Post by Pallu on Sept 1, 2010 12:56:43 GMT -7
So I have been working on a tentative idea for a group of dholes and here is what I have so far!
This group of dholes is currently loosely knit, led nominally by Sri. Their name means, "freedom from possessiveness" and it's deliberate: this rag-tag group is formed from dholes who split off from a larger clan, the some ways to the west, the Kula, a once closely-knit group of dholes shattered from within by betrayal over succession.
Like the clan they came from, the Aparigrahah retain a loose hierarchy. Unlike wolves, and also unlike what their old group became, the Aparigrahah have a much less rigid hierarchy, without many of the ritualized actions to denote dominance. For example, Sri isn't going to get too ticked off if other dholes give him sass. They know who's in charge and who's not, and as with African wild dogs, group bonding -- with a great deal of physical affection and submissive behavior -- is much more common than dominance displays.
Nevertheless, the group has a leader of sorts, the Kutumbin -- an almost tongue-in-cheek name meaning "family man." As a family man ought to do, the kutumbin keeps an eye on the other members of the group. However, because dholes have a fission-fusion society -- that is, there is a central clan but they don't always all hang out together, instead often splitting into groups of 3 or 5 to hunt and so on -- there can be more than one Kutumbin. Certainly Sri, an easygoing fella, is more than happy to allow others to take charge if they'd like to.
The female equivalent to the kutumbin is the naariiratna, the "excellent wife." This female is often, though not always, the mate of the kutumbin.
This group of dholes is currently loosely knit, led nominally by Sri. Their name means, "freedom from possessiveness" and it's deliberate: this rag-tag group is formed from dholes who split off from a larger clan, the some ways to the west, the Kula, a once closely-knit group of dholes shattered from within by betrayal over succession.
Like the clan they came from, the Aparigrahah retain a loose hierarchy. Unlike wolves, and also unlike what their old group became, the Aparigrahah have a much less rigid hierarchy, without many of the ritualized actions to denote dominance. For example, Sri isn't going to get too ticked off if other dholes give him sass. They know who's in charge and who's not, and as with African wild dogs, group bonding -- with a great deal of physical affection and submissive behavior -- is much more common than dominance displays.
Nevertheless, the group has a leader of sorts, the Kutumbin -- an almost tongue-in-cheek name meaning "family man." As a family man ought to do, the kutumbin keeps an eye on the other members of the group. However, because dholes have a fission-fusion society -- that is, there is a central clan but they don't always all hang out together, instead often splitting into groups of 3 or 5 to hunt and so on -- there can be more than one Kutumbin. Certainly Sri, an easygoing fella, is more than happy to allow others to take charge if they'd like to.
The female equivalent to the kutumbin is the naariiratna, the "excellent wife." This female is often, though not always, the mate of the kutumbin.
