As I have continued to read and study for the worldbuilding of the dragonscape, I have read more and more on Anthropology and Archaeology in order to better understand the sorts of structures drekir societies might take in regards to how their societies might socially organize and so, as I have been updating the page I have felt it necessary to rework the four non evolutionary models of social organization to better line up with those of the Drekir.
Drekir Social Behavior
Drekir social behavior is a notable departure from that of humanity and, before social organization is talked about there needs to be some coverage of their natural social behavior, den psychology, as well as reproductive and parental behaviors of the Drekir.
The Drek Family that does not exist
Drekir are a R-selective, promiscuous species of breeders and inevitably make a lot of children. They do not particularly bond with any of their own children either, with the average parent not recognizing their children in a hatching generation of new drekir. Rather, both male and female drekir have a very light parental drive for children in general. They do not have a parental drive to protect their children in particular but rather, they have a light parental drive to protect children generally regardless of parent.
Drekir show no bond to eggs. Broken eggs, be it on purpose, accidental, or for whatever reason, don’t phase drekir who often break their own eggs regularly for pragmatic reasons, such as avoiding overpopulation, and for cultural, religious, and ceremonial reasons.
Drekir are also not very intense parents when it comes to hatchlings and younglings either.
This parental drive is very light though when compared to human parenthood. Drekir by no means will allow a child to die neglected and they will care for their children. However, while the death of a child is a sad matter for the drekir, it isn’t a world shattering tragedy, it happens. As long as the overall health of the hatchling den they are raising is good then the death of one or two is sad, but not the end of the world. More will be laid anyways.
Compared to humans, this leads to a very hands off method of parenting in which children are almost always raised communally and often separate from the adult dens within the community, often left to their own devices for most of the days and weeks of their upbringing. Almost always the adult drekir of a community lend a very light hand in supporting a growing den, providing shelter and safety, food and water, and an often limited education that often takes the form of a apprenticeship like relationship to teach a young drek/drekir important skills and knowledge for their coming adult life.
Moreover drekir are aromantic. They don’t have a concept of romantic love in the same way humans do and do not form long term pair bonds. Their sexual behavior is driven by lust specifically and they are generally very promiscuous, mating with friend and stranger alike, whomever suits their fancy in that moment. Due to this, drekir cultures never have a true concept of a “marriage” between individuals, be it a monogamous or polygamous marriage. So you will never see drekir form ideas of spouses nor spousal relationships.
In either case it should be no surprise to say that drekir do not form the anthropological concept of the nuclear family as you see across the world of human social interactions and familial systems. Instead of a lineal family like you often see with humans, drekir have a different type of social group that forms the core of their societies, that being the Den.
The Drek Den
Drekir dens are generationally distinct groups of non-genetically related drekir that may have grown up together, or had formed later on, most commonly a mix of both. Drekir of a den develop a deep and intensely close bond, being intensely platonically and playfully friendly and lustful. Drekir see their fellow denmates as a sort of “found family”, as fixtures of their life, as trusted companions and close compatriots, social, economic, and social support, as mates and casual sexual partners, and as generally the most important group of people in their life.
Drekir dens are generally large, with most dens ranging around 30 drekir. Though dens can sometimes number over 50 drekir, and some smaller dens may number as low as 20 individuals. Drekir dens are usually egalitarian in social organization and don’t have formalized leaders with each individual of the den generally being socially equal, aside from pragmatic and informal specializations in trades and skills.
Dens are also generally relatively loose in regards to membership, with all members of a drek den being of a similar age range and generation. Most members of a den had likely grown up together in the same hatchery and in the same general generation. Moreover, drekir dens will often integrate new members into their den of a similar age group as their own den. So within any given den the majority of the members of that den will all share a similar age, with an average age range between most members of any given drek den being between 1-3 years of eachother.
Packs are also worth a mention here. A drek pack is a group of drekir that numbers under 20 individuals, but shares a similar tight close bond and sense of platonic and playful love to a den. Some packs are traveling offshoots of larger dens, such as trader caravans, whereas others are wholly independent groups. These smaller social groups are similar to dens though, just otherwise too small to be considered a true den.
Non Linear Models of Social Organization and the Drekir
As far as social organization is concerned, drekir dens are the closest (even if not at all similar) structure to human families and, as such, tend to be the most basic social unit that builds up into more socially complex societies such as drekir tribes, chiefdoms, and other states of social organization.
Generally the 3 Non Linear Models of Social Organization are a mechanism of understanding very broad models of social organization that occur in Human societies. In spite of popular belief these are non evolutionary and non linear, so one does not progress one into the other but rather these sorts of models arise in response to different environmental, cultural, economic and social factors that are unique to a specific culture. This page is going to discuss a lot of the distinct differences that these models of organization take commonly with drekir. Just like humans drekir societies have a massive variety of societies that take different routes on how they socially organize.
Moreover as tribal societies are the the most common social model seen in the DragonScape generally speaking, a lot of this segment is going to be focused on the nuances of Tribal Societies. Though there will be a good bit of information on Den Bands and Chiefdom societies in the context of the Drekir Species.
Band Societies
Band societies are the smallest type of drek society and are simply a society that is made up of a single, generally socially independent pack or den. Band societies do not form complex political,
economic or social bonds with other dens and functions primarily for the survival of it’s own denmates. Band Cultures typically feature a very low population density and may interact with other bands within their culture, but they do not share a broader political unity or social organization.
Bands are generally den exclusive (more on that below) though membership can often be relatively fluid with many den bands, with these den bands often taking in new members. Band societies also never possess any sort of strict hierarchy and are purely egalitarian. Though as each den is effectively functioning on it’s own, there are few social institutions or practices that are practiced between dens. Bands might be sedentary, semi nomadic, or nomadic and almost universally have a foraging economy, though there are a few rare pastoralist bands. Populations of Band societies are always very low, often with only a few hundred drekir existing in a culture.
Tribal Societies
Tribal societies are the most common form of drekir social organization and most cultures and people live in some type or variation of a tribal society. Tribal societies are a series of many dens that, while often autonomous and economically self sufficient, are united by loose and informal political, social and economic institutions. These dens are generally united by a shared culture, history, and language and organize into decentralized, but united Clans, that then can organize on a further and likewise informal level into Tribes. See the chart below for an example!
Tribal economies vary heavily by regions and cultures and strategies. Most tribal societies have some element of foraging in their economies, though often will also incorporate other strategies such as pastoralism or horticulture into their economies. In terms of lifestyle you see all the varieties of sedentary, nomadic, and seminomadic lifestyles. Populations of tribal societies are often low to medium, with most tribal societies being home to between 400 to 1500 drekir.
There are a few factors to mention here in Tribal societies with various forms of adult den residency (den inclusive and den exclusive societies) and the types of Den Clans that occur (Generational and Geographical Den Clans)
Den Clans and Den Clan types: Generational Den Clans and Geographic Den Clans.
A Den clan is a group of dens that cooperate together informally as a larger political and social group. These den clans are often closely tied through economic trade, social events and cooperation. A tribal society may be made of just a single den clan or may be made of multiple den clans that form a larger informal network of people. The dens of a clan usually (but not always) get along with one another, but tend to support one another socially, often reinforcing the relations between dens through economic and social mutual aid as well as through close cultural ties.
Generally while clans are an important aspect of political and social life in tribal societies, different cultures have different systems of who comprises a clan and how clanship is determined. These fall into the categories of Generational Den Clans and Geographic Den Clans.
Generational Den Clans are den clans which form amongst drekir of a similar broad age range and generally feature a larger range of ages between the dens of a clan than the denmates within each specific den. This may take the form of a generation of dens with an age range between 20-35, or 40-60, etc. It sometimes occurs that generational dens also move to live in the same geographic area together, though this is not universal and not necessary for a den to be a generational den. Generational den clans are far more common amongst nomadic and seminomadic drekir though also occur from time to time in sedentary cultures.
Geographic Den Clans are den clans that form amongst drekir that share the same geographic area. It might be a series of drekir dens that live along the same stretch of river, around or on a specific mountain or within a certain valley or a series of drekir dens that share a similar nomadic range. Unlike generational dens these den clans are often made up of den clans that vary wildly in age, from adolescent to elder dens, that all work together and unite based on a shared land. While it is common for geographic den clans to also be den inclusive societies, with each den of the clan living within the same larger settlement, this is not universal. Geographic dens are also usually more often sedentary communities though there are a few nomadic examples that exist.
Den Inclusive and Den Exclusive Tribes
There are broadly two systems of broad tribal locality which separates how the individual communities of a broader tribal society are organized, while there are variations in these patterns there are two very broad patterns which are generally understood as “Den Inclusive” and “Den Exclusive” societies.
Den Exclusive societies are the more common of the two and are marked by adult dens of drekir living separate from eachother. Each individual den has it’s own nomadic range, it’s own homestead, or otherwise lives with a degree of autonomy and independence from the other dens within its tribe and/or clan. Usually once a youngling den hits adolescence or adulthood they are sent out to either inherit the territory/land of an old den that now lays empty or are sent to inhabit a new piece of land and territory. While these dens still cooperate it provides each individual den a great degree of solitude and independence.
Den Inclusive societies are the opposite, where clans of multiple separate dens live together in a single, larger community. Often each den is seen as its own political group while also sharing a close tie to the broader clan due to them quite literally sharing a nomadic range, settlement, or other such tangible land or area together.
Residence of drekir dens
Generally another layer of variation comes in regards to where new up and coming adult dens from the adolescent generation of drekir in the region. These tend to be categorized as locality or residence. With a few general types
Neolocality is the most common form of locality amongst the drekir, in which an adolescent den leaves the community of their parental den to live somewhere else. The most common form of this is found in den exclusive societies in which the up and coming dens are sent to establish new communities or to inherit the communities of older, dying dens. In den inclusive societies this is most commonly found with adolescent dens moving into new communities, particularly to move into den inclusive societies that are defined by generational dens so that all of the new young adult dens can establish a multiden community together.Linealocality Is mostly seen in Geographic den clan sedentary den inclusive societies, in which the grown up offspring of a drekir community continue to live within that community. This creates communities defined by multiple generations living together, usually in a linear organization of an Elder den, Midlife Den, one or more Adult and Young Adult dens, and one or more up and coming adolescent dens, youngling, and hatchling dens.
Tribal Politics: Informal Institutions and Reciprocity
All the drekir of all the dens and clans of a tribe generally have a lot to work on and negotiate with one another. Things like regional land use and management, economy and trade, commitments of mutual defense and/or aid in crisis situations, as well as resolutions to prior disagreements between these communities of drekir that are generally done informally.
In tribal societies, there aren’t official organizations or institutions that are referred to but rather, tribal societies are negotiated by informal institutions, traditions, expectations, and general rules that help drekir individually and as larger groups navigate the political situations within their community and to other communities.
In this informal environment, one of the most important aspects of political life is Reciprocity.. Reciprocity is the culmination of desired or needed acts of trade, gifts, goodwill and trust exchanged through a variety of favors and actions. If a community helps another in building a hatchery then they might get some friendly aid in return.
Neighbors help neighbors and it is the long term culmination of these tokens of goodwill, hospitality, and generosity that becomes the informal social economy of a community of drekir dens that binds them together. Generally drekir are willing to negotiate things like land use with their neighbors because they are on good terms with their neighbors and understand that their generosity will lead to a favorable return of generosity down the line. Its these systems of mutual trust, aid, and cooperation that bind den clans together and that bind whole tribes of people together just as they have done for human societies.If everyone is willing to do favors for everyone and everyone is willing to return reciprocity for favors, then everyone tends to get along. But also its when these notions of reciprocity are not returned when conflicts arise.
Just as positive reciprocity unifies people, negative reciprocity splits them apart. A Den taking more favors than they are receiving in the eyes of the other folks, a clan acting flippant and disagreeable about trade plans or land use within the broader region that are thought to be reasonable, or a den not pulling their own in a crisis situation. Lots of things can put a den in a bad light relative to the broader clan or tribe and these conflicts may resolve themselves informally between the parties in disagreement. Sometimes they warrant larger political intervention by other dens, clans, or even other tribes to resolve these built up disputes. Sometimes they build up to a point in which informal cultural conflict resolution takes place in the form of things like Ritual warfare to resolve conflicts definitively with as little blood spilled as possible. Sometimes relations get so bad as to warrant complete and violent confrontations to force the issue to a close. More often though, many of the political disagreements between drekir dens and clans are resolved through negotiations between the disagreeing parties and others within councils and conflict is negated by threats of denial of aid and cooperation.
Tribes are united on the expectations of reciprocity and on maintaining a good reputation and relations! You are what you do with the broader people, as a den helps and supports others they too are helped and supported and they build up a sort of social currency for working out political and economic matters. As a den doesn’t help or doesn’t contribute however then the less others help them and the more disagreements and conflicts may arise. But generally drekir of differing dens get along well and each pulls their own respective weight in their own respective way.
Generalizations of a vast variety of systems
Tribal societies are the most common form of society drekir societies in the awakening period take, so trying to describe all of the potential varieties of which they could take is mostly impossible. So instead take the above forms as more like broad trends that occur across many though not nearly all drekir societies.
Chiefdom Societies
Chiefdom societies are the largest common societies that drekir go on to build in many contexts across the DragonScape. While chiefdom isn’t necessarily the best word to describe these societies, as few if any chiefdoms are led by a single chief or individual leader, they do follow a similar basic description as human Chiefdoms. Chiefdoms are societies that are comprised of one or more tribal groups that are united under a concrete aristocratic leadership within a stratified society.
So, whereas a tribe of drekir is a more decentralized society constructed of multiple clans, each made of multiple dens that work together via systems of kinship and reciprocity binding them together, a Chiefdom is comprised of multiple tribes united under an aristocracy. Additionally is the stratification of chiefdom societies compared to the generally egalitarian tribal societies of drekir. Chiefdoms are often a series of united settlements with a defined political class of drekir who makes decisions that affect the other communities under their leadership. In chiefdoms you find multiple social classes and in the most basic sense you have the aristocracy who leads the chiefdom and everyone else, though it is common to see several social classes that exist within a chiefdom. All chiefdoms are sedentary societies with generally higher population densities than tribes or bands. While there is a usually plenty of foraging and pastoralism in chiefdoms, their economies are primarily fueled by intensive insect farming, aquaculture, limited agriculture etc.
Here I will cover two broad, varying systems of governance in how a chiefdoms aristocratic class is formed. Just like with the above mentioned tribal society structures and systems, there is broad variation with these practices and some societies do not follow these structures at all. But these two broad systems of aristocratic structure are Denarchs and Amalgamate Dens.
Denarchs and Amalgamate Aristocracies
Generally chiefdom societies are lead by a single group of drekir, usually a den of some sort and structure that functions as a ruling class. How these dens are constructed, how long they rule, and how leadership is inherited varies culturally and by the particulars of that chiefdom.
Denarchs are leader dens that had inherited their position as chosen by a prior denarch or were elevated to the position through some political process. Denarchs independently make decisions on policy, economy, and organization of the other communities under their rule, often without any other powers in check, in a lot of ways you can compare them to a oligarchy. In addition to managing the chiefdom it is often the job of this denarch to manage diplomacy, rally militias and/or the warrior class of their society and generally protect the territory of the chiefdom. This den functions as the upper class and also receives a larger portion of the wealth of a society, usually through a form of tribute by the various communities that make up the chiefdom. Typically a denarch rules for the full lifespan of the den, from when they first inherit the “throne” to when the last of the drekir in the den breathes their last breath. the den that will inherit the denarch may be determined through various means. In some cases the heir is chosen of the adolescent and adult dens within the chiefdom, usually of the other, non leadership upper class dens of drekir within the chiefdom. In other cases it comes down to a democratic vote across the entire population of the chiefdom, in addition to other various systems of selecting an heir.
Amalgamate Aristocracies are artificial dens that are constructed from members of multiple dens who form a political den that functions as the leader den of a chiefdom. In this system one or multiple drekir from various dens leave their natal den and join into one or more artificial dens that function as the group that organizes policy, division of labor, and control of resources. In some cases all the dens of a society must provide at least one drek from their den to join the amalgamate den, and in other cases drekir are selected from a more restrictive set of upper class dens within the chiefdom. In this system the ruling body never technically dies, needing to be replaced. Rather as older drekir pass away and are replaced by drekir from the younger dens the ruling body of an Amalgamate Aristocratic chiefdom is always gradually morphing and transitioning with the changes of the people around them. So instead of a structured system of inheritance that occurs all at once, the body is always in transition.