A Comprehensive history of Smurfkind Vol 3: The Neolithic Age.
Generations of different kinds of workers, thinkers, foragers, and tool makers working together as a family unit in a few concentrated areas of the planet led to the birth of a generation of geniuses that pushed the Paleolithic lifestyle taught by the Silent Generation into the Neolithic age far before humans would start theirs. The Neolithic Age sparked concepts of Smurf culture that would be used for generations to come across countless time periods by Smurfs all over the world. The Ice sheets were receding, mega fauna had for the most part gone extinct and with them many scary animals the Smurfs feared disappeared from the food chain forever with the help of other species of creatures with humanlike intelligence along with actual humans that regularly battled with, hunted, and ate them until their numbers just simply didn't exist anymore which was something the Silent Generation feared would happen to them if they got involved in any affairs that didn't concern the maintaining of Smurf survival. The Smurfs were disconnected from a diverse world where humans at the time encountered giants, trolls, goblins, centaur, satyrs, ogres, orcs, fairies, and sometimes even merpeople and elves and chose to interact with them for better or worse. All this time the dragons that were the descendants of ancient dragons that somehow survived the mass extinction event that killed off the non-avian dinosaurs still flew the skies and created a world all around them where the most primitive survival skills were put to the test. Many mythical creatures littered this world completely changing the game of life in general. The increase in human activity sometimes led to their nomadic lifestyles clashing, or nearly clashing resulting in destruction and fear among the Stone Age Smurfs that were taught to fear them. The more the world changed and evolved the more apparent it became that the Silent Generation did not pass a lot down to their descendants that they wanted to causing problems that the current generation would have to think up a way to deal with if they wanted to keep their homes, families, and survive. Some Smurfs would completely abandon the settlements established for them by their ancestors and start all over again in a safer location from scratch. Sometimes Smurfs from different societies encountered each other during this process which always led to the groups having such a good time together that they stayed together forever and put their minds together to form the most diverse councils in history.
Neolithic Smurfs and agriculture: The concept of agriculture separates the Neolithic Smurfs from their ancestors that ran around the forest grabbing anything tasty and bringing it home to eat. It was a life changing discovery when the first foragers brought home seeds and began attempting to plant and raise their favorite foods. It also changed the workforce, and gave Smurflings less dangerous and mentally overbearing jobs that resulted in complications periodically throughout their history mainly premature death due to work related injuries, meltdowns from toddler aged Smurflings being forced to work an adult job that sometimes ended in death as they were still expected to work anyway, and the concept of sending a Smurfling out to forage unsupervised often resulting in them never returning. The concept of growing and harvesting crops is a Smurf's natural gift and they at last discovered their green thumbs in parts of the world that wasn't the tropics where growing fruit is a part of their religion and way of life that dates back to the days Topical Smurf walked the Earth.
The concept of being a forager eventually would die out for the most part as it was the smarter idea to grow their own food in and around the settlement. Due to their legendary green thumbs these first fields flourished regardless of the season and made the job of forager obsolete unless there was a need to domesticate another type of food or plant that was discovered. Farming being their species' natural talent means that once they gained an understanding of how a certain plant grows and lives it was a certainty that this plant or food item would be around permanently ensuring that everyone will eat every day at least once. Deliberately sabotaging the settlement's fields was a crime and although the punishment would not result in death, it was not favorable to be hated by the entire family. Once you did something wrong you were forgiven with smiles and hugs, but the family would never forget labeling you a troublemaker for the rest of your short life.
Crime and Punishment in the Neolithic: Most of the Silent Generation's laws were still in play in the Neolithic though the punishment was rarely if ever death, and certainly not in the way the Silent Generation carried it out in front of the entire settlement for everyone to see sometimes without warning. Anything that would sabotage survival for you or your fellow Smurf was a crime. Leaving the gate to the settlement open? Crime. Eating too much food? Crime. Deliberately destroying work equipment, and other settlement property? Crime. Being disrespectful towards elders or Smurflings? Crime. The deliberate manipulation of others in a way that damaged their mental or physical health was a crime. Not that this was a major issue in Smurf settlements, but walking around naked was also a crime. A law made just to spite the Silent Generation which was ballsy considering how quick to violence they were. It was the only law made by Smurfs out of spite for each other. The Silent Generation tried to ban language, so the new generation bashed them for being naked and made sure no other Smurf would do the same thing considering in the early days of the Paleolithic after the deaths of the Silent generation the very few Smurfs that had a positive relationship with them and were deemed accepted tried to return to nature after their elders died, and tried to convince others to join them. It was a law made to permanently rid the world of the Silent Generation forever. A generation that was either loved and respected, or despised and feared. Delaying the progression of society by not sharing an idea that could improve life for the rest of the family was also a crime. No inventing a new shiny tool nobody knows about and being the family's hero. Everything was shared. Even your ideas. Not even your poop belonged to you once it hit the ground. It belonged to the settlement and was used to fertilize crops. There was still no laws about theft, but there was laws about keeping certain tools that either worked better or were made better a secret from the settlement for personal use. Not properly taking care of a baby that you told everyone you'd take care of was betrayal however and would result in exile as you basically attempted murder and stripped yourself of the 'Sawa' title just to spite the settlement out of selfishness.
Minor crimes resulted in a slap on the wrist and a stern talking to, but anything considered an act of betrayal led to your death or exile depending on how mad the family is, who you actually are in the settlement, and who you dared to disrespect. Wounding a Sawa directly or indirectly was an act of betrayal, starting fires anywhere other than the designated fire pits was betrayal, being disrespectful towards an elder (anyone old enough to sport a beard) was betrayal. Neglecting a baby or a Smurfling not old enough to work was betrayal, slighting the mentally or physically handicapped was betrayal as they are likely like that because of the effort they put into the settlement. Murder either directly or indirectly was betrayal. Stabbing a fellow Smurf in the back and using them as a stepping stone for your career or livelihood was betrayal. Interacting with exiled family members especially feeding them was betrayal and was stealing from the settlement to enrich or continue the life of a criminal. Sabotaging food in any way was betrayal whether you meant to poison the consumer, or give them the farts all day by sliding beans into their portion didn't matter. This punishment method died out pretty quickly in most societies as exiling someone you love and leaving them to die in the wilderness was not ideal no matter what they did. In the tropics accounts of exile date all the way up the post Smurfocalypse and a certain duck loving orange clothes wearing friend of ours may or may not have been exiled as a Smurfling.
There was a small chance you could be forgiven and re-accepted into the settlement on probation, but to earn such a privilege and not be close to someone influential was rare. Your sawa can only hold your hand for so long, and then you're a big Smurf or Smurfette and must be allowed to have a life of your own even if that life led you to exile. Your sawa was likely not allowed to testify in your defense meaning someone you grew up with would have to testify in your defense. The family would then decide whether or not you were allowed to come back, and everyone was allowed to have their say regardless of age unless they were not old enough to speak meaning Smurfs that don't even know you that well due to a generation gap or two could be the deciding factor between you dying in the wilderness, or being found and returning to work the next day. In the tropics what the chief says goes, and you will never return or be spoken about again unless you retaliated against the tribe and were destroyed as a result. To prevent this you were tied up and blindfolded before being tossed onto a completely different island that way and at that point it was assumed that you'd somehow escape and continue an isolated life, or die still tied up and blindfolded. You were sometimes branded so you couldn't reintegrate into society and cause more trouble. Your potential new friends would see that you are branded and stay away from you. The brand normally were words that described your crime such as "killer", "thief", "pyromaniac", "cursed", and in a couple of cases "moron", or "nincomsmurf". Mango's only crime was getting sick and spreading the illness around. Since branding "diseased" on a Smurf that clearly isn't sick is dishonest it was not done saving him the pain of constant reminder of the time he got sick and was betrayed by his entire tribe for it. The tropics goes by a cursing system. Get cursed three times within the same hundred and fifty year period, or commit an act of betrayal that is considered a certain level of evil and you will be dealt with. The year span was shortened to accommodate the maximum life expectancy of the time period. Only the chief was allowed to apply curses so you can't just walk up to a fellow tribesmurf you don't like because they're richer than you, or they called you a daft flailing nincomsmurf and curse them three times in the same afternoon just because you don't like them and were stalking them consistently to see when and where they'd mess up.
The betrayal system was implemented upon the merging of settlements in a time period where the Smurfs knew they weren't alone in the world, but saw other Smurfs as friends that they didn't know since birth. This was a way to protect themselves from outsiders that had less than Smurfy intentions, and to ensure the safety of everyone in a time period where even though the majority of Smurfs were friends there was always a bad apple here and there. Whether you were daft, completely rotten to the core, or just made an honest mistake didn't matter. This was the current justice system implemented to protect others. It was not made out of spite, an exaggerated sense of justice, or out of self-righteous narcissism. It was in place for your protection in a world where you don't know the Smurf working next to you from Adam, and he or she might step on you for it.
Tropical Neolithic Smurfs and the economy: In the tropics not everything belonged to the settlement and not everything was free. The concept of personal property existed and the birth of the fruit trade quickly emerged as tribesmurfs learned they could put a price on food and exchange what they received as trade for their fruit for goods and services which could improve quality of life for a business owner allowing them to be able to get the tools they need to continue growing domesticated fruit. It all started with the fruit trade and branched out to an entire economy based on trading things you specialized in making in exchange for something you had no clue how to make or obtain in order to preserve your own survival and maintain your business. The masters of tropical economics lived to a ripe old age as they could afford anything they needed from the necessary medical treatment to stay alive, to their favorite crystals and marbles. These rich Smurfs and Smurfettes fueled the economy and kept it in motion by doing business ensuring that the tradition would never die. Chiefs owned all unoccupied land on the island, and doing business with the chief ensured you would have land to build and grow fruit on. Smurflings often got the short end of the stick being paid less due to their tendency to die on the job, and were often paid with nearly useless trinkets such as marbles. Any employer whose employee was hurt or died on the job had to pay corresponding expenses for either funeral arrangements or medical treatment. The death of an employee was bad for business and business reputation, and finding work in a tropical Smurf tribe was tough meaning you'd most likely have to start your own business.
Tropical Neolithic Smurfs and inheritance: So your life is coming to a close and the day or year will soon come when your story comes to an end. To whom do you pass your estate unto? The answer is simple. If you were chosen by the spirits of your ancestors to raise a baby and that Smurfling, or Smurf or Smurfette still lives they will be the likely choice. A letter of condolence is sent to your close fellow tribe members and anyone you might have raised and lets them know you have died. The heir of your estate will be notified of everything that they have inherited, and then they have a set window of time to collect their inheritance. If inheritance is not claimed it will be sent to your current location if possible, or auctioned off to the highest bidder. To preserve your life's work you would need to have at least one Smurf on Earth you were fond of or was friends with in order to legally do so. Donating your estate to your favorite business was also an acceptable choice. Advertising this was popular until the concept of persuading the older generation to donate their estate to the fruit trade was deemed corrupt and immoral.
Tropical Neolithic Smurfs and the workforce: Due to the presence of economics certain statuses existed with the rich being at the top of the pyramid just under the chief, business owners in the middle, and the unskilled laborers that kept everything in check at the bottom. If you're a Smurf or Smurfette known for a dominant personality trait rather than work skills your job was likely to harvest fruit all day in the hot jungle with nary a piece for yourself. Since the growth cycle of plants is a law of nature. It was considered a part of the natural Law of the Jungle that as a fruit trade associate your assignment would conclude once your employer's fruit was no longer in season meaning you'd be unemployed until it was again if you couldn't find another job. This was nobody's problem but your own and strategically managing your wealth led to greater survival chances. If you knew the fruit you harvest for a living was only in season a part of the year it fell down to you and you alone to make sure you had the wealth to survive in down seasons. If you were fortunate your employer will contact you next year provided you weren't dead to renew your assignment. Keeping a positive relationship with your employer was imperative to your continued survival in a world where economics is king. Those involved at the head of the fruit trade were so ridiculously stupid rich that they could retire and not give those around them a chance to earn a living. Thank your lucky stars you're a Smurf or Smurfette, and being Smurfy at this point was second nature nearly community wide.
Cosmic Smurf progress update: In the stars above Earth where the most difficult survival game ever played was currently a thing life was a lot worse in most places. The Peyoite Flash sometimes led to Great Smurfs being born in places with no oxygen leading them to eternally experience death until the day they mysteriously disappeared into thin air almost as easily as they were born. Some Great Smurfs experienced evolution and learned to survive without oxygen meaning their descendants don't need to breath to survive, and may not even have lungs. On the planet that would be discovered in the distant future named Kepler 438b the Smurf population was insane and it's likely there are more Smurfs living on Kepler in the Neolithic alone than the maximum number of humans to ever exist at one given time. How did this happen? Nobody will ever be quite sure. The presence of multiple moons could increase the rate at which Smurfs are born in Outer Smurf. This particular breed of Smurf is immune to radiation. Studying Smurf life on Kepler is currently impossible, but there is some proof to the previous suggestions. Titan lived his entire life on Kepler until he managed to be exiled from the planet somehow. He took the only Smurf in his life that he truly cared about with him: Pluto, who's mentioned multiple times in the Big Book of Smurfs from the volumes written in the 7th century all the way up to her natural death in 1495 (and that's the one and only time I will ever hint towards a character surviving the story. You're welcome.) After the death of the Cosmic Smurfs during the Seven Smurf Deathmatch it is believed any chances of forming an intergalactic Smurf alliance was destroyed with them as Jupiter's general definition of Cosmic Smurfs was recorded into the Big Book of Smurfs by Hefty in the 7th century making any Smurf familiar with the text weary of another encounter with Smurfs from other planets. It is likely every planet discovered by the Kepler Space telescope is capable of housing some form of alien species of Smurf, or "Cosmic Smurf". Although they look the same as Earthling Smurfs they are quite different, and possess survival skills and other unique differences that are not visible physical traits. Tapping into Smurf essence is easier for Cosmic Smurfs to learn how to do, and the chances of having an Outer Smurf-based Smurf essence is more common making them naturally more powerful.
SUB SEECTION: Neolithic Smurfs and the Paranormal
Neolithic Smurfs and Vampirism: Vampirism is not a disease exclusive to humans. Sometimes the settlement would bury their dead only to discover the next morning that the grave had been disturbed, someone in the family was gradually getting sicker and sicker due to being fed on, and the doctor could not figure out why. The cause of vampirism in Smurfs was believed to be the result of an outcast, or a Smurf that wasn't well liked reanimating in an attempt to infect other Smurfs in order to form a coven and finally be accepted. The victims of vampirism were mainly the few Smurfs close to the deceased. Then they would rise and feed on their close loved ones and so on until the entire settlement was either dead, or infected. Often times the exiled were blamed for this phenomenon, but it wasn't unusual to blame a living member of the family, or group for the bizarre events that vampires would cause.
The concept of vampirism started off ironically enough as a scary story told by elders to ensure the younger generations would take care of each other and continue the tradition of being Smurfy. This phenomenon would almost exclusively take place in freshly conjoined settlements that had Smurfs that didn't know each other since Smurflinghood working together in them. There were many Smurfs that had no idea vampires even existed.
In order to contract vampirism you had to die with unfulfilled dreams, or your social needs not being met due to being a misfit, outcast, exiled Smurf or Smurfette, or one of the few Smurfs that were evil. The disease wasn't spread the way it is in movies. To be reanimated as a vampire meant something in your life was terribly wrong, so wrong in fact that you literally couldn't even die.
Patient zero somehow went unchecked long enough that they're ambitions bared fruit and led to an uprising that almost ended the species.
The rise of vampirism led to the first Smurfocalypse delaying the progress of societies so badly that they were either in danger of complete collapse, or wiped out entirely. It took place in the same part of the world Peyo's Smurfs would one day live in and began to spread across the continent. This took place in the part of the Neolithic where the concept of smithing was popular leading to a Smurf known as Ox who was rumored to be the strongest Smurf to ever exist at the time living in what one day would be known as the City of Leafland to rise up against the vampires, forming an army of his close friends and family and engaging them in combat. This war lasted almost Ox's entire life, and he lost many good friends and family members along the way including the one and only Smurfling he raised; a Smurfette known as Jol that died in the Battle of Nottingglock in modern day Spain who was one of his generals but in the end Ox was able to seal the strongest of the vampires into pillars made from Smurfite using his Magic Type Smurf Essence and be known as the hero of the entire species. This legendary event led to the saying "Your as strong as Ox" that is still used in Leafland to this day but somehow was adapted into "Strong as an ox" likely referring to the animal rather than the legendary hero as time passed.
The pillars still sleep to this day in the story as the vengeful vampires are confined to a state of suspended animation, and rest deep under the ground. The magic that keeps them in this state is getting weaker and weaker as time progresses, and what makes the situation even direr is that nobody alive knows where they are. A statue of Ox still stands in the city, and is considered a historical landmark located in the oldest part of the city. All of this can be read about by studying the text known as "The Book of Ox" which was rewritten as needed throughout time by scholars and is located in the Leafland City Archives, the largest library in the Smurf world where a certain someone I'm sure we're all fond of used to work. It's considered to be one of the most amazing tales ever told about a Smurf that actually lived, but its historical accuracy is questionable in certain points and sometimes it reads as though there were gaps in the legend lost to time, and someone filled in the blanks. This is the oldest book ever written in the planet's history and almost the entirety of Smurfs back then couldn't even read or write meaning this tale was recorded by a Smurf or Smurfette that was exceptionally intelligent and may have inspired literacy in the Smurf race. It's likely learning how to read in times of old meant you'd be reading The Book of Ox if you were a citizen of Leafland. Just imagine how smart the Smurfs or Smurfette that translated this book throughout time must have been. They'd have made Brainy raise his eyebrows in amazement. The Book of Ox is a biography put together by Smurfs that survived the first Smurfocalypse that personally knew him, and recounts Ox's life from birth to death the high point being where the action starts of course. It's likely he died without ever even knowing this book was being written as the average Smurf of the time period had no concept of literacy. Whoever his friend was that started the book was likely a genius and may have been his strategist in the war.
The Book of Ox is with no exception the only piece of history we have to study that took place before the discovery of the Long Life Gem, and the description of ancient Leafland where the story took place at first is where we've gained enough knowledge about Smurf culture at the time to make this particular volume of the comprehensive text possible aside from studying the fossil record.
Neolithic Smurfs and Zombification: It is common knowledge that the Bzzt fly is the infamous carrier of the Black Smurf Plague today. The ancestors of modern day Smurfs were not exempt from contracting the disease making foraging and even working jobs outside the settlement in certain parts of the world dangerous. The Black Smurf Plague spreads rapidly almost guaranteeing extinction of societies. The tuberose cure did not exist nor were there any alchemists in this time period meaning you will be bitten, get sick, turn, and then contribute to the fall of your civilization infecting the ones you love without your conscious knowledge before the illness kills you. It is a cruel fate that will destroy the effort of your ancestors and bring total collapse of everything they worked for leaving behind a Smurf settlement in ruins, or even more disturbing fully functional but the only residences are mindless shells of their former selves that will attack any Smurf that comes into the area until the disease kills them. The Black Smurf Plague is not a disease that can bring forth a Smurfocalypse due to the set window of time an infected Smurf can survive, but paints an eerie and tragic picture of what could happen to those innocently trying to get by who did not have the best luck. There were likely small cases of infected Smurfs encountering wild tuberose, somehow getting the pollen into their system, and being cured just long enough to realize what happened before succumbing to the infection again upon being attacked.
Neolithic Smurfs and Ghosts: As the cemeteries increased in size due to the generational slope the idea became popular that sometimes your ancestors, or even recently deceased loved ones for whatever reason did not or could not pass over into the next world. It was sometimes believed that when the family slept during the night that deceased Smurfs would appear at the site of their graves, or in the graveyard and wander into the settlement to watch their living family members sleep. This thought was either terrifying, or comforting depending on who you ask. Sometimes a family member that couldn't sleep would get up in the middle of the night and start working, this could often be mistaken for paranormal activity. In a dimly lit or completely dark settlement catching a glimpse of a Smurf shaped silhouette in the distance when you get up to pee could be the most terrifying experience of your life. It could only be ghosts right? That had to be it. Were the stories at the campfire getting carried away and scaring others, or was their truth to this theory? We'll never know for certain so you decide.
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The Arc-Bol-Goc Alliance: In the part of the world where Leafland still thrives to this day as the Smurf capital of the world three societies met with absolutely nowhere to live other than the ground beneath their feet and the surrounding enchanted forest. This conjoined society was over three hundred Smurfs strong. The eldest of the conjoined society was the wise and kind Smurfette Arc who specialized in the arcane arts through decades of experimenting with magic making her one of the first Smurfs that could accurately be described as a wizard, the warrior known as Goc who was rumored to have raised and trained the legendary hero Ox who ruled over his family with a sword crafted from materials found in a meteorite, and the survivalist known as Bol whose survival skills could rival the Silent Generation yet was known to be benevolent and peaceful who carried the dreams and lives of his family in tough times where they had no set home. These three Smurfs met together under a peach tree and swore siblinghood to each other by drinking raspberry rum out of the same cup making them perhaps the world's first sworn siblings. They would then spend the rest of their lives building the foundation of Leafland alongside their younger family members. After the deaths of Arc, Bol, and Goc the Smurfs left behind decided to form a democracy and give the title of leader to whoever could get the most community votes. These leaders throughout time would be known as mayors and the first mayor of Leafland was elected… at fourteen. Aga was inexperienced and naïve, but loved by her fellow Smurf due to her immeasurable kindness and proper manners, and bear with me here… It was a different time period, her beauty. She had the advisors of Arc, Bol, and Goc helping her learn how to manage a community, and by her twenties she was the ideal mayor sparking what hopefully will be a city that lasts until the planet's end of days.
The meeting between Arc, Bol, and Goc was known the Ceremony of Leaves due to it happening in the fall which sparked inspiration for naming their city Leafland. Psychiatrist's ancestor is Goc, and it's likely his roots of origin follows his story rather than Arc, or Bol not that this mattered everyone in the city was equal except for the mayor, and the three founders. In case it wasn't completely obvious yet Secretary was created not born due her brown hair. Her origins can be traced to Enchanter Smurf who may actually have survived the blackhearted's reign of terror. The Ceremony of Leaves is still celebrated to this day and is a two week long holiday where the city celebrates their heritage and expresses appreciation towards their ancestors whose actions made the city possible. It's a fun two weeklong festival right around the time of the harvest where minimum work is done, and Smurfs take a load off to enjoy what they work for and celebrate as friends just as Arc, Bol, and Goc did in the Neolithic. All of this can be read by visiting the Leafland City Archives where eventually upon literacy becoming more popular, an entire series of volumes exist depicting the story that led to the rise of Leafland.
Neolithic Smurfs and Mining and Blacksmithing: The first miners set out into the harsh world beyond the settlement to play the dangerous game of Minecraft without any of the scary mobs hunting you down. You hit rocks with a heavy tool for eight hours a day like the prisoners you see in old movies and cartoons only to come home with a full cart of ore for the blacksmiths to sift through and then extract usable metal and begin smithing that metal in an oven and use tool molds to create better tools. Eventually the stone crap you work with would be replaced by something similar but made out of metal and reconstructed to be more efficient providing the upgraded version of the tools created by the Silent Generation and their successors throughout time. This made work so much easier especially with the invention of the sickle which would be entrusted in the hands of a Smurfling sometimes so that they could tend the fields better meaning there's a wacky hyper energetic young Smurf swinging around a blade that could remove the arm of someone nearby which provided many tragic and sarcastically wonderful work accidents that of course ended in death followed by an investigation that would lead to exile a hundred percent of the time. The idea of working with better tools was the talk of the settlement, and Smurfs and Smurfettes would wait with great excitement for their shipment of freshly made metal tools as the blacksmith often times happily worked as he or she was loved by everyone due to being the center frame of what was popular at the time.
The Neolithic Age is where many tools and concepts scrapped by the Great Smurf enter society now that civilization was more complex and warranted their existence. The Smurfs that brought these concepts to light had no idea most of them had already been discovered in the Old Stone Age by the Silent Generation.
The wheel was invented in this time period making the act of taking a cart with you to work possible and very often times a necessity for some careers. Smurflings could never have the strength to pull and push these carts finally dividing the workforce in such a way that these younger Smurf and Smurfette would be exempt from some of the more dangerous jobs.
Sub Section: The Neolithic Smurfs and Art
Neolithic Smurfs and Pottery: With the birth of the kiln came the art of pottery. Pots in the Neolithic for Smurfs was a way to store and preserve certain foods. The potters of old would express themselves uniquely by putting designs on their pottery. Sometimes the designs would represent the reason why the particular pot was created. For example, if the pot was made to store food or items it was decorated appropriately. If the pot was made to just be a pleasant piece of art to decorate the settlement artists would express themselves however they wished leading to some of the first art pieces made for the sake of simply being enjoyed.
Neolithic Smurfs and Painting and Drawing: To decorate the settlement and make it look like an actual home instead of a mostly stone and wooden outdoor factory the artistically gifted were here to save the day! Charcoal was used in this time period to create greyscale art, and painting has been a thing since the Old Stone Age and as different sorts of personalities were able to grow up and survive unique art styles came with them. Art still belonged to the settlement, but decorating your hut with something someone special made for you quite possibly in your honor if you were a sawa was always pleasant and considered some of the greatest gifts you could receive in a world with no personal property outside Indonesia, and other islands below or surrounding the equator where economics were put into practice. Lovers and newly weds often presented each other with art if they were artists as wedding gifts to each other. If not rest assured someone you love has you back and has already prepared the presents. This was based off the idea that just like the art piece given, their love would last a lifetime. It was considered an ill omen when something happened to this art, and was taken as a sign that one or both of you may soon die. Giving your wife to be a stone no bigger than a pet rock with all of her favorite things on it was the way bros in the Neolithic scored their forever girl.
Neolithic Smurfs and Jewelry: Jewelry was rare until mining started becoming more popular. The family would bring home nearly useless stones we as humans perceive as "precious gems". Smurfs had no use for these items at all outside the tropics, but some Smurfs here and there would make jewelry out of them and wear that jewelry in an attempt to stand out and make their individuality known. There is an entire society still alive to this day that love precious stones so much they've become a naming tradition. Some Amazonian Smurfette tribes created by humans to spite the nearby Smurf population adopted these names to represent the greedy humans that created them, the first of these evil Smurfette being Gold of course. On the brighter side a community of Smurfs that live near caves or mountains and encounter these stones frequently may have been so fond of them that upon a baby being born they were gifted with jewelry as a form of acceptance and named as a baby after the corresponding precious gem.
Smurfs do not care about gold. They don't wear it, they don't talk about it, and if it's pulled up from the ground it is thrown away. It is perceived to be useless and as time passed Smurfs that knew of human's obsession with it were disgusted by the sight of it. This even applies to the Tropical Smurfs even though they have a global economy. Ironic considering there is a spell to melt the Smurf body into gold. Do with that knowledge as you will.
Neolithic Smurfs and Music: By this time the woodwind instruments were being made as well as the drum making the music that plays within the settlement more homey, comfortable, and pleasant to the ear. A lyricist would sometimes create vocals at special events and would sing flattery of those around them boosting their social status immensely. This was somehow not illegal. The Smurfette known across the land as SmurfLala of Leafland, and Lala to her family would travel to nearby settlements and sing such flattery in order to preserve Leafland's diplomatic status with settlements that didn't care to be a part of Leafland. She just might have been one of the very first celebrities not known only to their land of birth. Being a musician could be a full time job depending on how much those around you enjoyed your skills. Consider that in the Neolithic as a musician you were the closest thing to radio that existed, and Smurfs that work inside the settlement appreciated you for filling their ears with something other than the everyday sounds. The first bands were put together and the first songs were created and enjoyed that we today would recognize as a genre. Songs were a good way to honor the recently deceased and was a coping mechanism many turned to when someone they loved was gone forever.
Neolithic Smurfs and Stories: Storytelling is as old as language, but as the generations flew by the concept of storyboarding and crafting more interesting stories was implemented into weaving tales that would be told for generations. Just by simply existing you could be the character in one of these stories. Not all of them were fiction. Written stories would be made towards the end of the Neolithic but could only be enjoyed by a chosen few and ancient Smurf is not something historians can currently translate using the small bits of what does actually exist to piece together what these tales actually were. Everything that currently exists made from this time period was translated by Smurfs as the language evolved. Many stories will never be told ever again and are completely lost to history because of these complications. The more popular you were the better chance of having a story featuring you reaching later generation's existed.
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Neolithic Smurfs and Food: The days of digging through the dirt like an animal and swiping fruit off wild trees to fill your stomach were slowly deteriorating with the rise of agriculture. Vegetables, fruit, grains, herbs, and spices were grown in or around the settlement. These were harvested, tossed into carts, boxes, or small containers, and shipped to the kitchen for cooks to make into meals. The Neolithic provided the first chefs and grill masters with ovens they could bake or cook food in. Sometimes making a stew large enough to feed the entire settlement was sufficient, but there was also bread now as well as cakes and other sweets. Pastries were made with a fruit paste filling creating the first doughnuts. The importance of eating only what the cooks provide was stressed as foraging began to die. It was safer to let a skilled chef cook you a meal with the ingredients grown by the family then taking your chances in the wild with something you might not be familiar with unintentionally creating a dependence that made raw survival skills go dull in some Smurfs. The Silent Generation's law of food was still in play. There were many things a Smurf could eat that would kill them, or make them sick so these laws were still in play for the protection of the family. Possessing something not safe eat begged the question as to why, and if you couldn't come up with a reason that was deemed acceptable you'd receive a slap on the wrist and a stern talking to. Possessing bad food wasn't a crime, but you were likely perceived as an idiot at that point and the family had to sit you down and explain that what you were planning on eating could have killed you.
Neolithic Smurfs and Star Users: The first wielders of the mysterious star mechs created by the Peyoite Flash used their stars to protect the settlement, and perform jobs that were just too dangerous for others. It was a phenomenon few had the privilege to benefit from. There can only be a set number of star users on Earth at any given time. Pluto, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Sun, moon, Venus, Neptune, and Uranus are the stars mechs of our solar system. There is a Star of Earth, but whoever possesses it can't be an Earthling and likely resides in a neighboring solar system as a Cosmic Smurf.
Neolithic Smurfs and Smurf Essence: Tapping into one's Smurf essence was discovered during this time period as the concept of being Smurfy sparked the unbreakable bonds of love needed to activate and use it. The concept of being Arisen was almost unheard of in this time period, and it was likely that when Smurfstorm ascended in the 7th century that it could have been one of the first times it had ever happened. You always knew who was truly Smurfy and had love in their hearts, actions, and intentions if they could generate their Smurf essence. However as time passes on this would change and sometimes those with less greater intentions would be able to tap into a power they could use to destroy an entire settlement if left unchecked.
Neolithic Smurfs and Combat: To rise to arms in defense of you and those you love was more common in this era where living beings with humanlike intellect, or humans themselves posed a great threat to you, your loved ones, and the settlement. To die in the name of your family and the settlement was honorable. To use these skills against a fellow Smurf was just plain disgusting, but it did happen.
Neolithic Smurfs and Exploration: being an explorer in this time period was difficult but it was possible. You could be born in one pocket of the world and die old, wise, loved, warm, and happy in another pocket. Due to Smurfs accepting each other almost without question the world could be an exciting place to explore. Explorers learned a lot about the world around them, and their information was valuable wherever they went.
Societal Structure in the Neolithic: Most societies still had an equalitarian social structure, but conjoined societies before the generational slope would merge them permanently as one society had different ideas. Sometimes conjoined societies would obey one leader presumably whoever it was whose idea was for them to stay together. Sometimes elders would be the families' leader as old age was a sign of wisdom even though that's not always the case. In the tropics Chiefs were determined by birthright. If you were born wearing red tribal clothes you were a chief and as you aged and grew the older Smurfs did what you said or faced the consequences. Keeping the young chief alive and happy is a huge part of tropical Smurf culture and is considered the heaviest burden a caregiver could ever take on. Normally young chiefs are dropped off at the right doorstep implying whatever divine forces are at play here already predetermined who'd be raising the new chief. It both a great honor and a heavy burden to be the next Chief's caregiver. One thing is universally agreed upon: If you're wearing red you're important. Wearing red is exclusive to authority figures in Smurf culture. To not be wearing red and still be running your mouth in a society with one leader meant you'd just be the ancient version of Brainy Smurf, expect similar treatment. In Leafland the mayor wears red clothes. To don the red garb without being accepted and acknowledged as leader was deception which is a crime which will result in you being stripped in public and then tried as a criminal for being naked in addition to your deception charge.