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General info

Planet: Simarka. SGC designation: P3X-593. (Emancipation)

The world has (feral) dogs on it. (Emancipation)

The Sea of Ogada is distant enough that Abu defaults to assuming that when Daniel and Jack told him they were from very far away. (Emancipation)

" Shavadai" means " the people of the steppe" . (Emancipation)

They're descended of Mongols, possibly the Chagatai, who were the only Mongols to maintain their steppe-nomad traditions when all the other tribes had adapted to Persian ways. (Emancipation)

The Shavadai aren't the only inhabitants of this world there's also the " people of the river" , the Tugai (people of the forest), and a desert tribe, along with at least 22 other clans (and probably a lot more than that). (Emancipation)

The Shavadai seem to be rather wealthier then the Tugai -- their clothes are richer, at any rate. (Emancipation)

The Song of Arkhan-Tyr, among other things, provides a means by which a chieftain can challenge or stop another chieftain's lawful rulings, by challenging him to personal combat and winning. " The spirits will strengthen the hand of the just" -- whoever wins has the right to decide what happens to the person who has been judged (e.g., is sentenced to be stoned). It's a fight to the death. (Emancipation)

The culture strictly separates men and women. (Emancipation)

The women stay inside the women's tent/enclosure for the most part. (Emancipation)

It's forbidden for a man to look upon an unveiled woman in public. (Emancipation)

Presumably, this holds true in private for women that the men aren't related to, as well. (Emancipation)

According to Shavadai law, it is death for a woman to show her face in public, or to wear men's clothes. (Emancipation)

A woman who speaks (in public, or to a man unclear which) is killed, by law. (Emancipation)

If a woman saves a life, hers cannot be taken. (Emancipation)

Women, especially foreign women, are valued highly for trade. (Emancipation)

In the distant past, women were free, and even fought beside their husbands, but no one speaks of that anymore. (Emancipation)

The laws restricting women so completely were put in place to protect them from the Goa'uld who brought the Shavadai to this world. (Emancipation)

The Shavadai have the strongest horses and camels, the best wool, and the best medicines (at least according to them), giving them strong advantages in trading. (Emancipation)

Known Shavadai:

Abu:

The chieftain's son. (Emancipation)

He appeared to be the local healer  -- he was very focused on medicines as one of the tribe's strengths, and he was the one who applied an anaesthetic to a tribesman wounded in a skirmish, helping to heal it. (Emancipation)

He was the first to meet up with SG-1, who saved him when he was being attacked by a pack of feral dogs. He kept his tribesmen from killing Sam when they caught up to him, by explaining that she saved his life. When he saw her dressed as a Shavadai, he forgot his gratitude and decided to sell her to a rival tribal chief, Turghan, to get Turghan's daughter, Nya, for himself. Turghan didn't go along, offering 300 weights of gold instead. (Emancipation)

Mughal:

The tribe's chieftain -- slightly crippled, but mentally very strong.   (Emancipation)

He was extremely reform-minded about his culture's attitudes toward women (for no apparent reason). Unlike most of his people, he only had one wife (he loved her). He was also forward-looking, in that he was hoping for a time when war was taken over by trade, and people could lead peaceful, prosperous lives.   (Emancipation)

When his son Abu kidnapped Sam to trade her, Mughal willingly guided the rest of SG-1 in pursuit, explaining that Abu had betrayed him as well. He brought them to Turghan's tent and tried to trade on their behalf, offering 350 weights of gold, then 400, then 500 (which Jack offered on his behalf, promising to pay it back). Mughal's offers didn't do it, but Jack's offer of a pistol finally did.   (Emancipation)

Before they could get back to the Shavadai camp, though, Abu showed up and begged them to help him save Nya, who was about to be stoned to death for daring to disobey her father and run away to be with Abu. Mughal didn't want to risk starting a war, but found an old law in the Song of Arkhan-Tyr that permitted one chieftain to challenge another to personal combat to prevent a stoning. He manipulated Turghan into allowing Sam to fight him -- Sam won. (Emancipation)

Mughal used all of this as an excuse/reason to free his women from the veil and the women's enclosure, returning them to their pre-Goa'uld days. (Emancipation)

Known non-Shavadai:

Chimakka:

Desert warlord and chieftain, slated to be married to Nya. (Emancipation)

Nya:

One of the Tugai, " people of the forest" . She was Turghan's daughter, but was in love with Abu. Turghan had arranged for her to marry Chimakka, though. When she realized that Sam (who had been sold to Turghan) wasn't particularly keen on obeying Turghan's orders, Nya asked Sam to help her escape. She fled to meet Abu, but her father caught up with them and took her back, sentencing her to be stoned to death according to their laws (but privately forgiving her for running away). Mughal and SG-1 arrived to rescue her, by setting Turghan up to fight Sam, who won and freed Nya. (Emancipation)

Turghan:

One of the Tugai, " people of the forest" . (Emancipation)

He was the chieftain of the tribe, enemies/rivals to the Shavadai. He was a powerful warlord -- thanks to a career of raiding, killing, and capturing, he had gained the allegiance of 22 tribes. (Emancipation)

He wasn't remotely reform-minded about anything, unlike Mughal. (Emancipation)

His daughter Nya was in love with Abu (it was mutual), but Turghan didn't care -- he'd already agreed that she would marry Chimakka, a desert warlord. When Abu offered to trade Sam for Nya, Turghan refused, giving him 300 weights of gold (enough to buy ten women) and keeping Sam. (Emancipation)

When Mughal and SG-1 appeared to trade back for her, Turghan ignored all offers (up to 500 weights of gold), until Jack finally pulled out a pistol and shot a lamp. Turghan accepted the pistol as payment (not understanding that there were only a few rounds in the clip, at least two of which he wasted shooting the gun into the air to impress his people).   (Emancipation)

Shortly thereafter, he caught up to Nya and Abu, who had run away together, and brought Nya back home, sentencing her to be stoned to death according to their laws (but privately forgiving her for running away). Mughal and SG-1 arrived to prevent the stoning -- Mughal had remembered an ancient law that permitted one chieftain to challenge another's decision in such a case, by challenging him to personal combat. Turghan refused to fight the crippled Mughal, unknowingly letting himself be manipulated into opening the field for any other chieftain wanting to challenge him -- which let Sam step up (Daniel had previously identified her as a chieftain among his people). (Emancipation)

The fight was supposed to be to the death. Sam won it, but refused to kill Turghan as long as he freed his daughter, and Sam (officially). (Emancipation)

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