So, I was discussing Ancient Cardassians / Ancient Hebitians with @damnhardwork the other day, and we kind of brainstormed what their clothing, culture and art might have been like, based on the tidbits offered by Andrew Robinson in “A Stitch in Time”.
This is what came out of it:
Way less confining clothing than modern-day Cardassians - Long, loose trousers that tie at the waist and ankle, with ornate sashes, possibly indicating status - the fancier it is, you get the picture. Also, virtually no distinction in clothing between genders or status in society.
The religious imagery of the “Oralian Way” is: The Spiral and the Tendrils of Light (love) that bind people together. Therefore, the spiral motif in their jewelry, and tattoos that wind up their arms. Also the motif of the sun, here centered around their chest spoon. In hindsight, I should have probably drawn it centered around their forehead spoon, but the chest is a bigger canvas.
I imagined them as quite socially interconnected - they all have braided hair and pigmented drawings on them (not necessarily permanent markings, perhaps more like henna). It would be interesting if they had to braid each other’s hair and draw markings on one another. Draw it on your sibling, child, parent, lover, friend, neighbor… On anyone other than yourself. That could have bound them together as a community.
I put in the Mask of Oralius and imagined it as not necessarily private property, but the property of the entire community. For instance, if a member of the community learned something really important, they could request the mask and share their discoveries with others. Or it could have been used to settle disputes, as the mask seems to be almost a symbol of mindfulness. It makes you pay attention and seek the wisdom in the words.
The headdresses represent the crescent moon and the sun, respectively.
