Kith African KithBy Green (atman@surfree.com)
Posted here with express written permission from Green
The fae of Africa are a diverse lot. The Swahili-speaking peoples of Africa call them the kizimwi, but in the Congo and on the Guinea Coast, they are known as the children of gods. Taking their cues from mortal beliefs, they model themselves after the myths and legends of the tribes from whom they gain inspiration. Most have the same values and the same deities of their mortal counterparts. Many believe that they are the descendants of gods who came to earth to help mankind. Unlike the Kithain and the Nunnehi, these fae are not exiles from a celestial paradise, but the children of gods and humans. They believe that their ancestors voluntarily came to earth in order to aid people against the whims of angry gods. At times, they return to their sky home in order to maintain their connection to their divine ancestors.
Most kizimwi believe themselves to be descended from deities, particularly those who ruled the skies. Regardless of whether or not this is true, most kizimwi refer to their Dreamworld as the sky home, for it is believed to be the dwelling place of the gods.
Unlike the earth, the sky-home of the kizimwi is nature at its most perfect. There is plenty of food for the tastes of all people. Wild animals roam free without the threat of a hunter's rifle. Elephants walk on the plains, eating and drinking their fill and not even putting a nitch in the bounty of the land. The homes of ancient kings still stand tall, surrounded by unending landscape. Lions prowl the savannas, and leopards are invisible underneath the bush. There are dangers as well, such as the big lizards that prowl the earth, devouring entire herds of animals before getting their fill. There are snakes so poisonous that a single bite could kill an elephant in less time than it takes to ready your bow. Living jungles move and rearrange themselves, becoming thicker to confuse and finally suffocate the unwary trespasser. The sky home has its bad points as well, but the reward is sometimes worth it.
Most have a tribal social structure, with a chief or a council of elders who make decisions which affect the tribe. The exact nature of this rulership depends on the culture in question. There is no unified African Nation. Each culture has its own way of life that exists independently of the others. Some, like the Pygmies, are fairly isolated and almost never meet with other tribes. Other cultures have several tribes, all diverse in their origins and abilities. They tend to relate to each other and to humans as an extended family, sometimes calling them "our cousins."
Technically, there are no kith and seemings amongst the kizimwi. All kizimwi identify themselves and each other by their Tribe. Tribes roughly coincide with the Kithain concept of Kith, but they are far more diverse and much less structured than Kithain would believe.
There are no Seelie and Unseelie courts amongst the kizimwi. Instead, there are the Namna, which are more like the Nunnehi Camps. However, instead of taking two namna, each kizimwi takes one. Each namna has a kinyemi, a good side, and an ubaya, a bad side. Some kizimwi prefer one side over the other, but that is more preference than nature. A kizimwi's namna often determines his role in the Tribe and in mortal society. Although certain tribes tend to have a certain namna, this by no means limits the social possibilities open to all kizimwi. That has more to do with the region one is in and with the local populace.
Seemings are different from the other fae as well. From birth, kizimwi know their origins. At their Rite of Passage (which differs from culture to culture), they are initiated into the society and culture of their ancestors. When they grow older, they help the new generation into the cycle. It has continued this way since their beginnings on earth.
The human and divine natures of kizimwi overlap rather than rift. Unlike their Western brethren, their is no discrepancy between their "normal" lives and their "Dreaming" selves. For them, both states are completely natural. They do not set up for themselves a separate society from mortals; instead, they blend the two things together. The powerful mythologies meld perfectly into the human belief systems. Thus, a fae king of an African tribe not only has fae, but also human beings who are his subjects. They both come together as the Tribe. They find no need to enchant mortals in order to gain Glamour (or, Divine Food) from humans. The humans build temples and shrines, and they get their nourishment from there.
Unlike the Kithain and Nunnehi, the kizimwi do not fear Banality. The mortals from most African cultures still believe in their gods and spirits; they still see them in everyday life. There is no disparity between one world and the other, so for them Banality never really existed. This by no means dictates that the kizimwi do not have anything to fear. Quite the opposite. The mortals' connection to their spiritual aspects is often what proves to be most dangerous of all. With some words and a prayer, a mortal can do away with a kizimwi. A protection spell put on a household can bar even the most powerful kizimwi from entering. A doll full of metal pins can cause even the stoutest of kizimwi to double over in pain. Thus, kizimwi are careful not to push their mortal cousins too far.
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