What is "shin'a'in"

The Shin'a'in (translation: People of the Plains) are a fictional ethnographic group created by fantasy author Mercedes Lackey. They comprise roughly half of the descendants of an ancient race, the Kaled'a'in; the other half are the Tale'edras (Brothers of the Hawk). They are characterized by their chosen homeland, the Dhorisha Plains, an enormous grassland in the bottom of a great crater, and by their refusal to use magic except as part of the shamanistic rituals. They resemble the Bedouins in lifestyle; they are nomadic, living in tents, and they are predominantly herders and horse-breeders.

The Shin'a'in are also traders, and have a semi-permanent settlement, Kata'shin'a'in, on the rim of the Plains. They are characterized by a certain racial type; black-haired, blue-eyed, with golden skin.

Shin'a'in worship their deity in the form of a Goddess, Kal'enel (Sword of the Stars, or The Star-Eyed) with four aspects; Maiden, Warrior, Mother, Crone. They also have a male deity who does not appear much in the books. Like the Goddess, he has four aspects that correspond to the four aspects of the Goddess: the Rover, Guardian, Hunter and Guide.