A people most ancient, the Ojiin are currently believed to be the oldest living culture yet practiced and alive on Zheng-Kitar - their history can be traced back thousands of years to the time of The Sapphire Elves, before the advent of the Spirit Kings
. They are also the culture most adapted to the extreme climates of the world - not even the Myrkese
are as adapted to living in the cold as the Ojiin, as the Ojiin live in the coldest and most frigid climates in existence. They are tight knight and can come across as heartless and cold, but only as a result of their environment - all they do is in the name of survival.
They have existed so long in the frigid lands of the north, specifically Hyeojiin Island centrally but also in the nearby Shenchuan Tundra, since ancient times - so long that they are believed to have either predated or come about at the same time as Dai-Yukai
. Uniquely, the two cultures have a taboo against direct interaction - the reason for this is unknown, but the two cultures have avoided each other and cohabitated the same environments since the most ancient records, forming a strange ecosystem as the two peoples avoid each other, yet contribute to the other's existence. This is partially due to taboos on both sides about interaction with the other, but beyond this details are unknown, as few on either side are willing to speak of it.
Ojiin range in height from short to medium, and are rarely tall; their heads to be long and high with broad flat faces, with narrow noses and eyes as well. Their appearance otherwise is almost entirely constructed of animal hides, driftwood, and bones - they are an incredibly simple culture, and many smaller tribes do not even have worked metal, instead relying on tools made out of worked stones such as soapstone, or other materials such as Walrus Ivory, which is extremely common and used to make knives and the like. Their clothing is commonly made from animal skins, sewn together using needles made from bones and threads made from other animal products such as sinew. They tend to wear parkas with hoods, with extra pouches being made for women to carry children on their back and protect them from the harsh wind, and boots were thick things made from thick animal blubber or hide.
Their hair can vary wildly in color, with black and white being the most common, but any earthen colors are possible. Their eyes are similarly colored.
The history of the Ojiin is a long one, but one made excessively simple to explain - they are the native population that originally inhabited Hyeojiin Island and the Shenchuan Tundra, and their ancestors were the same breed of hunter-gatherers that they are even now. They endured through the collapse of the Sapphire Elves and the loss of their more advanced technologies, and returned to a more simple lifestyle - eschewing more complicated trappings in favor of a simpler life, a choice they have remained loyal to ever since.
They have had a long history of poor contact with other species and cultures, as they have traditionally been a heavy victim of imperialism since ancient times, though the brutality of their home climate has protected them from the worst aspects of civilization at the hands of others. They are a simple people, with a simple history - they have a made a conscious choice as a people to live a simpler life and eschew technological advancement beyond a certain point.
Ojiin culture is a product of their environment - and because of this, they have been labeled as cold, murderous savages by many with rumors abounding about their cultural habits that say they murder their elders and the infirm and those who lose their use, and so on - but this is generally not true. As nomadic hunter-gatherers, they do what they must to survive - and on the move as they migrate across the frigid wastes, when food runs low the Ojiin have little choice but to make the hardest choices imaginable...fully cognizant that the hunters must be the ones to get the food so as to help the rest survive, Ojiin have sometimes been known to abandon infants behind in the snow while on the move, as well as the elderly, though they usually opt to abandon infants first. This is done in the hopes that someone more caring can come along and take the child before the cold does, but also for the good of the tribe.
They are also heavily based around water and the ocean - fishing, whaling, and seal-hunting are all incredibly sacred pasttimes to the Ojiin, as is normal hunting of animals such as foxes, polar bears, and birds and the like. The Ojiin, as a result, are savvy boat-builders - they are quite capable of building single-passenger, covered seal-skin boats to hunt out of and are extremely buoyant...this design was so successful it was said to be copied by the imperial cultures that encountered them. They also make larger boats for transporting people, goods, and animals.
Dogs and wolves are also integral to Ojiin culture - these beasts are tamed and raised alongside the tribe as not only companions, but as beasts of burden and means of transportation as well as hunting companions. In normal conditions and supplies, each Ojiin adult is typically bonded to a wolf or dog, to serve as a companion and hunting mate - they take this relationship extremely seriously, and treat these animals as another part of their families. This makes the Ojiin natural born druids - their lifestyles already put them in harmony with nature, and their lives growing up besides animals means they have natural companions to call on.
Elders are usually the dominant members of Ojiin society - they serve as the keepers of communal knowledge, effectively working as the community library for their tribe. They tend to have the final say in all matters, and for this reason Ojiin hold a deep respect for these elders, as they often also served as shamans and druids who did much to keep the tribe alive and focused. Families are also extremely fluid to the Ojiin - marriages were often arranged, sometimes from birth, and as such families could change, and often did.
All in all, the Ojiin are a people used to adversity - in times of scarcity or trial, they hold no qualms with doing the unthinkable, whether putting the useless to death to save the tribe or to abandon infants or the elderly behind on marches...this does not mean they enjoy doing it, and it is often a heartbreaking thing, but they accept its neccesity - it must be done to survive. They hold a similar approach to law - Ojiin tribes have no law as it is commonly understood by others, and instead they have a notion of "What has to be followed, What has to be done, and What has to be avoided". If one went against any of these three concepts, the elder might have to intervene and dole out an appropriate punishment. Thus, they are incredibly capable at functioning without any specific direction or law - they are good are understanding what needs to be done and what doesn't, and doing so accordingly.