ClanLaws

There is an extensive code of traditional laws designed to stop wasteful feuds between hearths and families.

A dispute within a hearth is judged by the Good Mother? of the hearth; one within the family by the Good Mothers? of the family; one between families by the Clan Council. In most cases a Clan Shaman? is desirable to speak the law.

Reparation is normally in beast hides or meat. In the case of certain very serious crimes, the perpetrator will be exiled from the clan and declared outside the law - he no longer is protected by the laws of the clan and can be killed with impunity.

The most heinous crime is to kill a woman or child or elder; or to kill a man by subterfuge rather than in a fair fight, or to steal or lie. The punishment for this is exile, which is normally a death sentence if the victim has relatives. Killing by ambush or poison or while the victim is sleeping falls into this category. Killing a man in a quarrel or raid or fair fight or anyone by accident requires that the perpetrator pay the life-price, normally a bison for a hunter; two for a woman or child or head of family; four for an elder; eight for a clan chieftain.

The clan meets on Godsday? of Truth Week? of every season in order for the Clan Council to hear petitions for judgement. The petitioner (who must be a woman and be affected by the injury) will lay the charge and bring witnesses who will swear her case is true. The accused (who need not be present) then has until Godsday? of Truth Week? of the following season to come forward with his or her own witnesses. The elders will then judge the case and levy the fine, which must be paid by Godsday? of Truth Week? of the following season. Failure to pay the life-price may lead to exile. It is possible for the petitioner to refuse the life-price and demand a blood price. The petitioner must in this case have a male champion who will fight the challenge on her behalf. If the accused is a woman then she also must have a champion. The petitioner's champion and accused's champion will then meet on the Godsday? of the next Death Week? in single combat at a prearranged place, normally traditional. The combat ground will be marked out as a square bordered by 4 birch saplings and once two have entered no others may. The combat is ended by death or one combatant yielding and paying the life-price in question.

There is no concept of personal wealth for the Votanki?. Everything that is of utility is for the best use of the clan. Thus the best weapons in the clan will be given to the best hunters or warriors as appropriate. This means that stealing is taking property from the clan and not sharing it.

Hearths may capture women from other clans, who will then be assimilated into the clan. Once they have been accepted by the clan spirit and born children into the clan, they will become part of the clan. The only property that Votanki usually own, in the sense that the clan will rarely if ever demand it off them, are personal tokens such as jewellery and personal weapons, normally made by the owner.

Votanki from other clans may bring petitions to the Clan Council, but this the mark of a clan that is too feeble to gain redress through fighting, so their petition will probably be ignored, unless supported by high-ranking witnesses within the petitioned clan. Other Votanki can become members of the clan by adoption, so long as the clan spirit accepts them.

Outsiders (non-Votanki) may bring petitons to the clan council but without support within the clan are unlikely to be heard. Outsiders have no life-price, unless they have been adopted into a hearth. They may become Votanki but this is a long process and they must be accepted by Father Votank as well as the clan spirit.

The Votanki do not have a modern concept of justice or equality before the law. The laws of the clans are there to keep wasteful blood feuds to a minimum, stop rogue males from terrorising the clan and ensure that the women and children of the clan are properly protected.