CulturesAndCustoms

Gaia
Describe the customs and culture of Gaia

Old Believers
"Old Believers" are Christians. The narrator of Star's Reach meets several of them in the book, but doesn't seem to know much about their beliefs and practices, other than that they pray ("talk to their god") daily.

One major point of disagreement brought up in Star's Reach between the Old Believers and the Gaianist Priestesses is what to do about babies born with obvious genetic defects. Priestesses support killing unhealthy babies and even baby tweens; Old Believers say this is wrong.

Form of government
From the author: "an organization of women who have had healthy babies; in Meriga and Nuwinga, a major center of political power, closely allied with the priestesses of Mam Gaia."

Circle seems to be something like a fraternal order, open to women who have had at least one healthy baby prior to turning twenty. Although the influence they wield in Meriga is mostly informal, they are nonetheless a very powerful organization.

Conflict resolution
The circle also refers to way of resolving conflicts and disagreements. In Meriga taking a disagreement to the circle involves drawing a chalk circle with a diameter of four meters, in which two people enter with weapons or fists and fight it out. Depending on the severity of the disagreement the fight can end at first blood, or death.

Neeonjin
From the author: "Neeonjin" is the 25th century Merigan pronunciation of Nihonjin, "Japanese person." In this future history, the Pacific Northwest was settled by waves of boat people from Japan, and has a culture and language largely descended from that of modern Japan.