This is Akhila,



and this is Dhav.



They are young adults in Uman, a country on the continent of Isia. In three weeks' time, they will be wed. But what will this mean for them? Let us approach them in their individual homes, and find out.

* * * *

Dhav Mosyehd lay awake, the burning sensation in his forehead preventing him from sleeping. He reached up and gingerly felt the bandage that nearly covered his eyes.
'My Dhaki is most painful tonight.' He thought. He repositioned himself, and remembered the coming of age ceremony, remembered the sharp pain in his forehead, as his father, the Rha, cut the flesh in his forehead and inserted the Dhaki, sewing it into the bone. It was his new identity, the identity which he would give to his wife, and no one could take it from him.
He smiled, remembering the symbol his father had chosen: A shield, on which was a hawk, grasping a snake in its talons. From now on, no one but he could wear that symbol. No one, that is, but his future wife.

* * * *

Akhila Rhama sat on her bedside, playing with the Kita clipped into her hair. What would it be like to forsake her Kita, her identity, and replace it with the Dhaki of her future husband? She looked down at her jewelry. Everything she wore had her Kita on it. It was her identity, a white piece of metal, with a green dot in the middle, and a red rim. What would it be like to have the Rha cut her forehead and insert the Dhaki of her husband on her wedding day? Her identity would be forever her husband's. She smiled. Surely no pain could keep her from that.

* * * *

Dhav Mosyehd and Akhila Rhama are just two average young people who live in Uman. Everyone, from the newborn baby, to the failing old man, wears a Dhaki or a Kita. It is their identity, and no two are alike.

Babies are given a Kita as soon as they are born, as soon as they have a name. It hangs from a chain, and is clipped into their hair. They must never take it off. To do so, would be to remove their identity.

When a boy comes of age, his Kita is removed. The Rha (the priest) does this, for no one else may do so. After the Kita is removed, he takes a Dhaki, a piece of metal on which is a new pattern. He sews this into the boy's skull, and bandages it up. In a few weeks, the bandage is removed, and the Dhaki is thereafter permanent.

A girl, however, retains her Kita until marriage. The marriage ceremony consists of the Rha removing her Kita and sewing her husband's Dhaki into her skull. Her identity is thereafter his. She is not herself anymore. If she never marries, she never receives a Dhaki.

That is the significance of marriage, a happy unity to which Dhav and Akhila look forward to. Their story is much like those of other Umanians, until the eve of their marriage...but that is another story.

Very nice, Milly! I like the concept of the Kita and the Dhaki, I've never heard anything like it before, and it is quite unique. Although getting a Dhaki put on your forehead sounds painful! Very neat, though at the same time I'm glad it does not exist in modern day, as I do not think I would want to have my forehead cut open and a mental plate sew on my bone!

Me neither...but I thought it'd be a fun concept for a country. That way there would be no impersonating anyone unless it was permanent impersonation.

Dhav looks very serious. *bookmarks to read the story excerpts later*

eru

Hehe, it'll be a long while before anything like that is ready...

Well then, hurry up and make it a shorter time...Or else!


Please?

*Chuckles* We'll see.

This is cool.... I love the idea. It is a kind of marriage ceremony I have never heard of before. Do many people die from an infection from the Dhaki wound? Or do they know of precautions to avoid that? What is a person like in a society if his Dhaki is removed somehow? Is it an insult to take someone's Kita? When does a boy become of age? Do they usually marry soon after this?And what is going to happen to Akhila and Dhav?

Am I asking too many questions?

There is something I do not quite understand. The Kita and the Dhaki are not objects, but symbols?

This custom has been going for centuries, so they've developed antibiotics to help keep infections down. In the past, though, I'm sure it was extremely unsanitary and killed a lot of people.


If a person's Dhaki or Kita is removed, they basically become 'nobodies' or nonhuman, because they lost their identity. So it is the highest crime to remove it. Unfortunately, the victim is rarely compensated for their loss; as a rule they are shunned or treated as animals.


They become men at around 15 years or so, but they cannot marry until they've proved themselves able to support a family. So it varies.


Now now, we can't give it away, can we?


Not at all! I'm delighted to have you visit my subforum!


They are objects with symbols on them.

* nods * That makes sense.

I see...that is interesting. (And, unfortunately, all too realistic.) What if someone just takes someone's Kita, like a boy playing with his friend, not really meaning to keep it? Is that an insult? Or is that just as bad as if they took it with the intention of stealing it, with the same consequences for both of them?

Not – not ever? * lips tremble *

I'm glad.

So how do they sew the boy's Dhaki onto the girl? Do they take it off of him, or make a new one with the same symbol?

It is forbidden to remove it, period. If a boy took it off even to look at it, he could get in serious trouble. As long as he returned it to its owner, though, no harm would come of it.


No, just not until I figure it out better myself and actually write it into a story. I'm thinking to rewrite fairy tales into my world, though, so it might happen soon.


They make a second one for the girl. Except for marriage ceremonies, duplicating them is expressly forbidden.

Very interesting.

Are they always an oval shape?

What kinds of patterns do they have?

Do they ever have pictures or writing?

Is it similar to a coat of arms?

Are elements of the Dhaki of a persons parents ever incorporated into his Dhaki?

What other customs surround the insertion?

Is it done in a building or in the open?

More or less privately, or with what kind of audience?

Is some cultural importance attached to the instruments used for the operation?

Do the materials ever vary?

Is some other version of this custom practiced by these peoples ancestors, or in surrounding nations?


Worse customs exist in modern day earth, and since Millicent did not say that they ever abandoned it then it may exist in the modern day in her Otherworld.

Lots of questions!


No, they can be any shape. Anything to keep them all unique. XD


Pretty much any pattern you could wish for.


Yes, they can have pictures, if they're simple. Writing? Hmm...I'm not sure about that one. Good question! *Must think about this*


You mean like something that runs in the family? No, because each one is different.


Only for the upper classes, so that a well-known family may be recognized.


The Rha has a sacred speech it is customary for him to give at the beginning of the ceremony, and the family have the choice of making speeches as well if they please. After the operation is finished, the assembly will sing a sacred song, and then it's over. XD


Outside, under a canopy just outside the Rha's house.


Only family members and close friends attend.


Um...could you restate that? I'm a little confused...


They vary some through the years as people find better materials to make them out of.


Probably, but I haven't explored that yet. XD

[/quote]
Very true, that....

Thank you for your multitudinous questions!

I suppose the Dhaki has holes around the edge for the stitching. Is this ever incorporated into the design, or are the holes only in a sort of fringe? Or are they loops or slits?

Anything that will fit on the forehead that is.

Have you thought of something? A motto maybe? Their name?

Do you know anything about the sacred song?

Does the Rha use the canopy for other things as well?

For example, do they associate the scalpel with the entrance of maturity, or the stitching needle with endurance, or the table with the idea of a celebration?

Maybe there is a culture that did not like the idea of unnecessary surgery, and would only use adhesive, or a culture that used branding with an hot iron instead of surgery, or a culture that had a similar idea as the Dhaki and Kita, but with badges.

You are welcome! I like questioning developers.

No, the holes are not incorporated into the design. They would be holes or slits...not sure how well loops would work.


Right. XD


I don't think so...See, the Dhaki basically represents their name anyways, so...


Nope. XD I haven't had time or reason to research it.


Yes, weddings and such. Basically any important rituals.


Interesting...I never considered that. I don't know. XD


*Nods* You're probably right, but as I'm not ready to write this story yet, I haven't explored the possibilities much yet.


*Grins* Well that's good, because I like questions. XD