Machi culture is highly developed. They have possessed literacy, technology and the arts for millenia longer than humans. Their world is rich in landmass and food resources and the machi are widely dispersed throughout it; consequently, their history lacks the large-scale contests for territory that characterize our own.
There are many distinct societies on Amaterasu, distinguised by ethnic or linguistic differences. These may also possess a unique body of myth or religious ritual, as well as their own traditions of architecture and decorative arts. The majority of machi societies are nomadic, in which relatively small bands, or tribes, hunt or gather plants for subsistance. This is hardly a primitive or arduous existence, however; the nomadic camps are well-furnished with comfortable portable housing and provided with appropriate mechanical and technological labor-saving devices. Due to the fecundity of the Amaterasuan jungles and swamps, the average band devotes only a few hours a day to locating enough food for its needs. With ample leisure time, these nomadic bands can devote much energy to social interaction, creative endevours and the decorative arts.
Although most of the population is rural and nomadic, cities do exist on Amaterasu, with populations of anywhere from a few thousand to tens of thousands. These cities serve as centers of trade and manufacture, and as educational and research institutions for the machi.
There are no central authorities or nations in the terrestrial sense on Amaterasu. One's first affiliation is tribal. Machi tribes number generally around 150-200 individuals. Tribes are grouped into larger associations, or clans, based on ethnic or linguistic affiliation. The clan controls certain territories on which its members are allowed to forage and from which other clans are excluded. Infrequent disputes over ownership of territory are the only source of major conflict on Amaterasu.
Cities exist as independent entities. Smaller settlements are often populated by members of a single clan, in which case the city falls under the jurisdiction of the clan. But larger cities contain members of many clans. These individuals remain under the authority of their clan for the most part, but the rise of an almost "clanless" social stratum has been observed in the larger cities. Such individuals make up almost the whole population of the very largest cities.
These "clanless" cities are the closest approximation to a "nation-state" on Amaterasu. They are generally totally independent of clans or other cities, although some cities have connections based on historical or economic relationships. Their location within clan lands is sometimes a sore point: clan and city occasionally have a falling-out over alleged infringements on the negotiated rights to the resources of the territory.
Machi are skilled craftsmen and weavers. In the cities, the production of many articles has been mechanized in a flourishing economy of light industry. Since Amaterasu lacks heavy metals, metallurgy is a minor industry among the machi, but they fully exploit the abundant supplies of clay and of organics like petroleum, coal and peat. The machi had developed the sophisticated production of ceramics, plastics and other polymer products long before contact with humans. Indeed, these products remain the major exports of Amaterasu to the markets of known space. Even among humans, these days the air scrubbers and liquid waste filters of starship life-support systems are likely to be of Amaterasuan manufacture.
Agriculture is practiced only on a small scale among the machi. Most tribal bands continue to rely on hunting and gathering almost exclusively. In the cities, this would be impractical. Some smaller settlements rely on trade with nomadic hunter-gatherers, but larger communities must of necessity practice some farming. Yet it cannot be said that the machi have much aptitude for husbandry, or derive much pleasure from it. They treat agriculture much like any other industry. They grow only the most essential foodstuffs, and still depend on trade with the nomads to add variety to their diet. Although machi cities are full of greenery, this is simply because it is impossible in the Amaterasuan climate to keep them free of vegetation; nothing is planted deliberately for decorative purposes. It would not occur to a machi to maintain a personal garden or keep plants within the home (the sole exception being healers and cooks, who often maintain gardens to supply their needs for herbs and spices).
Despite this, the machi are very responsive to natural beauty. Perhaps they simply prefer nature wild. They are also a very creative people, with a highly developed esthetic sense. Literary composition is a ppopular form of expression. The machi excel at musical invention, both instrumental and vocal. (One is reminded of the piano works of the machi Early Strider, which enjoyed such success in human space in the last years of the previous decade.) They practice most of the decorative arts known to humans, and their muralists are famed throughout the galaxy. They also decorate their own bodies with paint, fabrics and jewelry, to compliment the delicate markings of their carapaces.
© 1997, Terrence Donnelly