Songhese (People)

Songhese
ᠰᠴᠦᠨᠭᠬᠡ᠋ (Squ'nghe)

Total population
200,000,000
Regions with significant populations
Songha	189,432,430
Languages
Songhese ᠰᠥᠨᠭᠬᠡ᠋ᠰᠺᠡ᠋ {Song'Ske')
Religion
Seungism, Perendism (Outside of Songha)

The Songhese People are an ethnic group, native to Continental Songha, where they comprise roughly of 92% of the population. The name "Songhese" is derived from the Proto-Songhese word "Songhe", meaning "Tribe of the Faithful". The nation of Songha derives its name from the same origins. Across Levilion, estimates hover around 200 million Songhese people, inhabiting every continent, but especially Isuan. Songhese People living outside of the Empire of Songha are known as Twahiqe' (᠍ᠲᠣᠠᠬᠢᠴᠡ᠂), and can face discrimination both in their nation of residence, as well as in Songha if they return. The Songhese People are the largest ethnic group in Isuan, and one of the largest in all of Levilion.

Distribution & Diaspora

Songhese people inhabit every continent in Levilion. However, over 96% of Songhans live in Isuan, while the remaining 4% live mostly in Auressia and Marceaunia, where communities of Songhese migrated primarily in the early to mid 20th Century. Within Songha, Songhese people are concentrated in Continental Songha; however, they do comprise a majority on the less populated Ta-Puia Archipelago.

Songhese Elders partaking in a local ceremony

Culture

Songhese Culture takes on a very faith-based identity, with Faith in the Gods, Spirits, and in Songha, the Seung Family being of utmost important to many ethnically Songhese people. It's also common for Songhans native to Songha to be quite suspicious, or at times even outright hostile, to people appearing as "White", though this is mainly reserved for Auressians, while Marceaunians can more easily be accepted by Songhese communities.

Language

The Songhese, especially those living in the nation of Songha, almost always speak Songhese as a first language. Songhese is in the Polynesian Language Tree, but has an indigenous script used for writing. Early, rudimentary examples of this script are dated back as far as 5200 BC, while a more comprehensive, widespread and commonly used version of the script is believed to have developed about 300 BC. The script was further modernised and standardised with governmental reform in the 17th and 18th Centuries.

Religion

Golden Heavenly Temple in Jiao'zi, Songha

The vast majority of Songhans follow Seungism, or Songhese Folk Religion, while smaller numbers of Perendists and Irreligious Songhans exist, outside of Songha and in Jiasing.

Seungism and Songhese Folk religion are, in many aspects, the same religion; the key difference being that Seungism is the official State Religion in Songha, and members of the Seung Family are venerated as Deities upon their death. With Songhese Folk Religion, the core belief in the Songhese Pantheon, communion with nature, and spirits of the world, are all virtually identical, however those who identify as following Songhese Folk Religion are, in most cases, fiercely opposed to the nature of Seungism, denouncing it as heresy; while Songha, and Seungists, equally denouncing those who follow Songhese Folk Religion as heretical.

As for Perendists, thousands of Songhese Perendists live in Songha; however, the vast majority of Songhese Perendists live in Jiasing, while smaller groups live in Liu-Hu, Jiou'zi and Guaizihu. These Perendist Songhans stem from the Rythenean occupation of parts of Songha. During this time, Rythene put most of their efforts and resources into developing Jiasing, resulting in a significant Perendist minority in the city that thrives to this day.

Additionally, a significant number of Songhese expats have converted to Perendism with their settlement in other nations. Irreligious Songhans also almost exclusively live overseas, as Irreligion is banned in Songha, and public displays of dissent against Seungism are treated harshly.

Sub-Groups

While the Empire of Songha regards all Songhese People as one group, there is academic debate about the Subgroups of the Songhese. The Pila ethnicity in the Ta-Puia Archipelago once occupied the entire area, as well as parts of the Northern Songhese coast. Modern Song-ified Pila generally tend to identify as Songhese, however, their genetic markers are often more similar to people identifying as Pila, and it's common for Northern Songhese to be darker in Skin Tone than those from Central or Southern Songha.

Similarly in the south, the now nearly extinct minority group of Loka People has had a noticeable effect on the Songhese People in the area. While the difference is less noticable than the issue of the Pila in the North, there is some uniqueness to the genetics of Songhans from the South, and especially to the East of Guaizihu, to where Southern Songhans visiting other parts of the country are sometimes mistaken as "Baha'Nbu'" (ᠪᠠᠬᠠ᠋ᠩᠪᠦ᠋), literally translated as "White Afflicted".

Mixed Songhans, usually Half-White "Baha'Nbu'" (ᠪᠠᠬᠠ᠋ᠩᠪᠦ᠋) are Songhans descended from one traditionally Songhese parent, and one White parent. They are most common overseas, and may identify either as Songhese, White, or Mixed, depending on their country. In Songha, they are relatively rare in much of the country, however, they are more common in Jiasing, Liu-Hu and Guaizihu.