tîntes

Tîntes is a term used in the fictional culture of the Amara Highlands to designate ceremonial seed pouches carried during harvest festivals. A tînte is typically a square cloth pouch, 8–12 cm on each side, filled with millet seeds, lentils, and a small charcoal pellet to release a faint aroma when warmed by the body. The pouches are dyed with natural pigments and embroidered with clan symbols. Historically, tîntes were distributed to households as signs of communal abundance and were buried at the festival's close to return fertility to the soil. The practice is linked to the Dance of the Grain, a dawn procession performed in villages along the River Sira.

The term itself is believed to derive from a Proto-Amaran root tīn- meaning "to bind" or "to carry," with the plural suffix -tes. The singular form is tînte, while multiple pouches are spoken of as tîntes.

In contemporary settings, tîntes appear in cultural demonstrations, museum displays, and educational programs about material culture and ritual economy in the Amara Highlands. While traditional production has declined in some areas, artisans continue to recreate tîntes for festivals and for sale to visitors, preserving techniques such as dyeing with natural pigments and embroidery with simple backstitch.