Fishermen

Fishermen (Hapšâw'l: Holêrâl), also known as Boatmen (Votsil Kepše) are a group of mostly nomadic people who live on the seas surrounding Hapšâw, numbering about 8,000 people. They mostly live on boats, or in portable tents set up on the coast of the island. They often trade seafood with coastal towns, and in return they buy clothes and metal tools. They do not usually appear in the two big cities, as those have a steady supply of seafood from local sources, but they will occasionally venture to them for luxury items that cannot be obtained in the smaller settlements. They speak a dialect similar to Tokšahalnal Hapšawl.

Origins

It is not known when the fishermen started appearing, the oldest preserved texts from Tokšahalna, dated at around 430 TT mention them already. It is assumed that their way of life is older than permanent settlements on the island, and that it directly preceded them. An argument supporting this is that the majority of the earliest settlements on the island are located on the coast.

Traditions

The Fishermen are divided into tribes. It is encouraged to marry to a partner from a different tribe, the children becoming part of the fathers tribe, and the mother being part of both tribes. Unlike urban residents of Hapšâw, Fishermen traditionally introduce themselves with both their Tribe's name and their given name. For example Mašaran'l Gil would be someone named Gil who is part of the Mašaran tribe. There are a total of 31 tribes, the largest one, Hemw has 812 people in it.

It's commonly believed that painting your face brings good fortune when fishing, so Fishermen will often do it when fishing above water. Clans usually have unique designs and patters. The basecoat is almost universally light blue or white, to blend in with the sky.

When fishing above water bows, nets and fishing rods are typically used, when inside the water Fishermen will usually use spears or harpoons. Their diet consists primarily of fish and other seafood.

Permanent Settlements

Although the overwhelming majority of Fishermen are nomadic, some do live in settlements, mostly on the southern coast of the island. The largest of these is Tokšašira, with a population of 207. These settlements serve the role of trading outposts, cultural hubs, and a place to repair boats and restock supplies.