I should note that while “asking” is important, it is only the gesture itself that has value. All decisions are made by those of the highest castes, who often utilize mystical visions of imaginary (the dead?) spirits to invoke their will. These spirits have a number of names, common ones being “SeeEehOh”, and “visseprezident”. They will claim to have talked to various unseen forces and have been told this must be the way it is done.
I believe that the higher castes have set themselves up to be considered as godlike to the lower castes. Quite frequently, the lower castes refer to the higher castes in hushed and whispered tones, giving them the names of their gods or calling them children of the gods. Such names as "abich", "bich", "son of abich", "bassturd" and "ashole" are often used. Bich or Abich appears to be their highest god, with the others being lower in the hiearchy. Abich also appears to be a god of fertility, as he/she has many children among the upper castes. Abich is at least a double god, with female and male aspects.
