I've always thought of Seekers as being like prides of lions, with the dominant males still depending on the females that support him and bear his children. A Nunh in a leadership role would have twice the amount of looking over his shoulder to do, given he'd have to protect both his position as a leader and as a Nunh, so I don't see that being very desirable. Though a badass mofo of a Nunh could probably handle it, I think Tia have the advance when it comes to holding other positions of power, seeing as they don't have to worry about the duty of siring.
In Y'el's story, her father was pretty much only good for pumping out kids, and kept his position more through guile than brute strength... Something else to think about. Her retainers are with her thanks to a desperate ploy by the elders of her branch of the tribe (it's important to note I don't necessarily think the rest of the Jaguar tribe is like them; just her immediate family) to force her to stop adventuring by having two wanna-be Nunhs get her pregnant. They're still technically Tia, but were promised they'd become Nunh officially if they knock her up. The thing is they're not worthy, and would lose the title in a hot second if challenged. This is just me playing with the politics of gaining power. The elders of Y'el's family are particularly manipulative like that, given their desperation to assure their particular bloodline doesn't die out since Dalamund decimated it.
When it comes to tribes, I don't think there's really a right or wrong way to play it. What really matters is the particular branch/familial circle your character comes from. That's where you really have the freedom to do as you see fit. Some branches are going to allow their men more power, others will use them only as breeding stock while the females do all the heavy lifting. The members of the same tribe might also balk at the practices of their cousins. We have the lore as a guideline and foundation to build upon, no one has to play it exactly the same.
As for the differences in naming, I see Seekers being named after the male who sired them because a male could potentially sire a lot of children in his lifetime, so it helps to keep track of who came from who. Keepers, with their much smaller tribes and smaller number of males, instead go for taking the names of their mothers, and the numbering of males is because they're just so damn rare, so each number is its own little badge of honor regardless of the actual value. I see both as matters of practicality, not something that lends more power to either sex.
In Y'el's story, her father was pretty much only good for pumping out kids, and kept his position more through guile than brute strength... Something else to think about. Her retainers are with her thanks to a desperate ploy by the elders of her branch of the tribe (it's important to note I don't necessarily think the rest of the Jaguar tribe is like them; just her immediate family) to force her to stop adventuring by having two wanna-be Nunhs get her pregnant. They're still technically Tia, but were promised they'd become Nunh officially if they knock her up. The thing is they're not worthy, and would lose the title in a hot second if challenged. This is just me playing with the politics of gaining power. The elders of Y'el's family are particularly manipulative like that, given their desperation to assure their particular bloodline doesn't die out since Dalamund decimated it.
When it comes to tribes, I don't think there's really a right or wrong way to play it. What really matters is the particular branch/familial circle your character comes from. That's where you really have the freedom to do as you see fit. Some branches are going to allow their men more power, others will use them only as breeding stock while the females do all the heavy lifting. The members of the same tribe might also balk at the practices of their cousins. We have the lore as a guideline and foundation to build upon, no one has to play it exactly the same.
As for the differences in naming, I see Seekers being named after the male who sired them because a male could potentially sire a lot of children in his lifetime, so it helps to keep track of who came from who. Keepers, with their much smaller tribes and smaller number of males, instead go for taking the names of their mothers, and the numbering of males is because they're just so damn rare, so each number is its own little badge of honor regardless of the actual value. I see both as matters of practicality, not something that lends more power to either sex.
