丘丘人习俗考察·卷一

丘丘人习俗考察·卷一（Hilichurl Cultural Customs (I)）是属于《丘丘人习俗考察》系列的第一篇，雅各布·马斯克著。

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丘丘人的社会

丘丘人显然保持着简单的部落社会生活。它们往往会以小部落的形式分散在荒野中聚居，似乎部落对于它们来说是大家庭一般的存在。

一般来说，丘丘人部落中最具权威的是萨满。根据长期的野外观察交流，笔者可以确定萨满是部落内岁数最老的成员，如同部落的「大家长」一般，借助丰富的经验操持重大事务与决策，利用元素的力量来保护自己的部落。在野外的丘丘人部落中，萨满的外貌特征十分显著。它们总是戴着独特的带角笑面面具，面具的开口处却是露出眼睛的观察孔，它们的手中始终握着简陋的萨满杖，嘴里永远在嘟囔着意义不明的歌谣或咒语。

丘丘人衡量地位的标准并非只有年龄。在许多部落中，那些块头更大、战斗力更强的成员会自动取代萨满成为部落的领袖，而这些部落似乎也会在它们的领导下变得更加好战。我们可以很容易地从巨大的体型和浮夸的面具头角装饰上分辨出那些好战的部落头目。

由于丘丘人对于外人的敌意以及语言的障碍，我们很难确切地研究丘丘人部落内部资源分配情况。但根据西风骑士团的巡逻报告，它们似乎会在部落内各取所需地共享资源。所有丘丘人既是采集者也是战士，但有些更加重视战斗的丘丘人会通过磨炼成为大块头的战斗主力，假如在恶劣的环境中活得够久，这些专门的战士将会是部落中最受重视的领袖。

有趣的是，尽管丘丘人的智能低下，社会形式与组织十分原始，但它们似乎对于元素力有独特的掌控能力，此种掌控能力往往会突出在老年的萨满身上体现。但对于一般的人类而言，元素的力量是只有通过「神之眼」才能发挥的。至于丘丘人为何能够不借助「神之眼」而掌握元素力，这个问题仍需要进一步的考察与研究来解答。

Hilichurlian Social Structure

The social structure of the hilichurl race is evidently a primitive, tribal one. Small-sized hilichurl tribes are prolific in occurrence throughout the wilderness. It seems that they conceive of the tribe as akin to a large, extended family.

By far the most powerful figure in the hilichurl tribe is the Shaman. Extensive field research confirms that the Shaman is the oldest member of the tribe and plays a role in it analogous to that of the parent in the family: managing major affairs and making policy decisions, based on their wealth of experience. Additionally, Shamans act as protector to their tribe using their elemental abilities. Shamans can be identified by their distinctive appearance from other tribe members: They wear horned, smiling-face masks with eye holes at the mouth, and wield a rudimentary Shaman's staff in their hands. A further identifying feature is that they will be heard chanting to themselves some form of unintelligible hymn or incantation.

Age is not always the deciding factor when it comes to status in the tribe. In some tribes, Shamans are ousted from leadership by physically larger hilichurls with superior combat skills. Under leadership of this kind, such tribes tend to become more aggressive. The chiefs of these tribes can easily be identified from their large stature and ostentatious masks, which also bear horns.

The hilichurls' hostility towards outsiders, coupled with the obvious language barriers, means that conducting specific research on the distribution of resources within tribes has been all but impossible. Nevertheless, Knights of Favonius' patrol reports suggest that resources are typically shared on the basis of "to each according to his needs." All tribe members are both gatherers and soldiers, but some that prize combat above others develop into seasoned heavyweights of the battlefield. If the tribe stays long enough in an unfavorable environment, these heavyweights will become its most respected leaders.

Interestingly, hilichurls seem to have a unique ability to manipulate the elements despite their low intelligence and primitive social structure. This ability is most notably manifested in the Shamans. Typically, humans require a Vision in order to exercise elemental control. The question of how hilichurls are able to do so without a Vision is, therefore, one that requires further investigation and analysis.