/uuu/ Prompts

Clothing

Clothing is of course mostly comprised of natural materials such as leaves, moss, vines as belts, etc. While the common saplings wear minimalistic clothing such as tunics accompanied by loincloths and shoes. Garb is unique to each sapling as more than likely the saplings have crafted the clothes they wear (with the usual exception of saplings who have bartered for clothing). Some with hunting trophies and sometimes dyed with the pigment of any number of plants and very rarely jewelry as they are usually reserved for more notable figures such as clan matriarchs/patriarchs.
Shamans are of course adorned with many different artifacts that they use for their rituals and usually thicker and layered clothing to be able to store all these trinkets as they move about. Shamans also commonly have their bodies painted with pigments and clay using ingredients obtained from areas around any of the Elder Trees as they are considered holy and are even at times thinly laced with Chuubanite.
As saplings continue along their lifecycle, the need for clothes continues to lessen as they possess more treelike qualities. While traditional clothes such as pants and shoes are no longer needed, this does not mean that every Ent sapling is completely "naked" however as many of them still retain their trophies as mementos of their lives past. The most normal "clothing" that Ents typically adorn is the types of flowers and plants that they allow to grow on them and tend to.

Food

Saplings are primarily hunter-gatherers and therefore scrounge up whatever edible plants and animals that they can find. As Saplings are in tune with the will of the Forest, they are granted a sixth sense when it comes to migration patterns of animals, the environment of which a certain type of plant thrives, the availability of a certain type of food item and whether they are plentiful enough to harvest. Rudimentary tools such as clay pots and bowls are used to cook their equally rustic meals. Usually when feeding a large group of saplings, a banquet of sorts is prepared with stews, fresh fruits and vegetables, and fresh or salted meats and fish. If Saplings are traveling or by themselves, they will usually unceremoniously eat whatever is on hand as stated prior. Foods that are prized among saplings are different strains of tea and sweets as they are some of the only things that can be eaten recreationally and while tea is easily obtained, sweets are especially hard to come by and especially prized. Ritualistic food among Saplings aren’t too different from what is usually eaten but what is different is the addition of mild hallucinogenic substances that are cooked into the food alongside the presence of Shamans at the feast itself.
Post-human Saplings of course have no need for food as they are photosynthetic beings nor do they have the tastebuds to be able to enjoy anything that they used to.

Entertainment

Considering the wide and free expanse of the forest, Saplings often like to engage in games with one another that take after elements of the wild such as the common “Hunter and Prey” game can last for weeks on end for the sake of fun while also honing their survival skills where it basically plays out similarly to a game of hide and seek. Craftsmanship is also a form of entertainment for Saplings as while Fauna may not directly promote self-improvement, it has been a cultural staple for Saplings to do so with virth. Another common pastime for Saplings would just be lounging around and meditating in the trees and nearby waterfalls as they commonly enjoy the quiet and relaxing sounds of Nature.

I’ve taken inspiration from what I see in /uuu/ threads usually on this, while it can be expanded upon I think this is a good barebones representation

Religion

Sapling religion is Shamanistic religion where all Saplings recognize and respect Shamans and look to them for advice in times of conflict or consolidation. As Shamans possess a greater attunement to the Forest that most common Saplings, they are granted more access to the secrets of the forest and are more often than not deep in the process of becoming a Tree Spirit. Shamans are also a key part of any ceremony or rituals that occurs in Sapling culture which includes appointing tribal leadership, Name-giving, anointing couples in marriage, etcetera. Although Shamans are such as vital part of any proper Sapling community to thrive, Shamans very rarely stay in one community for long as they typically wander off by themselves and essentially disappear into the wind. While Shamans loner nature would seem to be counterintuitive to the health of Sapling communities, Shamans always seem to appear when they are needed in times of celebration, ceremony, and trouble to provide their wisdom. Although Shamans all possess different trinkets and vary in their look and outfits, they are unmistakable for the presence they have and any Saplings are able to determine who is truly a Shaman against any liar who claims the status. Aside from this, there are pilgrimages that Saplings biannually attend to their respective Elder Tree, in celebration of Fauna’s Birth, and secondly the Birth of the Forest (Debut) where the common saplings reconnect with old Post-Human relatives and stand beside the Shamans that participate all the same.

Alcohol and Drink

Saplings do not have a refined sense of how to produce alcohol but they understand the fermentation process quite well and have figured out how to produce alcohol from a large assortment of plants and fruits. The process to them is as simple as collecting fermented fruits and allowing their juices to be collected and mixed with sugars and while the alcohol itself may not be of extreme quality, the variety of alcohol they have been able to produce has been practically unparalleled especially considering the native fruits of each region. Saplings do not have a proclivity to drink however unless there is calls for celebration and gathering in which case there is usually plenty stored for as many people to enjoy freely to their hearts content. Because of the rarity of saplings drinking on their own terms, alcohol is stored in great quantities for months at a time until there is call for celebration. These casks of alcohol are typically hidden in temperate groves for months for them to properly ferment and develop their flavor.

Development

Current Nation goals are quite simple, to proliferate and obey the forest as Fauna would desire. Saplings aim to embody nature and thrive alongside it so they may eventually develop into great tree spirits. Saplings are hard to displease as they are mostly able to live the way they see fit within the forest as each sapling understands they are all subjects to the will of the forest and carry out its will.

Kinda sketchy on this one. I’m definitely open to more nuanced goals.

Funeral Rites

While saplings mourn the loss of their friends as an other community would, their views on life and death are more whimsical as they view death as much of a part of life as birth. As part of a sapling funeral, there is initially a wake where saplings come to observe the loss personally and be able to grieve, these are typically the most emotional portions of the funeral process. Next are the Celebrations of Life where saplings drink and recount their tales of the loved one who has passed and are lively parties as they are meant to symbolize life itself. Then finally, the Celebration of Death, which is a ceremony that is supposed to put the deceased Sapling into their final resting place as they are ceremoniously bound in broad leaves and buried directly under a tree or cast down down a river to embody their return to the most basic elements of nature. There is also a superstition that being buried under a tree allows the spirit of the person to continue living on inside that tree and that those sent down rivers may return as Nymphs.

Music

A lot of the music that is commonly known by the Saplings are songs and hymns that are recited by Shamans, because of this, there is a highly spiritual aspect of music in their culture. While outsiders would say their music is chanting of deep gutural utterations and the harping of their women but Saplings all recognize the beauty of the deeply natural aspect of their music. Musical instruments are made from natural material so it narrows down what kind of instruments they are able to create such as simple woodwinds, percussion instruments, and string instruments.

Names

Naming conventions that are used among Saplings revolves after Latin root words and typically encapsulate parts of their personality or great deeds they have performed in their lifetime such as warriors having names that attest to their skill in combat or their bravery or scouts having names that compliment their vision or swiftness. As such, Saplings could have multiple names in their lifetime. Aside the Sapling’s first name that is given to them by their parents, names that attest to their skills or personalities are given later as the Sapling develops later in life.
This Name-giving is also a ceremonial process that involves the Shamans as they are the ones who are allowed to grant the honor of a new name. Name-giving ceremonies are typically done in recognition of Saplings coming of age with their new names reflecting their best traits or deeds they have performed. The Sapling’s traits or deeds are verified by the testimonies of the tribe to the Shaman while the Shamans confer with the Will of the Forest to verify the testimony and also for the best name to bestow. Name-giving ceremonies are also given when Saplings perform heroic deeds or ascend to leadership positions.

Politics

There is no real organized political structure aside from the Chiefs that control their respective tribes, while tribes can all share the same territory, they very rarely come into conflict against each other to compete because there is no real need to do so and often assist one another in times of crisis. However, even Chiefs are secondary when it comes to Spiritual guidance to the Shamans who also possess a certain kind of political power much like the pope has. Because of the nature of Shamans however, they do not regularly exercise this power as they show up when it is in fact necessary for them to do so.

Superstition/Folklore

Saplings have many different kinds of superstitions that depend on the individual as each individual as different Saplings feels connections with different types of animals and plants. Saplings also get omens from the Shamans they encounter as the dreams of Shamans are taken quite seriously by Saplings and what they could mean. There are many secrets that surround Fauna’s Cradle, and that could mean any number of animals that are yet undiscovered, this includes the Kirin which is a mythical creature that the goddess Fauna also is. While Saplings wish to believe they are real deep within the forest, they believe that Kirin’s are not in fact real.