Ewemi

[Exez]

Hi to all... great to see you.

My first question has to do with the exotic concept of the Ewemi of the Ezechimi culture

Since the Ewemi could marry only between their sex, were they required to marry ewemi of the opposite biological sex? for example biologically male ewimo with a biologically female ewimo? was the same-(biological) sex marriage considered a kind of homosexuality to the others?

Secondly, the ewemi are considered neutral, but in reality it seems not to be so. It's totally logical to asume that androgyne indicviduals belonged to that sex, however there were individuals with characteristics of the oposite sex. Therefore we had 'manly' ewemi (that means, masculine women) and 'womanly' ewemi (effeminate men). Were the treats considered normal for an ewimo, or were hidden as well, as the secondary sexual characteristics?

Did the ezechimi had eunuchs? what was their relation to the Ewemi? were there Ewmi eunuchs?

Thirdly, if a Man or Woman chose to have sex with an Ewimo, did he care about his/her biological sex? If a Man didn't enjoy homosexual sex, was there a way to prefer or find a biologically female Ewimo? or was totally unconcivable to consider an ewimo's biological sex?

Lastly, how did the majority Ewemi treat the 'restriction' of fertility? Were they willing to abort their babies? Didn't they ever have a DNA preservation instinct? Was it eliminated through education and social pressure?

[zompist]

To understand much of this, you have to think like the Ezichimi: there are three sexes, not two. They don't think of the Ewemi as male or female; they're a separate sex.

So, the rule was that ewemi marry each other. Their biological sex didn't matter.

There was plenty of variation within the ewemi class, but the Axunemi wouldn't call a mannish woman (for instance) a "manly ewez"... she is just a typical ewez. To be considered mannish in Axunemi terms, she would have to dress like a male and maybe paste on a beard. (Even an interest in weapons wouldn't make her less of an ewez.)

Typically men who liked sex with ewemi preferred biologically male ones. It wasn't terribly difficult to tell the biological sex, though there could be surprises. Women who liked ewemi tended to be less picky.

Ewemi did use contraception and abortion to prevent births; it was also common to discreetly have the baby and have someone else raise it. By personality they tended to be less interested in child-rearing (this was one of the criteria for identifying ewemi, in fact), and this was certainly reinforced by the culture.

There were some eunuchs, but this wasn't a big part of Axunemi culture.

[Brel]

Typically men who liked sex with ewemi preferred biologically male ones.

Is there any particular reason for this? Is it because they saw females as high-maintenance, and so wanted to avoid them?

[zompist]

Typically men who liked sex with ewemi preferred biologically male ones.

Is there any particular reason for this? Is it because they saw females as high-maintenance, and so wanted to avoid them?

Not really. 'Males' (gumei) in Axunemi terms were "manly men", macho warriors whose duties and preoccupations were war, command, and having children. By inclination and socialization, the vast majority of them were interested in women (zimi), that is, "womanly women", nurturing housewives who would run their households and bear their children.

On our own planet, such macho guys do seem to go for either traditional women, or for other men... they just don't seem to like bookish, intellectual women that much.

[Downtimer]

I also found the ewemi fascinating. How did you think up this idea?

Just one thing: If all the smart people were made ewemi who were less likely to reproduce, wouldn't the Axunemi population get less and less intelligent over time, like in the movie Idiocracy?

[kodé]

I also found the ewemi fascinating. How did you think up this idea?

Just one thing: If all the smart people were made ewemi who were less likely to reproduce, wouldn't the Axunemi population get less and less intelligent over time, like in the movie Idiocracy?

intelligent != intellectual



OCD + presence of pet peeve = spam in the Almea forum. However shall I atone?

[zompist]

I also found the ewemi fascinating. How did you think up this idea?

Hard to say.

Just one thing: If all the smart people were made ewemi who were less likely to reproduce, wouldn't the Axunemi population get less and less intelligent over time, like in the movie Idiocracy?

Movies aren't really a good guide to biology. Evolution works very slowly; a culture that spends a few centuries pursuing particular sexual characteristics probably won't have much impact on the gene pool before fashions change. (Xurnese society isn't much like Axunaic society.)

[Niedokonany]

I also found the ewemi fascinating. How did you think up this idea?

It makes me think of muxe who are sort of third sex among the Zapotecs.

[WeepingElf]

The ewemi remind me of hijras, as the whole Axunashin history reminds me of India.

[Downtimer]

Most "third sexes" in real-world cultures are people who live in the gender role opposite from their biological sex. The Muxe, for example, are either masculine or feminine; the Hijras are biologically male people who live as women. As I understand it, the ewemi don't live in one gender role or the other--that's what I find interesting.

Zomp: That's interesting, I never really thought about the fact that cultures' ideas changed before any genetic traits could be selected for.

[BGMan]

Just one thing: If all the smart people were made ewemi who were less likely to reproduce, wouldn't the Axunemi population get less and less intelligent over time, like in the movie Idiocracy?

Movies aren't really a good guide to biology. Evolution works very slowly; a culture that spends a few centuries pursuing particular sexual characteristics probably won't have much impact on the gene pool before fashions change. (Xurnese society isn't much like Axunaic society.)

Also, the Ezichimi were also absorbing the Wedei at this time.

In addition, there are manly smart people who would likely have not been considered ewemi. One might point out that many boys would have grown up taking great pains to disdain books -- at least, openly -- so they would not get shunted into the ewez category. Peer pressure would have made things more intense. ("You don't want to be a pansy ewez and end up being some warrior's butt boy, now, do you? {shiver}")

[zompist]

Ewemi weren't 'pansies'; they were more or less intellectuals. And though there was some social pressure (a noble would be rather disappointed if his oldest boy was an ewez), people largely thought that the categories were innate-- an ewez child couldn't try to be a boy any more than he could try to be a girl.

And warriors weren't supposed to have sex with ewemi (though some did); they were supposed to have sex with women.

[Mornche Geddick]

If an ewimo couple had a baby and the news got round, would it cause a scandal?

[LinguistCat]

And were the few children had by ewemi more likely to be ewez themselves or just as likely as any other kid?

[zompist]

If an ewimo couple had a baby and the news got round, would it cause a scandal?

Yes, much like an unmarried woman having a baby in our own culture half a century ago.

If it did happen, usually the child would be raised by relatives.

In the late empire and after, the system was breaking down, in part because of the great number of ewemi and their political power. By special dispensation from the authorities ewemi could 'adopt' children, and this became more common.

And were the few children had by ewemi more likely to be ewez themselves or just as likely as any other kid?

Children raised by non-ewemi could end up as anything; children raised by ewemi did have a greater likelihood of being ewemi.