarewiq. Appearing rudimentary to the untrained ear, Yarewiq is a mixture between Spanish and French with occasional tongue inflections similar to that of Swahili. While it is very difficult to learn, the non-verbal mastery of communication the Takanir have makes contact much more accessible. The mean age of the Takanir is just as diverse as their appearance and linguistic independence. Any given tribe will have newborn babies as well as men and women well into their eighties. The collective Takanir population ranges anywhere from three hundred to four hundred, however the tribes vary in their location throughout the different regions they inhabit. The climate is usually very hot and humid due to Zadakir’s location near the equator; however, there is a consistent amount of rain received in the rainforests. While there are a wide variety of animals to hunt, the Takanir never consume meat except for very specific rituals involving birth, marriage, and death because of their mythological beliefs.  They forage for nuts and fruits and often produce corn and rice near rivers. They also eat a wide variety of non-poisonous insects.

            The Takanir have a very distinctive mythological origin, affecting their belief on what is appropriate to use as nourishment. Believing that animals are sacred and wise creatures, the Takanir believe that the Zebra is superior to all living things. The Zebra is worshiped because he is assumed to be a wise, rational creature who compassionately and reasonably dictates nature. Because Zebra’s are black and white, black and white markings are considered sacred and beautiful and are consistently used and cherished in almost all rituals. The Takanir find color deeply symbolic, and assume the distinctive, colorless stripes of the Zebra to be indicative of his judicial nature not easily led by emotion. Older Takanir often tell the story of how all animals in Zadakir shared the forests and lands and lived harmoniously and tranquilly amongst one another because of this impartial direction of the Zebra. Assuming the Zebra to be the god of all other animals, the Takanir firmly believe the Zebra directs animal guardians to individuals. However, the Takanir’s chosen guardian is dictated directly by kinship. By puberty, all Takanir adolescents have dreams in which the Zebra enlightens them and personally indicates to them that they are also under care from their family’s designated animal. It is considered greatly disrespectful to appropriate a guardian for oneself that is a symbol for another family; this sort of disrespect is considered deeply offensive to the Zebra and the individual is often cast out of the tribe for months at a time until the tribes believe the individual has truly reconciled with the Zebra. However, the Zebra does not direct just any guardian as the Zebra does not trust every animal in the forests and mountains. The Zebra has five specific dignitaries in which he assumes trust and preservation of his people; the lion, the cheetah, the giraffe, the parrot, and the elephant.  Each family has had one of these guardians since the beginning of time, and will continue to do so. The reason it is so sacred to keep one’s familial animal guardian is because part of Takanir cosmology is the deep-rooted belief that death results in the “becoming” of one’s family’s animal guardian. 

          When considering institutions, the Takanir, as I have previously made clear, are deeply religious in regards to the esteem they hold for the Zebra god. Meat is rarely eaten as respect for the Zebra and his dignitaries, and he is consistently prayed to for wisdom and favor. The Zebra’s colors appear in many other institutions of Takanir culture, and it is not uncommon to see people paint the colors of the Zebra on themselves while summoning His wisdom. Meat is eaten only during birth, marriage, and upon death, and such meat is never from a creature that appears to be mirroring the dignitaries or the Zebra. (Takanir believe that any form of the Zebra or his dignitaries, even if numerous, is the god or dignitary himself). Highly ritualized, meat from an okapi or perhaps an ant-eater is often used because the blood from meat is thought to symbolize finality. Below is the simply symbol of stripes drawn by a young Takanir child before praying.

 Color symbols are so important to the Takanir, because there are so many indefinite expressions of culture within colour. Here, black and white represent a distinct separation of emotion resulting in reasonable, judiciary capability.

            Marriage is considered deeply powerful, and below are bracelets worn on the ankles of marriage partners. The black and white cords are symbolic of the Zebra’s wisdom, and the colors are symbolic of the man’s guardian which the wife will take on after marriage. This picture represents marriage partners who are protected by the giraffe dignitary. The black and white is indicative of the Zebra god's wisdom and approval, while the yellow and brown represent features of the giraffe. Braid patterns are made to symbolize the Zebra joining together the man and the woman, and men always have twice as many cords (in this case six) to indicate their necessary strength and leadership in such a lifelong commitment.

Family and kinship is expressed through the perpetual painting of the body. One’s family is recognizable immediately because of the colors of paint all over individual people. The paint colors vary by the animal the family assumes to be the guardian. Seen here is the kinship paint of two Takanir adults, both painted like their dignitary, the giraffe. The deep, crimson color seen here is often added as the Takanir believe the circular bands around the leg mixed with a blood-red color band will encourage the ingesting of the animal's strengths into the bloodstream.

           The Takanir equate religion and government quite synonymously. While they do not have any specific structure, all the tribes in the Takanir are firmly aware of their personal animal guardian, and assume the strengths and weaknesses of the animal they are protected by. Pictured below is a rudimentary flag all Takanir tribes claim. Quite forward and direct, this symbol has a color representative of each animal dignitary. The red is for the parrot, the brown for the lion, the yellow for the giraffe, the orange tinge for the cheetah, and the gray for the elephant. The black lines display the reason of the Zebra sending forth these protectors to His people.