Furtasia: The Canari
#5 of Furtasia - World Building
Information on the canari people of my fantasy story-world of Furtasia.
The Canari
The canari are a nomadic people who travel throughout the kingdoms and nations of western Furtasia in caravans of horse-drawn covered wagons. They make their way as traders, herdspeople, and seasonal laborers. They are often maligned and looked-down upon by the other peoples of Furtasia, who accuse them of thievery and abducting children.
In reality, the canari are an insular, but gentle people, with different concepts of ownership than most peoples, due to their nomadic lifestyle. Canari regard any items that they find discarded or otherwise 'unattended' as open to whomever might find a use for it. They therefore have a tendency to pick-up and take with them items that they find during their travels that others might still regard as belonging to them. Thus, other peoples of Furtasia often accuse them of thievery. For their part, canari will often leave items they no longer have use for 'in trade' when they take possession of an item they find, or simply leave unused items behind for someone else to take possession of when they vacate a campsite. As well intentioned as this practice is, other peoples of Furtasia seldom have use for the discarded items of the canari, and add littering to the offenses of which they accuse the canari.
They also carry this unique concept of ownership to land; and will set-up camp in vacant meadows, farmlands, and forests, making use of the land and wild game available. In more wild areas, this is perfectly fine, however in more civilized areas, there are seldom lands that are completely unclaimed. Farmers may leave a pasture lying fallow for a season, but do not wish the canari, or anyone else for that matter, setting up camp and using that land. Forests, and the game in them are usually considered the property of the local monarch, and are off-limits to even the local subjects, let alone outsiders, like the canari.
The canari also extend this philosophy to taking-in strays and orphans. They will accept abandoned children of all races into their large family clans, and care for them as one of their own. The other peoples of Furtasia often misinterpret this as 'abducting' these orphaned children, and add it to the long list of grievances of which they accuse the canari.