At the Breaking, however, all of that changed. The female Aes Sedai tried to save as much of the Ter'angreal, Angreal, and Sa'angreal as they could from the male Aes Sedai, who were going mad by the taint on saidin. The Aiel were then entrusted with arrifacts, and told to find a safe place for them.
At one point in their journey, a large group of the Da'Shain Aiel decided they no longer wanted to follow the decree that the Aes Sedai gave them. So they left in search of the Song, they became known as the Tuatha'an. They are considered the lost ones among the aiel.
Something else major happened on that journey. A boy Aielman killed a man trying to save his sister. He had done this by accident, but was banded from the Dai'Shain. Slowly though, the Aiel grew tired of being defenseless, from that formed the Jenn Aiel, which mean The only true Dedicated. Their purpose was to protect the Aiel from attacks. They swore to never use a sword. Now the worlds' view of the Aiel changed.
They gave the Cairhainin the gift of Avendoraldera when they discovered their identity as the ones who were always kind to them asking nothing in return. Laman, a king of Cairhain, cut down the tree and made it into a throne for himself. When the aiel discovered this, four clans went across the Dragonwall to take vengeance on Laman. When they had finished their task of killing Laman, they went back to the waste.
The Jenn Aiel settled down in a place with water and built a city where they could keep the artifacts. The city would never be finished though, due to the lack of time because the Jenn Aiel were slowly dying. The Aes Sedai that found them called a meeting to deliver a prophecy. The prophecy was that only clans that had a clan chief would survive. All other clans would be hunted and die since they did not follow the agreement at Rhuidean. To become a clan chief, however, a man had to be sent to Rhuidean and go forward and back successfully. The other prophecy said that there will come a man that is not of the Aiel, but is an Aiel. This man would pass the test to become a clan chief. He would then come with the dawn to lead the aiel back, and destroy them.
During the next three thousand years, the aiel lived in a state of constant feud. This constant conflict forced the Aiel to adopt the belief called ji'eh'toh, meaning honor and obligation. It is a very complex system. There are 12 different clans among the Aiel. There is a thirteenth one, the Jenn aiel, but has no members. There are also societies among the aiel. One member of a society will not attack a member of the same society; even though the separate clans they belong to may have a blood feud. The Aiel are constantly in wait for He who comes with the Dawn.
Societies
1) Black Eyes - Seia Doon
2) Brothers of the Eagle - Far Aldazar Din
3) Dawn Runners - Rahien Sorei
4) Knife Hands - Sovin Nai
5) Maidens of the Spear - Far Dareis Mai
6) Mountain Dancers - Hama N'dore
7) Night Spears - Cor Darei
8) Red Shields - Aethan Dor
9) Stone Dogs - Shae'en M'taal
10)Thunder Walkers - Sha'mad Conde
11) True Bloods - Tain Shari
12) Water Seekers - Duadhe Mahdi'in
