ADDITIONAL DETAILS:
About the Dorvan V Colony:
Dorvan V is located in the border region between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union.
In 2070, a group of Native Americans from Earth left their homeworld discontent with the increasing globalization and technological and industrial advances that threatened their traditional cultures. They searched the stars to find a suitable world where they could settle and eventually decided on Dorvan V in 2350.
Dorvan V remained a Federation colony until the end of the Federation-Cardassian War. It was among many worlds ceded to the Cardassians in 2370. It was at this time the USS Enterprise-D under command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard was sent to relocate the colonists. The colonists refused to be relocated and eventually waived their Federation citizenship and fell under the rule of the Cardassians.
The Dorvan colonists, being minimalists lacking any means to be a threat to the Cardsassians, were generally ignored by the Cardassians, though they were robbed of resources and mistreated.
Not long after the Cardassians took control of Dorvan V, the Maquis formed to resist Cardassian oppression amongst the many Federation-founded worlds that found themselves under Cardassian rule. Many members of the Dorvan V community left their tribes to join the Maquis.
When the Cardassian Union joined the Dominion in 2373, Jem'Hadar attack ships were used to crush the Maquis. While most of the Maquis were killed, some managed to escape, and some of those were members of the tribes of Dorvan V and returned to their home there.
Two years later, in 2375, the Cardassians turned against the Dominion and the Dominion retaliated with swift fury, killing hundreds of millions of Cardassians in a matter of hours. Not long afterward, the Dominion surrendered and the war was over.
Society and Culture:
The members of the various Tribes that left Earth in 2070 had essentially blended into a single Tribe by the time they settled on Dorvan V in 2350.
The various tribal customs were also blended into an amalgamam unique to the Dorvan community.
The tribe is essentially democratic, with each adult person having the right to speak his mind in Council. The government of the Tribe is a representative republic with the representatives elected by voting from nominated candidates. The government is divided into three branches: the Executive Branch, headed by the Principal Chief with various communities having their own local Chiefs; the Legislative Branch consisting of a Tribal Council composed of representatives selected by the local Councils and their Chiefs; and a Judicial Branch consisting of five Tribal Justices selected by the Principal Chief and approved by the Tribal Council.
Religion:
The Dorvan Tribe are a very spiritual people, closely in tune with nature. They feel that there is a Spirit in everything, from stones to streams to trees to crops to the creatures they hunt for food. And beyond these spirits are the Spirit of the Earth (even though their planet is Dorvan V they still refer to the land as the Earth) who gives all things life, and the Great Spirit, the Creator, who fashioned all the worlds and all the spirits throughout the universe.
Many Dorvans believe some of their number are chosen by Spirits and given gifts or aid by a Spirit Guide. For a Dorvan to know if he has been chosen, and by whom, he will perform a Vision Quest or some other ritual ceremony, to find his Spirit Guide.
Adonudo underwent such a Vision Quest when he announced his intention to become a Medicine Man. He discovered he had been chosen by Hawk. And it was after this Vision Quest that he took the name Adonudo Tlanuwa. Before this his name had been Atsutsa Ulayutsi "Boy Who Strayed".
According to Dorvan custom, Hawk is the Messenger of the Spirits. One chosen by Hawk is said to be a visionary gifted with insight and impartiality. Many people seek out those chosen by Hawk for guidance when making important decisions.
Taboos:
The Dorvan people will never keep any object made from or resembling any venomous, cold-blooded animal in their homes. While such objects or materials may be fine outside the home, bringing such symbolism into one's living space is believed to invite the venom into the home, bringing illness and disease. For this reason, Adonudo will not permit anyone to enter his quarters bearing anything related to a venomous animal. If someone accidentally enters his quarters bearing such an item, Adonudo will ask them to leave and place the object outside, and then he must smudge the chamber and perform a cleansing ritual.
Also, Dorvans will not eat the flesh of animals who are habitually scavengers, as they consider the meat unclean.
The Going-To-Water Ceremony:
The Dorvan people perform a daily cleansing ritual that goes beyond ordinary bathing. On the homeworld of Dorvan V, the people of each village will travel to the nearest stream, river, or lake and perform the Going-To-Water ceremony.
Being confined to a starship, Adonudo has constructed his own means of performing the Going-To-Water. In his quarters, Adonudo has placed against the forward wall of his sitting room a self-refilling fountain that pumps water from a catch basin at the bottom up through a tube to spill from the top of a small rise. From there it cascades over several terraced steps carefully lined with river stones selected by Adonudo from riverbeds he has visited across the galaxy, until spilling into the catch basin once again.
Each morning upon waking, Adonudo will approach the fountain, considering the forward direction of the ship as his "East" and prays the prayer to the Rising Sun; then he turns to Starboard as his "South" and prays to the Summer Rain; then Aft is "West" where he prays to the Mountain Mist; then to Port as "North" and prays to the Icy Breath; then he gazes towards the ceiling to pray to the infinite Creator; then to the floor to give thanks for the food and water provided by the Earth (regardless of the name of the planet itself); and then spreading his arms wide and then clenching them to his breast he prays that all of these will return to his Inward Spirit and center him with the universe. Then dipping his hands into the catch basin, he carefully lifts a cupful of water and gently pours it over his head to wash away any bad feelings with which he may have awakened.
The Medicine Man:
While a fully licensed Medical Doctor trained and authorized by the Starfleet Medical Corps, Adonudo was first a Dorvan Tribal Medicine Man. His methods for treating illness and injury are holistic in nature, treating the whole "body, mind, and spirit" rather than treating individual symptoms of disease.
Adonudo believes that good health is based on the concept of "wellness" which is achieved by promoting the harmony of the body, mind, and spirit. That such "wellness" comes from being "at peace".
As such, some of the tools found in his "medicine bag" are not necessarily considered "modern medicine", such as a Medicine Wheel, stones that are heated or cooled and placed in certain areas of the body, smudging with the smoke of certain herbal incenses, and "casting out evil spirits" with smoke and eagle feathers. Obviously there are some people who might object to treatment of this kind, and Adonudo would allow such a patient to decline some or all of such techniques, but in such case, Adon might remark that if the patient wishes to become "fully well", he would allow his "spirit to be placed back in harmony" and undergo the full treatment.
