This is a question that was posed to me in the course of a discussion I was having with someone in regards to my Tuchuk Heritage and I think it bears further evaluation.  I have, of course as a warrior, swore to the Homestone of KoRoBa, a decision which is not made lightly.  But I have seen many change over time the homestone to which they have sworn, and to some, this can seem less than honorable.

I guess I shall start by making sure that all know exactly what a homestone is and what its significance is.  A homestone in and of itself is a rock, which in most cases will have a single character inscribed upon it.  The type of rock itself is not important, but rather where the stone happens to reside, from the most common of stones to precious gems, it has the same meaning to most.  Ancient history seems to tell the story of how homestones gained their significance.  There was a hero named Hesius, who once performed great and difficult labors for the Priest Kings.  In return for doing these deeds he was promised a reward greater than gold or silver.  When he had completed the tasks, he was given a large flat stone with the first letter of the name of his village.  He returned to his village and told those there what the Priest Kings had given him, to which a wise man in his village replied “if the Priest Kings say it is worth more than gold and silver, it must be true”.  This village is widely regarded to be the village of Ar, and Ar’s homestone is said to be the oldest on Gor.

"In peasant villages on this world," he continued, "each hut was originally built around a flat stone which was placed in the center of the circular dwelling. It was carved with the family sign and was called the Home Stone. It was, so to speak, a symbol of sovereignty, or territory, and each peasant, in his own hut, was a sovereign."
---Tarnsman of Gor, 2:26

There are many ceremonies surrounding the homestone and they all have different meanings.  The most common among us seems to be the Homestone swearing ceremony.  The ceremony is expected of most members of the city and may be, a citizens only chance to ever touch their homestone.  It is designed to show allegiance to the city itself, not to a person or leader.  This is generally regarded as part of the passage from a child to adulthood.  Failure to swear to the homestone of your city or village though can also be found as grounds for expulsion.  It can be viewed as a refusal to show loyalty or take your place as a contributing member of that community.

"I am surprised to hear such sentiments," I said, "from those who must once have held and kissed the Home Stone of Ar." This was a reference to the citizenship ceremony which, following the oath of allegiance to the city, involves an actual touching of the city's Home Stone. This may be the only time in the life of a citizen of the city that they actually touch the Home Stone. In Ar, as in many Gorean cities, citizenship is confirmed in a ceremony of this sort. Nonperformance of this ceremony, upon reaching intellectual majority, can be a cause for expulsion from the city. The rationale seems to be that the community has a right to expect allegiance from its members.
---Vagabonds of Gor, 28:303

Swearing to ones homestone is also a point of honor.  The homestone is a moveable item.  When a warrior swears his loyalty to a homestone, he is swearing not to the real estate that his home city or village is located on but to the very city itself.  There is documented history where in the past the homestone of KoRoBa itself was saved and carried with a citizen even though her walls and towers were all but destroyed.  That very fact served to show the city was not indeed defeated, but rather served to bring her people back to rebuild.  When I see a warrior leave a homestone on an ideal or a belief that he does not share with others of his homestone, it makes me wonder about that warriors loyalty in and of itself.  An honorable warrior would not renege on his oath to defend his homestone simply because of something he didn’t like, he would work to change it, thus making it better for all.  That is what I believe the oath to my homestone means.

...The community could now, if it wished, the Home Stone moving, even migrate to new lands. In Gorean law allegiances to a Home Stone, and not physical structures and locations, tend to define communities.
---Blood Brothers of Gor, 54:473-474

I looked at my father. "I am sorry," I said, "that Ko-ro-ba was destroyed."

My father laughed. "Ko-ro-ba was not destroyed," he said.

I was puzzled, for I myself had looked upon the valley of Ko-ro-ba and had seen that the city had vanished.

"Here," said my father, reaching into a leather sack that he wore slung about his shoulder, "is Ko-ro-ba," and he drew forth the small, flat Home Stone of the City, in which Gorean custom invests the meaning, the significance, the reality of a city itself. "Ko-ro-ba cannot be destroyed," said my father, "for its Home Stone has not perished!"

My father had taken the Stone from the City before it had been destroyed. For years he had carried it on his own person.
---Priest-Kings of Gor, 33:304

In closing I will say that each man or woman has to decide for themselves what they think, perhaps there is no real answer to the question posed in this article.  Personally, I feel that a Homestone Ceremony is both a tradition and a rite of passage.  I know that now that I am a part of my homestone that I will die before dishonoring it and I know there are others that will agree with my sentiment.  But I can say this, can you ever truly trust someone that has not sworn their allegiance to a homestone?

...Perhaps the most significant difference between the man of Earth and the Gorean is that the Gorean has a Home Stone, and the man of Earth does not. It is difficult to make clear to a non-Gorean the significance of the Home Stone, for the non-Gorean has never had a Home Stone, and thus cannot understand its meaning, its reality. I think that I shall not try to make clear what is the significance to a Gorean of the Home Stone. It would be difficult to put into words; indeed, it is perhaps impossible to put into words; I shall not try. I think this is one of the saddest things about the men of Earth, that they have no Home Stone.
---Slave Girl of Gor, 9:213-214

Written by:  Rogue Halfbreed of Ko-Ro-Ba