The Spirits guide us as We guide Our People
While Barab I was not contacted by the greater galaxy until 900 BBY, there were those among its population who could feel the Force flow around them. Calling the Force “spirits”, the Barabel believed this power to be either the souls of past Barabel who have lingered in the living world or was the spirit of the world itself split into the many creatures and plants of the planet. Those who could “hear the spirits” were able to use this ability to enhance their hunting prowess or, when necessary, predict the future of their tribe. These “Spirit-Speakers” were held in great awe and given the title “Sha’akar”. Over time, each tribes’ Sha’akar shaman would find each other and share what they have learned, ignoring the normally isolationist mindset of their tribes in the sense of trust they held for each other.
As the centuries passed, the Sha’akar became a role within their tribe as the seer and spiritual guide. This shaman was asked to occasionally help with a hunt or to give advice on where to move the tribe before a disaster would occur. When a child within the tribe proved to be able to “hear the spirits”, the shaman would take it upon themselves to teach the child how to recognize the spirits and how to speak to them.
This initial training would span several years and mostly be seen as simply another aspect of their education. The Sha’akar would take the child hunting with them, showing them how the spirits would help during a difficult hunt or guide them to safety as the sun rose. If the child continued with their education into their teenage years, they would be given the option to continue learning as a Sha’akar. Accepting the role begins the First Trial for the young Barabel.
To ensure that the local shaman would not hold a bias toward a particular individual or family within a tribe, the Sha’akar moved to different tribes and expected their youngest members to do likewise. The First Trial was a test of survival and dedication: the youth had to travel to the nearest tribe and request training from the local shaman. This could take the youth nearly one-hundred kilometers away from their home, which was rather the point of the Trial.
If the Sha’akar accepted them, the youth became the newest apprentice and would work within their new territory. This would mean helping the new tribe with a difficult hunt or providing aid however they were needed. This process would take several years and ready the apprentice Sha’akar for their Final Trial.
Once the apprentice was physically old enough, they would be sent out into the wild to bring in the biggest kill they could for their new tribe. This could takes days and did not always prove successful, as the apprentice did not always survive such a trial. But if they returned with a suitable kill, they would be accepted as a Sha’akar shaman and taught the formal methods of invoking the spirits around them.
Swift's Corner 