tribe and all sensible Zainab, even the Ashkhan, defers to her judgement - although he refused to so in any literal manner, instead using my question of what "Ashkhan" translates to in Dunmeris as an excuse to refer me to her. The wise woman has a group of women that seem to be similar to the Gulakhan, the "witches" like the ones I met 15th. They do not have a ceremonial title, like "Ashkhan" or "Gulakhan", but are referred to just as "witches" - they seem to be feared, as nobody but the wise woman referred to them by their names.
The truth of the Zainab is that their tribe is in decline: the soul
sickness carried on the ash-laden wind has slowly killed large portions of their herds of guar as well as those who tend them. All the men and some of the women I spoke to refused to admit this, claiming the Zainab to be strong nigh to the point of invincibility - all save the Ashkhan, but even he could not manage to give up his facade of power to tell me directly to ask the wise woman, let alone to display such weakness as ask for help outside of the tribe. I think the Ashkhan knows they need help - his Dunmeris was better than anybody else's I spoke to, especially the wise woman, who seems to know only some Dunmeris words. I was only able to communicate with her