Oxen

The Ox people can be generally compared to a blend of Cheyenne native society and members of Bovidae biological family.
Oxen are one of the fifty-five races of anthropomorphic mammals that populate Yanìs, and are grouped in the subgenus of Mastodons together with Boars, Elephants, Hippos and Rhinos.

Physically, Oxen are broad and muscular, with shaggy coats of long hair that can range in color from whitish to brown, black, and even spotted patterns. Adults grow to over 7 feet in height and can weigh from around 400 to over 1000 kilograms. Each foot has three wide hooves, while their hands have five that visibly resemble large nails. Horns are the most distinctive feature of Oxen, and they can vary greatly between specimens. Over time, tribes have separated and distinguished themselves based on the conformation of their head and horns, including bison-like, buffalo-like, bull-like, ox-like, yak-like and others.

Unlike their neighbors in Isilka, the Ox people have always been historically compact and united under a central government called the Herd Council. Oxen are a nomadic people who developed as skilled and powerful warriors. A warrior is viewed by its people not as a war-maker but as a protector, wellness provider, and leader. In Oxen society, warriors earn high ranks by performing and accumulating acts of bravery known as kawaik. The title of warchief can be earned by any warrior who performs enough kawaik required to become it. Specific warrior bands have developed among the Ox people, and each band usually selects leaders who will then invite those who are worthy enough to their lodge. Warchiefs are often in charge of organizing raids and patrols, as well as ensuring proper discipline and the enforcement of laws within their tribe. Each band takes turns assuming the leadership role within the territory. There are six notable bands among the Ox people: the Bellowhigh, the Blackhoof, the Brinehorn, the Frostfur, the Quickstep, and the Redsnort.
A Cow has a higher status if she is part of an extended family with distinguished ancestors. In their culture, it is expected of all Cows to be hardworking, chaste, modest, skilled in traditional crafts, knowledgeable about Ox people's culture and history, and fluent in speaking. This, however, does not prevent them from becoming warriors, although it is still a rather difficult goal to achieve.

The Ox people usually farm corn, squash, and beans, and harvest wild rice like their neighbors. However, they have also become good hunters and tanners, exploiting a profitable market with their almost-neighbors Wolves and Foxes. Skins have become, over time, a basic element of Ox people's culture, although among the main artistic elements, there are pipes, masks, mantokan (or totemic poles). Paintings on rock or inside caves are also frequent, although the most common manifestation is painting on skins, which depicts social events, spiritualism, and symbolism.