Side, Clan, House

Desert Born society is divided into two "sides" (moieties in anthropology lingo) called Sand and Stone. Each side is divided into clans, which are matrilineal, meaning that you inherit your clan from your mother rather than your father. It is traditionally considered incestuous to marry anyone from any clan on your own side, although of late this is breaking down somewhat; even very liberal Desert Born, however, will avoid marrying someone from their own clan, and it is also not well-regarded to marry someone of your father's clan.

Clans of the Sand are the Cactus, Eagle, Fox and Hawk; clans of the Stone are Lion, Lizard, Moon and Star. [OOC memory aid: in alphabetical order, the first four clans are Sand side and the last four are Stone side.] As with the Navajo of Ancient Terra, the Desert born express clan membership as being born to one's mother's clan and for one's father's clan.

Beneath or within the clan is the House, mirroring the offworld Great Houses and Lesser Houses although, again, matrilineally based. The House is the closest equivalent to the offworld concept of "family."

A child's primary male "parental" figure is not the father, as in most offworld societies, but the mother's brother, since he belongs to the same clan. Most Desert Born remember their father in childhood as generous and playful, whereas the mother's brother was a figure of discipline. 

Traditionally marriages are arranged, although this too is breaking down. The ideal traditional marriage is between a man and a woman of the man's father's clan, since the children can then inherit their paternal grandfather's privileges, names and other property.

Although the mother's clan is of course primary, a person's father's clan also has certain specific duties, particularly at funerals (the dead person's own clan is considered to be incapable of managing funeral arrangements due to grief and spiritual pollution), and can also play an important role in mediating feuds: the Desert Born have many stories involving one clan appealing to another for assistance, only to be turned down because a father's child was among the enemies.

Women are the primary authority in matters of the clan, particularly the Khaliifa or Clan Mother of a given seeq (modelled on the Dune sietch), whose word is essentially law. In dealing with outworlders, the Clan Mother in consultation with other senior women of the clan (known generally as Sheikha) will appoint a man to represent the seeq in a manner conforming to most offworld cultures.

This man will generally be called the Naib, which is normally taken to mean something like "chief" or "headman" by offworlders but actually means "delegate" or "representative" - not something that the Desert Born have any interest in clarifying. In rare cases the consort or husband of the Clan Mother will be chosen for this role, even though he does not belong to the clan by birth, if he displays exceptional military or organizational skill.