Occupations, Shaema

Hunter

For most occupants hunting is the main source of food in the Shaema. Some hunters live in towns, going out to hunt for weeks or months at a time, while others lead a solitary life, visiting villages only for trade. Each hunter has his own style of trap making, leaving their signature in form of unique knots. It happens that two hunters know each other for years only by their traps, never seeing each others faces. It is taboo to disturb an other hunters trap, let alone steal his pray, but special circumstances allow it. A hungry individual or a hunter down on his luck is permitted by custom to take someone else's catch, but he is obligated to leave a token gift in its place. A small bag of salt or some string. Coin is considered a lesser gift. Beside traps, an Shaema hunters' equipment consists of a short bow, hunting knife and trident. The short bow is used for hunting tree dwelling animals, birds and some land animals, while the trident is for fish and other smaller water dwellers. Some of the pray include:

beaver - beaver tail soup is a festival tradition mud ape - its skin is more prized than its meat crab - Shaema is rich with a large assortment of these, including the aggresive garos crab.

fish - mud fish is easier to catch than river fish, but is more often poisonous or in other ways dangerous.

salamanders - not the tastiest meat but some are sought after for their slimy extract. A live green papua for instance is paid in silver by shammans if brought to them alive. Their extract is a componant used in important shamanic rituals.

frogs - most hunters ignore all but the especially tasty tamu frog. Traders from far away pay good coin for them.

Toads - unedibble. Mostly poisonus.