Kajira is the term for "slave-girl" in
John Norman's
Gor novels. Slaves in the
Gorean lifestyle will refer to themselves as
kajirae. The phrase "
la kajira" is said to mean "I am a slave-girl" in the Gorean language, the most widely-spoken lingua franca in the known regions of the planet Gor (this is one of the few complete Gorean-language sentences given in the Gor novels).
The word is usually seen in the feminine form "kajira" (
pl. "kajirae"), as most slaves in the Gorean lifestyle are female; the masculine forms are "kajirus" and "kajiri" (following the rules of
Latin nominative
adjective morphology, as seen also with words such as "alumnus"/"alumna", etc.). The construction "kajiras" is incorrect, but is occasionally seen in third-party writing.
A common misconception among people practicing the lifestyle or playing out the Gorean theme online is that
kajirae never refer to themselves in the first person, using the terms "me" or "I", instead being allowed only to refer to themselves in the third person. If one is adhering to the novels this is inaccurate, as virtually all of the
kajirae in the Gor novels do often refer to themselves in the first person (the phrase "
la kajira" being an example), with third person speech being uncommon in the text. However, the books do support the idea that third-person speech is considered distinctively slave speech (in
Captive of Gor, chapter 15, Ute issues the command "Speak as a slave!", meaning in the third person), and that slaves may be specifically commanded to speak in such a way. In the books, a girl is ordered to speak in the third person usually as a punishment.
There exists various techniques in Gorean culture to teach Gorean slave corresponding conduct. Slave tasks may include not only sexual slavery, but also the ability to maintain a household, possess artistic skills, wear an appealing outfit and address the master in certain manner. Gorean slave women are branded, which means they are marked with certain signs burned into the flesh on being enslaved. To mark a slave as a particular owner's property a collar with owners name is placed upon on her.
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