Tribes of Tamriel, Volume III: The Ashlanders

The Ashlanders of Morrowind are probably the best known "primitives" of Tamriel. These Dunmer scouring the wastes of northern Morrowind are show some of the oldest forms of Dunmer society.

The Ashlanders originate from the Aldmer tribes led by Veloth that settled modern day Morrowind. These tribes moved to the northern ash covered coast of Vvardenfell, and from there on some have moved to the mainland. When the Chimer founded there Great House system, the Ashlanders kept their more tribal and nomad way. This caused some division between the Great House Chimer and the Ashlanders, but both lived relatively isolated from each other.
With the rise of the Tribunal, the division between the Ashlanders and Great House Chimer/Dunmer further increased. Instead of venerating the trinity of Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, the Ashlanders retained the initial worship of the Three Good Daedra: Boethiah, Azura, and Mephala, as well as the ancestor worship. This made the Great House Dunmer brand them heretics and blasphemers, as well as primitive. The Ashlanders, on the other hand, considered (and still do, to some extend) the Great House Dunmer as traitors and worshippers of False Gods.
The Ashlanders lived in isolation for a long time, only of interest to the Dissident Priests, a shadow group of the Tribunal Temple interested in the true history of the Tribunal, and the prophecies of the Anticipations. During the Blight Crisis, the Nerevarine, with aid from the Dissident Priests, made way to the Ashlander tribes on Vvardenfell, and was named Nerevarine by them. After the crisis, with the destruction of the Sharmat Dagoth Ur and the Tribunal Temple, the Great House Dunmer stopped their veneration of the Tribunal, instead returning to their original faith of the Triune House. This saw some increased interest and respect for the Ashlanders, who were considered keepers of the old faith.
During the Red Year, many of the Ashlander tribes were destroyed or scattered, although some of them might have survived on the mainland and the far corners of Vvardenfell.

The Ashlanders have a rather tough life in the Ashlands. Most of the diet is based on some of the local edible roots and berries, as well as guar, alit, and cliff racer meat (before the work of Saint Jiub). Most of the day is filled with scavenging food, with some breaks for religious practices. The exact rituals and tasks of the tribes varies, as all have a distinct culture, as well as different places with varying fertility of the ground. Most are skilled with the bow and arrow, although magic seems to be less popular than with the Great House Dunmer.
Ashlanders are not the friendliest of people. Outsiders are generally met with suspicion and silence, and have to proof themselves if they hope to speak with the Ashkhan or Wise Woman. This varies per tribe, though, as some are more welcoming, and some shun any outlander at sight.

Ashlander society knows strong roles within the tribe. At the top is the Ashkhan, who decides what happens in the tribe, as well as being the highest judge of the group. Directly below him are the Gulakhans, who serve as protectors of the tribe and Ashkan, as well as the greeters of newcomers. Loose from the general chain of command is the Wise Woman, who is tasked with the remembering of the prophecies and myths of the tribe, as well as overseeing any religious practice and ceremony.
The other members of the tribe are less organised, and focus predominantly on the gathering of food, crafting of tools and yurts, fashioning of clothing and jewellery, or maintaining the tribes burial cave.

Ashlander religion is much the same as it was throughout Morrowind before the coming of the Tribunal. At the centre are the Three Good Daedra, as well as the ancestor worship still somewhat practiced by the Great Houses. The third era dissident priest Mehra Milo, in her work Religion in the Ashland Region (Temple Press, 3E 430), claims that the Corners of the House of Troubles (Malacath, Mehrunes Dagon, Molag Bal, Sheogorath) also appear in the Dunmer faith, which is further supported by Marcus Flavi's work Life of the Ashlander Tribes (Royal IGS Press, 4E 156). It should be noted, however, that there has been little further research into the religious practices of the Ashlanders, partially due to the fact that Ashlanders don't easily speak to non-Ashlanders. The Ashlanders strongly resent the Tribunal, and still refuse to accept them as saints in the reformed Triune Temple.
As well as these characters, the Nerevarine and the Sharmat play important roles. These prophecies, which were forbidden in Temple literature, but kept by the Ashlander tribes, detail the rise of Dagoth Ur, his destruction by the Nerevarine, as well as the death of the Tribunal. While this meant that Ashlanders were targets for the Ordinators of the Temple, it did mean that the Nerevarine could learn of his destiny in the late Third Era.
The importance of religion differs per tribe. Some, like the Urshilaku, value it greatly, and the Wise Woman holds an important position in this tribe. Others, like the Erabenimsun, have little interest in the ways of religion or prophecy, and the Wise Woman is only present as a formality.

The Ashlanders of Morrowind are interesting in that they, despite their size, have been influential in Tamrielic wide events. They have found a strange combination of living in some of the most inhospitable areas of the continent, and the keeping of the old ways of their race.