The stage the tribe is currently going through is OKAY!!

['Itan Atxur]

Yup, we're losing major members and may of us (cough, me, cough) aren't as active as we should be. But like I said in a different post: we've planted an idea, and an idea is impossible to kill. Especially an idea born on an avatar forum. When the sequel comes out we'll get new members who will be able to build on our foundation. Just like in real life, civilizations were built on the foundations of other civilizations. So if we leave a solid base and keep the torch lit, someone else WILL pick it up.

[Tsteu'itan]

I know I don't give much input, but I do keep an eye on this forum.  It's been sort of sad seeing people drop away, but I was really happy to see the numbers go up so high recently. 

I think staying upbeat is the best way to be.  Instead of being sad and mopey about how there's not much going on, and especially since the Moderator just left, We should start threads resurrecting the discussions and talking about what we would hope for the tribe, what's going on, and just keep people coming back.

I'm not a member of the tribe myself, but I would hate to see it die.  Let's keep the discussions coming!  You can do this, guys!  You made even this skeptic have hope the more I saw people getting to business and making a real effort in trying to tie down where and how and when and what you were going to do! 

On the subject of keeping the topics going, I was wondering:  With the eco-village, will the houses set up be like more modern houses, with normal-looking buildings?  Granted, it would have eco-friendly energy consumption methods like solar panels and things, but did you intend on having the houses be wood-and-sheetrock houses, or more like wattle-and-daub?

Something else to think about would be a community center.  Sort of like a town hall.  Are there any ideas in mind for a large communal building for meetings and education and things of that sort?  How about a visitor's center, if it gets large enough?  Or a post office, if it becomes large enough to have it's own zip-code, so to speak.

There are also things to think about, like food storage facilities, smoke houses for meat if you will have livestock and will need a way to cure it.  Have you thought about having livestock?  Perhaps a small sheep farm - you could use the wool for weaving and clothing, and the meat would be good for food.  Cows would be good for the meat and the milk, and the horns and bones can be used to make things that are needed (or even things that you just want, like drinking/musical horns.)  Goats serve for milk and meat as well, and dairy of any sort can be used to make butter and cheese and creams.

Do you plan on having farms?  You could try growing grains and corn and other plants that would be good for food, and if you had all of these things, it would also ensure that if the tribe had a hard season and was having trouble getting food, you'd have a place to get the things you needed.  Other things, like cotton, can be used for clothing and weaving, but it may not be very acclimated to a tropical climate, since that seems to be the way people are going.  You could also try growing the plant that creates linen - I think it's flax?  You would need to research how it's harvested and processed, though, since it seems to be the fibers from the stalks that are used to make the threads.

You would also probably want a tanner or a building set up to cure the hides from animals used for food, so that the leather could be used for what was needed.  A community cooking pit/cooking house would be a nice thing to think about, too, in the event that you wanted to have a community-wide celebration, which would also be something to help build community friendship.

These are just some things I've thought about a lot myself in writing a novel I'm hoping to publish one day.  Granted, it's set in early-AD Ireland, but the communities they had in tribal Ireland are a lot like the communities that would be had in the type of civilization you're trying to start.  Usually in those types of groups, they would have people in the village who specialized in the things they needed.  One person would be the weaver and would make all of the cloth they used for their clothing, and another would sew the clothing.  Something that I found really interesting was the weaver would use the leftover wool that the individuals brought to have made into cloth from their own sheep to make one big piece of cloth.  So say Family A would sheer their sheep, card and clean and spin and dye the wool into thread, and take it to the weaver to make cloth with, for their clothing.  Family B would do the same thing, and Family C and Family D.  When the cloth had been made, the weaver would have a lot of leftover thread that would then be woven into one "communal" piece of material, which is what gave rise to the use of the "plaid" patterns.  Each village would have it's own special pattern, because each family would have it's own color scheme and preferred dye.  It would make a nice community symbol, if you had something of the same sort.  Each person made their own version of something, that would then be put into the big picture, and together, you could see all of them creating a harmonious whole.

[Key'ìl Nekxetse]

Again, I'm not involved much, but I would hate to see the project die, since I'm not happy with the direction things are going in the rest of the world. I'm trying to help where I can, although I've not put much in at this point. I've also taken some time recently and will probably continue to do so, to attempt to learn some useful skills. At this point it has been extremely basic, but it might be useful, even if I can't join the tribe. If just a few active members remain, there is still a good chance that the project will work. We just have to keep putting in the work!

Eywa hu ayoeng livu!

[Predict]

Totally agree. Feeling down and complaining don't help but I think we are recovering from what has been a hard time. There's no reason to think we shouldn't succeed, like 'Itan said, the idea endures beyond the individuals who planted it.

I might be able to answer some of the questions about the eco-village. Local materials to be used but no idea of construction (trend is more to huts than houses, unlikely to have rooms), a communal area has been talked about (I'd say it's pretty definite, topic was something like 'our "home tree"').
I think a post office is unlikely and not worth considering before location.

Farming is currently, undesirable, all signs point to us locating in a rainforest where anything more than very small-scale is impractical and unsustainable. Can't comment on flax, it would require large fields, something we're not keen on tanned leather seems the way to go. Don't need much for a loincloth .

[Key'ìl Nekxetse]

I've done some research on some of the parasites that may cause problems, some of the big ones are ticks. The best protection seems to be "DEET" (a chemical, obviously no good) and long clothing to prevent them getting to flesh. This might be a problem with only a loincloth!
Another issue could be that footwear may be a requirement, as there also appear to be some unpleasant parasites that can enter via the sole of the foot, although I'm not sure how common they are. I hope this doesn't put anyone off, but it's worth considering as ticks are increasingly an issue as diseases they carry are spreading.

[Txonari]

Another issue could be that footwear may be a requirement, as there also appear to be some unpleasant parasites that can enter via the sole of the foot, although I'm not sure how common they are.

I always thought that parasites aren't common in just general areas. I thought that to get a parasite through the sole of the foot, you would have to walk specifically in things where parasites tend to live. Like animal poop, rotting logs, dirty water, etc.

[Tsteu'itan]

They're actually worryingly common.  While you may not hear about them very often, in the rural, less-industrialized nations, they're very easy to get.  There's a reason Malaria is such a problem when you're visiting South and Central America.