Cultural Facts

In Daliwakan society:

• Males and females are afforded very effective equality in most important ways - political, social, economic, educational, participation in religion, child-rearing, etc.
  
  
• As in many species, the male is the more physically showy. Physical prowess and/or physical excellence in males are held in high esteem, as are mental and educational superiority. This fact does not affect the practical balance in male-female equality; but the culture is weighted with this emphasis on males.
  
  
• For the last 50-75 years, the average Daliwakan family unit has consisted of father, mother, and 2.5 children. In the past, larger families were common, but with exposure to off-worlders, particularly the Klingon incursion, cultural norms have changed. Historically, extended family systems have been very important and closely knit. It is not unusual for relatives to be very active in the care and training of each other's children.
  
  
• In some regions children are brought up in their early years by parents and then given into the care of guardians who then continue the development of that child's education. The child becomes the responsibility of the greater community and whilst they may know their parents may not feel any great sense of belonging to them, but rather to the community as a whole. This is the subject of much debate amongst Daliwakans in all regions and has bee a dividing issue in cross-regional communities.
  
  
• Marriage is highly respected as a very deep commitment and not entered into lightly. The unbreakable spiritual aspect of marriage is also regarded as binding, regardless of practical separation or divorce. The rate of divorce or separation varies greatly among the various regions of the planet. Marriages are not cancelled or annulled by divorce, but are �set aside,� allowing the partners to pursue their physical lives separately, but it is understood that on a spiritual level, they will always be joined. However, this does not prevent nor diminish the sanctity of remarriage, any more than in the case of remarriage in the event of the death of a partner. The religion of the people does not limit individuals to only one life partner.
  
  
• Marriage is considered the precursor to supporting the birth of children. Since it is relatively easy for couples to determine pregnancy, cases of children born unintentionally outside wedlock are uncommon.
  
  
• Omma'Tai (birthdays) On an individual's annual birthday, the child gives a gift to the mother, who labored on that day to give life. The gift is generally a handmade head �wreath�, made of thin green branches or even flowers, and decorated with beads and ribbons.

• Deemah'Tai (conception days) Since Daliwakan woman are able to determine their days of fertility so accurately, the date of conception is easily determined. On the annual date of an individual's conception, the person and their father exchange gifts. The gifts are usually a handmade box, container, or bag filled with edible treats. At an early age, the child and the father each create a container and they exchange containers of goodies each year for as long as the container lasts. Should it be destroyed or simply wear out, the original craftsman (either father or child) creates a new container in order to continue the custom.

Koska is a popular game played at Daliwakan social gatherings. It is played with a set of four eight-sided dice. Each die face of the is decorated with a symbol. Seven symbols are common to all dice, but the star symbol on each die is unique.

Play goes around the circle of players. Each round consists of three rolls called the Situation, Response and Result. One player rolls the Situation and interprets the symbols on the dice to describes a situation that is then presented to the next player. Player two rolls the Response and uses the next set of symbols to describe a response to the Situation. The next player then rolls the dice once more to get a combination that describes the Result of the Response. The second player is awarded a Curse or a Blessing, based on the result of his response to the situation.

e.g. - If the situation roll describes a moment of adversity, and the response roll is one of requesting aid from Ado to persevere, if the result roll describes an intervention on the behalf of Ado that brings comfort, the second player is granted a blessing for the round.

A player continues to play until they receive a death result, at which point the game comes to an end for them. Their Blessings and Curses are tallied until their game ends. Players then "compare" the lives they rolled over the course of the session.