[quote]”The sea is life, give thanks each day. Give back from your bounty, to the sea and your tribe…”|- From “The Song of The Sea”, a traditional Coastal Chadi song. [/quote]

[dc]A[/dc]long the eastern coasts of Chadigartu live the Coastal Chadi, known locally as the Ashtavuvikt, or Ashta. They are a seafaring culture, primarily of fisherfolk who believe the sea ia a living entity and provides them with the bounty of its depths.

As a culture, they have firm traditions and customs, and going against them can result in very serious consequences.

[container:twoacross][h1]Foods[/h1]

With their affinity for the sea and its harvests, it is no surprise that Ashta are very fond of their seafood. High on the preference list are fish, shellfish, and turtle. Among the most prized are horsehoe crabs and tiger prawns. Whales however, are considered sacred and are not hunted, but should a whale wash up on shore, the meat from the whale is distributed to the village as a blessing from the sea.

In addition to proteins, other items from the sea regularly grace the meals at Ashta tables. These can include seaweed, kelp, sea grapes, and sea cucumber.

Their diet, however, is not limited to the ocean’s bounty. Proteins often include rabbit, lamb, chicken and pork, all raised by farmers who are still members of the Ashta culture, but are workers of the land.

In some areas along the coastline, bogs and swamps provide a different set of meal opportunities, including alligaotor and wild boar. In addition, the properties of the nearby bogs are ideal for the potting and fermentation of a number of foods, including fermented cabbages, pickled eggs and vegetables, bog butter and a special cheese locally referred to as [tooltip:IPA – vë˦f]Vef[/tooltip]. Vef is a marbled cheese with strains of green mold that run through it like veins of jade in a pristine piece of white marble.

Many spices grow well in the coastal region, and the variety is reflected in the flavors of Ashta cuisine. Ashta dishes are often enhanced with lavender, rosemary, oregano, saffron, sage, thyme, cilantro, chives, mInt, parsley, and fennel. Garlic is also featured in many dishes.

Olive oil and bog butter are the main fats used in Ashta cooking. Olives grow well in the Coastal Chadi climate and is the preferred oil for cooking. Bog butter is aged and has a distinct, unique flavor that is a favorite of the Ashta, but for others, it is at best an acquired taste. Some have described it as having a funk or an aroma of moss mixed with cured sausage. Because of the bog’s properties, some containers of bog butter have been know to lie undisturbed for hundreds of years, likely due to their location being forgotten. Such finds are highly sought after by more affluent Chadi.

[img:2665227|left|350]One version of bog butter is considered to be an aphrodisiac. This version must be preserved a minimum of 25 years and contains roasted garlic whipped into the butter.

Food is prominent in the culture with weekly community feasts and regular boar hunts (see below). Also, it plays a significant role in the process of procreation for the Ashta. Bog turtle soup is consumed as a booster to fertility and virility, while mothers-to-be will eat Mother’s Gillfish, otherwise known as Prager, to ensure health for the baby. Mother’s Gillfish, also known as Prager.There is some basis for this in fact, as there appears to be some connection with the consuming of this fish and the ability to fight off disease.[/container][container:twoacross][h1]Rituals[/h1]

Many Ashta rituals are rooted in a deep belief in the sea as an entity and the importance of recognizing the different stages of life and death.

[h2]Pregnancy[/h2]

The Ashta rely on a very specific test to find out if someone has become pregnant. The prospective mother collects urine in a sacral gourd and it is given to an [tooltip:Uk – shaman, IPA ø˩˥k]Uk[/tooltip], a member of the local clergy. The Uk has the ability to use magic and creates a liquid that is added to the urine. If the individual is indeed pregnant, the urine will change to a bright purple color.

Once it has been determined that there is now a mother-to-be, their diet begins including Mother’s Gillfish to help the child along its way to birth.

[h2]Birth[/h2]

When the time has come for the child to enter the world, the father climbs aboard a boat and sails out the Sacred Sea. If the family is not a seafaring family, the father will be ferried out by a fisher. There, the boat sits in the Sacred Sea until the birth of the child. The father must stay in this location until a sign is passed from shore. He is not allowed to eat or drink during the time he waits. This is to to symbolize him joining his wife in the pain of birth.

Meanwhile, the mother is prepared for the birth process. The Ashta use freshwater birth exclusively. This water is distilled from seawater, desalinated and blessed by the Uk. The mother is helped into a tub of the blessed water by a midwife, and the birth takes place in the tub, symbolizing the emergence into the world of a child of the sea.

Upon the birth, a designated family member or close friend, who has been designated the [tooltip: Ashta Ahd – Triabe Father, Ashta Oad – Tribe Mother]Ashta Ahd or Ashta Oad[/tooltip], will take a lantern with a purple flame (as in the coming of age ceremony) to the docks and raise it aloft for the father on the boat to see. If there is more than one child, an equivalent number of lanterns will be displayed. The father must then give of himself to the sea. He makes a cut (or multiple if there are multiple children) in his dominant arm, a symbol of sharing in the birth pain. The cut(s) are then allowed to drip into the sea, giving life back in thanks. The father also recites a pledge to the sea and to the newborn child.

[h2]COMING OF AGE[/h2]

While the exact age is dependent on the species of the individual, all Ashta go through a coming of age ritual. On the eve of their birthday, they head to a nearby bluff overlooking the ocean.

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