Ta'lissera
"Like the eternal circle, these bonds shall never be broken. For as long as one of us remains alive, so too do the others. There is no one t’au above another, all are as one, and the whole shall be greater than the sum of its parts."
The Ta'lissera, or Bonding Ceremony, is a Tau ceremony which has been translated by Imperial xenolexicons as "communion" or "marriage."[1][Notes]
Contents
Overview
T'au who take part in the ceremony pledge support and community to one another and may address each other by their individual names. The bonds that these T'au swear to each other are much admired and seen as embodying the best aspects of the T'au'va. The bond may be performed by any group of T'au, though it is most commonly Fire Caste warriors or Earth Caste work teams who undergo this ultimate expression of respect for one another.[1] Cross-caste bonds do exist, for example Sub-Commander Torchstar is part of four T'au bond with each member from a different caste, though seem to be rarer.[3a]
The Ceremony involves the use of the Bonding Knife.[1] The participants in the ritual aim to draw enough blood from their mates for the ritual to be profound, but not enough for it to deal a major wound. The blood from the blade is then mixed in a ceramic cup. The ceremony is to be concluded by sunset. A special band[Trivia] and a betrothal sash are worn for the ceremony. Vows are made and exchanged, usually memorised by the participants.[3b]
A common Fire Caste proverb is: Only in death are the bonded parted.[2]
Trivia
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- Farsight and Shadowsun wore orange bands to their bonding ceremony with Kais.[3b] It is unknown if all T'au wear orange, or if this was a particular choice by the three.
Notes
- Although Imperials translate Ta'lissera as marriage,[1] it is a bond that does not include intercourse. Within the Empire T’au do not select their own partners for reproduction, as those pairings are determined by the Ethereals in the Propagation Department.[4] How this is done in the Enclaves, where there are no Ethereals, is unknown.
Sources
- 1: Codex: Tau Empire (6th Edition), pg. 24
- 2: Imperial Armour Volume Three - Second Edition: The Taros Campaign, pg. 32
- 3: Farsight: Blade of Truth (Novel) (Hard Cover)
- 4: Fire Warrior (Novel): III
