The Oye are an ethnic group of Okrit originating in the lowlands around the Omolai Straight. The Oye are the largest of the five traditional lowland ethnicities make up a majority of the population around the nations administrative centre in Nakrama. Of all the Okriti cultures, the Oye are the most exposed to eastern culture, technology and politics, although still relatively little due to recent Okriti foreign policies. They reside primarily in the provinces of Nakrama, Kafotwo, Akoni, Tseqge, Ikanata, Nairo, Karawate and Goro.
History
The Oye descend from the original lowland Okriti populations who arrived in Okrit around the thirtieth century TT, being the antecessors of the populations who remained in the rainforests around the Omolai.
Culture
Oye culture has many of traits shared by other lowland ethnicities, as well as Okriti cultures as a whole. The Oye have still maintained a strong identity due to their perceived superiority over the other cultures of Okrit, primarily origination in the historical economic domination of Oye traders and traditional perceptions of sophistication they claim to have inherited directly from the Ukubians.
~~ Oye Law ~~
Although the Oye maintain a consistent identity, the customs, laws and beliefs of various Oye communities will differ from location to location. Each community will have its own developments and influences depending on their respective history and geographical situation, with some traditions varying greatly between villages. Despite this, the Oye have persisted in maintaining their unified cultural identity, partly due to their aversion to the other ethnic groups of Okrit.
Crocodile Oye
The most divergent community within the Oye are the 'Saltwater' or 'Crocodile' Oye who inhabit the short stretch of coast in northern Waaq, west of the Omolai. Although they are internally and externally considered
Familial system
The Oye familial unit is a fundamental part of Oye society which serves as the core of many customs and social systems. Oye society is heavily concentrated around family and blood connections, with many laws and traditions regarding marriage, property management and inheritance.
Marriage
The Oye marital system is polygamous, allowing for a maximum of six spouses, counting divorced ones. This applies to both sexes, however this restricted to one's social standing relative to the other within that marriage. The spouse of 'higher standing', perceived through wealth, reputation or nobility of birth, is termed 'Ode' and is allowed to have multiple other spouses, 'Kinta'. Each Kinta however can have no more than one spouse, being their Ode. If a is discovered to have been committing acts of a sexual, romantic (and in some cases platonic) nature with anyone other their Ode they are considered guilty of Adultery.
Within the system, a man may have multiple wives and a woman may have multiple husbands - allowing for same-sex relations as well - however said man or woman will be perceived as being of inherently higher social value. This system in practice however only applies regarding the nobility and those living in urban areas where there is larger variety in social standing, and where it is much more 'evident' to tell as such. Within poorer, rural communities monogamous marriages are common, as the two participants of a marriage are of equal social standing. Various systems regarding equal-class polygamy do exist in some communities however they vary from village to village.
Agak
Usually, the oldest & most respected living member of the family is considered the ‘Agak’, an Agak being their respective families’ matriarch/patriarch. The Agak is the spiritual head of the family, and holds great influence on the financial & marital decisions made within that family.
Language
The majority language of the Oye is Omolain, within the larger central lowland classification. Omolain serves as the working language of the Okriti Government, with the standard variety being based primarily on the Nakrama dialect and the literary vernacular of classical Oye literature, from the period of 600 - 200 TT. Standard Omolain serves almost entirely as the language of government and publications, with most day-to-day speech being in the respective dialects of Omolain.
Although mutually intelligible, these dialects can be rather jarring and hard to adjust to for second language speakers, of which a great amount of other Okritis as well as foreigners are. Alongside Omolain, Oye populations to the west of the Omolai may also speak Inunese, a language that diverged from Omolain very early in its history, and differs greatly due to its historical influences, such as proximity to the western lowland languages of the Taaqbal and Efiyye and it's lack of interaction with Ukubian compared to Omolain. Likewise, some of the eastern Oye populations speak dialects with influence from the neighboring Amata, however Omolain is considered of higher prestige than the Amata dialects, and is more likely to be spoken in Amata villages than vice versa.
The language of the Crocodile Oye, 'Sea-Speak' is the subject of debate, as most members of the Oye will attest it is simply a dialect of Omolain, however recent academic analysis has come to recognise a number of differences between Sea-Speak and the majority of Omolain dialects, with Crocodile Oye being able to understand Omolain to an easier degree than Omolain speakers understand sea-speak, some speakers citing that they don't understand it at all.
Religion
The religion and spiritual beliefs of the Oye allign with the elments prominent throughout of the spirituality within Okrit. The Oye term for one's spiritual power is 'ojo', a concept which has great influence not only over Oye spirituality but also over law, social interactions and language.
National significance
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