Clan Ora

The Ora Clan
"Vorcekan ootay dei tilartata." (Basic: Confide in your kin.)
Historical Information
Founder	Unknown
Established	Around 4000 BCGT
General information
Current head	Matriarch Dodola Ora
Headquarters	Vao's Quarter, Kala'uun, Ryloth
Affiliation	None
Homeworld	Ryloth
Species	Twi`lek

The Ora clan is an old Twi'lek family that dates back to the days of the Old Republic. While in some circles of their people’s society they are still considered to be a patrician bloodline, these days the family is largely known for its craftsmanship in jewellery making, their skillful practice of local commerce and trade, as well as their talented street performers bringing Twi'lek dance and song to life in the streets of Kala'uun. Since 978 BCGT, the members of the Ora clan have been living in Vao's Quarter in the capital city of Ryloth, where they own a couple of houses that have fused together over the generations to form one large residential unit. Local residents know the members of the Ora clan for their charitable nature and their dedication to help their local community thrive, as well as their efforts to promote and preserve Twi'lek culture and art.

Preserved family records indicate that the Twi'lek clan first rose to prominence roughly four millennia ago, when members of its bloodline ascended to head clan status within the city of Lenna, an old and now forgotten settlement on Ryloth. For many centuries thereafter, the Ora family had provided the city and its inhabitants with leaders and protectors, until Lenna was destroyed by a mercenary force hired by the Hutt Cartel in 2130 BCGT. The surviving members of the Ora family went first into hiding, and later into self-imposed exile out of a sense of shame for having failed to protect Lenna. For more than a millennium, its members had adopted a nomadic existence wandering the twilight lands of their homeworld, and it wasn't until 978 BCGT that the Ora family permanently settled within their homeworld's capital city of Kala'uun, where they have remained until this day.

The Ora family is matriarchal in nature, which is a tradition meant to honour the teachings of the ancient Twi'lek matriarch and spiritual leader Kolovish. During its days as nomads, members of the family had followed the teachings of the Twi'lek Pilgrims with rigid devotion. Yet, ever since settling permanently within Kala'uun, the clan's modern incarnation only loosely uses the tenets and traditions of this ancient religious group for spiritual guidance. Yet, since its inception, the concept of family unity and closeness to one's kin have remained core values that every member of this clan espoused with all their heart and soul. Other values that the Ora family aspires to are charitability, helpfulness to the community, and honesty and fairness.

Family Traditions

Matriarchy - Clan Ora is governed as a matriarchy, where generally a daughter of the reigning Matriarch inherits the role of clan leader. This practice was introduced by the family's first Matriarch Sinatt Ora, and kept in place by subsequent family heads to honour their founder, and the teachings of the Twi'lek Pilgrims. There is no primogeniture within the Ora family, meaning that each daughter that the reigning Matriarch brings forth has a right to claim the mantle after their mother's death. In the event that the Matriarch should have only sons, then the right to leadership can pass onto any granddaughters. Should the late Matriarch have no offspring at all, then either a sister is to succeed her, or another female family member with a suitable claim. In the days of the Old Republic, a Matriarch's successor was chosen by ritual combat between the surviving heirs presumptive, until one had defeated - but not killed - all others. Since 978 BCGT that practice has been abandoned, and a successor is instead elected by all clan members who have come of age.

Day of Naming - A practice where members of the Ora family celebrate the day that they received their name, and thus were given meaning to their existence. The Day of Naming - or Name Day for short - generally coincides with an individual's day of birth, although there have been cases where such did not apply, and the celebration took place several days, or in one unique case one month, after the family member's actual birthday. On their Day of Naming, a family member receives gifts from their parents, siblings and other relatives, and is placed at the center of attention and care during a grand family supper in the evening, with celebrations often lasting long into the night.

Ceremony of the Burning Brand - Inspired by a ritual that was once practiced by the Twi'lek Pilgrims, this ceremony required its participant to keep alight a burning brand throughout one entire night. As the brand naturally only burns a short while, the person undertaking the ceremony is expected to exhibit extreme patience, and dedication to the effort of nurturing the flame and keeping it alive. The ceremony is meant to test its participant's will and ability to cope with failure, as few have completed the ritual on their first try. As failure is expected and used as a teaching mechanism, failing to complete the ceremony has no negative consequences to one's standing in the clan. Yet in order to be truly considered as having come of age by the rest of the family, each Ora clan member must undergo and complete the ceremony at least once during their life. The youngest participant to have completed the ceremony was eleven years old, while the oldest had been sixty-five. While there is no age limit to become eligible for the Ceremony of the Burning Brand, most family members seek to complete the ritual around their eighteenth Name Day.

Family Tree

Ora ancestors

Dodola Ora ♀

Kai'lun ♂ †

Amaya Ora ♀

Isad ♂ †

Miyah Ora ♂

Teyla ♀

Vebe ♀

Donn Ora ♂

Lynn Ora ♀

Yaneph ♂

Yanos Ora ♂

Avila ♀

Kaledo ♂

Yalina Ora ♀

Miran Ora ♂

Lilya ♀

Yaneta Ora ♀ †

Safina Ora ♀

Kamill Ora ♂

Taliya Ora ♀

Maya Ora ♀

Kiva Ora ♀

Yana Ora ♀

Yulio Ora ♂

Kasio Ora ♂

Miryo Ora ♂