Rhodevan Natives

Native Rhodevan spiel

Etymology

The conventional names for almost every native people group comes from pre-translation communication between the natives and Ventismarien explorers and settlers. Often, these names came from other native peoples commenting on their rivals, such as "Waraa", which more literally translates to "Coastal Annoyances" in Iwi Moanan. Names also came from natives misunderstanding what colonists were asking, so names also often translate to 'home' or 'village', such as "Iwi Moana" which translates to "My home" in Iwi Moanan.

Only a single tribe is known in English and its native tongue as the same word. This being the "Laaban", which translates to the "People of Ban" and is what the Laaban people call themselves and their tribe.

Tribes

Tribe is the highest of the social naming class. There are only 12 tribes allowed at any given point in history. A tribe is actually just a clan that has gained favour with the native gods, through military prowess, diplomacy or culture. By the 15th century CE, the 12 tribes became solidified and unchanging. The Tanto Tribe is considered an honourary 13th tribe and has been since 1702.

Common Tribe Name	English Translation	Official Tribe Name
Ghong Tribe	The Elder Ones	Year
Iwi Moana Tribe	My Home	Year
Tanto Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Setan Confederation	Ghong Tribe	Year
Wun-Di Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Tuuk-Di Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Jiuyud Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Frugah Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Qetzcoatl Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Bontswei Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Dezlohra Tribe	Ghong Tribe	Year
Laaban Tribe	The People of Ban	Year
Toa te Awa Tribe	The River Warriors	Year

Confederation

A confederation is a cluster of clans that have chosen to become one, with a single chieftan. There is only one confederation in Rhodevus:

1. The Setan Confederation

Clan

A clan is the middle ranking in the native Rhodeve naming system. A clan is a group of people that all live within the same shared borders, which are often set through the use of militaristic and diplomatic means. Each clan has a single chieftain (clan leader) and a soothsayer (religious leader). The clans vie for military, diplomatic and cultural prowess, in order to be granted the title of tribe. The Rhodeve clans are:

1. The Suhk-Ti Clan 2. Waraa Clan 3. Laaban Tutzo Clan 4. DeMalha Clan 5. Sung Yong Clan

Lands

Whether it be Nomadic Lands, Holy Lands or Native Lands, this grouping consists of native peoples who are not fully organized, or in the case of the holy lands, are not allowed to become organized. There are three groups that have the 'Lands' title:

1. Tanduki Native Lands 2. Rond-So Holy Lands 3. Jhong-Ti Nomadic Land

People

People constitute the lowest ranking tier of the native groups. they are often the smallest in population.

1. Matawa People 2. Petawawa People 3. Killaloe People 4. Saguenay People 5. Madawaska People 6. Chapais People

Culture

Native Blades

Rhodeve soldiers carry a curved knife called a Laaban Blade with them at all times.

While Laaban Blades are used regularly in the Rhodeve military, they are often also given as gifts to international leaders or other significant people. This is because dulled versions are made that can be extremely ornate, made from metal, wood, stone or bone (inlaid with precious metals, gems and other valuables). Ornate Laaban Blades can sell for between 5,000 to 200,000 NSD. The most valuable blade ever made, was made for Gabriel Hopplin, the first president of Rhodevus, now valued at 1.8 million NSD.

All Laaban Blades are made by a single company run by the Laaban Tribe. There are also cheap knockoffs available that can be bought at souvenir shops, but to get a real Laaban Blade, it needs to be made by this company.

The company in question, Brevin Arms, while called Brevin Arms, is actually based out of the Imperial City of Rhode and not Brevin, like its name suggests. Similarly, while it does make plenty of military gear, that is only one part of the company, which also deals with specialty metal work and art.

While Laaban Blades are the most used and well-known military knife in Rhodevus, two more are also used. Tanto blades and Moanan Short Swords.

Tanto Blades are the throwing knives of Rhodevus. They were, of course, first designed and used by the Tanto tribe, which threw them from horseback (well, ‘mooseback’, due to the tribe riding Tanto Mooses).

Moanan Short Swords, just like their names says, are short swords. While they had once been used in combat roles, they are now ceremonial. High ranking members of the military have them and wear them with their military ceremonial uniforms. When a person is knighted or is given an important medal, they are also given a Moanan short sword. When the monarch knights a person, it is done with a highly decorated Moanan short sword.

Tanto Blades are the shortest, usually sized to be as long as a person’s hand, from their palm to the final knuckle of their middle finger.

Laaban Blades are slightly longer by about 5 to 15 cm depending on the person’s preference.

Moanan Short Swords are usually between 50 to 80cm long, while the monarch’s blade is 90cm long.

Gabriel Hopplin is often quoted in history books as being the first foreigner to receive a Laaban Blade, in 1715 when he became the first president of Rhodevus, but this is actually a misnomer.

Hopplin was the first to receive a ceremonial Laaban Blade from the Laaban tribe.

The first laaban Blade ever gifted to a foreigner was a stone blade given to Howard LaSoulette Croix, a French soldier who had been a colonist in Rhodevus, but fought alongside the native tribes against the colonists in the Rhodevan Colonial War. He was given the blade by the father of his soon-to-be native wife in the year 1593.

The oldest ever found Laaban Blade in existence is a carved stone blade presumed to have been carved in the year 1100 CE. There are some who believe that some of those made from bone or wood could be older, but due to the material degrading, none have been found.

Various Myths

The Myth of Kuken and Sira (Laaban)

Kuken and Sira are brother and sister; twins and spirits. Kuken is the spirit of the gentle spring breeze and Sira is the spirit of the strong summer storm. Sira, just like her storms, is noticeable. Humans know when Sira is with them, because they feel her temper. Her rage and anger which show themselves as thunder and lightning. Kuken, like the spring breeze, is not. He is hidden behind the greater spirits. Those of the Kahala, the great sun spirit. Or Setunbei, the spirit of life. Unable to be noticed by those around him, he was able to wander through the land and learn much about the life living there, like only a minor spirit could. He would become friends with them. He would give their grasses a gentle push, or send their smoke signals high into the sky. He was forgotten, but those he touched felt joy and that was enough for him. They were his friends, even if he was not theirs.

Sira enjoyed her storms and enjoyed using them to cause injury and chaos among life. In her psychotic glee, she would send waves crashing against the shores, and strong winds to throw around trees. Rain to cause floods and lightning to cause fire. Her thunder was her laughter, to show her amazement and excitement. And to let Kuken know what she was doing to his friends. Kuken summoned up all his strength to stop her, but the gentle breeze is no match for the mighty storm. But he still fought her. For millennia they would battle. Sira winning and Kuken running away. Sira causing destruction whenever Kuken found peace.

Kuken was lost for what to do, so spoke with the Unspoken One, Ke’etunbits Taharei. Who had no voice to speak, nor ears to hear, no eyes to see or fingers to touch. But, He felt Kuken’s pain and anguish. How he needed help, not for himself but for those he cherished as friends. The Unspoken One granted Kuken with a gift, an eyelash of Reta; the first of the true spirits. The spirit of imagination.

With his new gift, Kuken would try to stand up again to Sira. They fought. And Sira almost lost. In her immense anger at Kuken’s new gift, she tore through life, killing as many as her storms could. Kuken felt lost. Even with the greatest of gifts, he could not defeat his twin. But, imagination is not but everlasting. He chose to stop fighting his sister. There was no way to defeat her. But, there was a way to save his friends.

Kuken stayed ahead of Sira. Whenever life needed warning, he would find ways to help them. He would will his light winds to rub the stomachs of cattle, willing them to lie down. He would push the light bugs towards trees, keeping them hidden. For man, he would fill his winds in their ears, giving them headaches and feelings of unease. No more would life be caught off guard by Sira and her storms. Life would be given their best chances to survive. And Kuken would keep his friends.

Kuken is now the Laaban word for headache.

The Creation Myth (Laaban)

Ke'etunbits Taharei was born from the Great Unknown. The Great Unknown itself is sometimes referred to as the God of Gods by the Mythological texts, but other interpretations believe it to be the Universe itself, or even Chaos. This first nature spirit was unable to speak, being alone, and was unable to communicate as it does not possess a mouth. As such, it was deemed the Unspoken One.

Sad and lonely, the Unspoken One created Setunbei, the spiritess of life. Together, Taharei and Setunbei shaped chaos and molded the entire universe, giving name to this spirit, as Retah.

So, the spirits thus far are Ke'etunbits, Setunbei and Retah. Reta was the first of the spirits to have all 4 senses, being feel, smell, search, and hear. She was also granted the sense of imagination. This would play a pivotal role in the creation of humanity.

So, these 3 spirits set to work creating and building and have children of their own. First, from The Unspoken One and Setunbei the spirits Seto, Waten, Dena, Sucro and Flava were born; the spirits of water, earth, fire, air and wind. From Ke'etunbits and Reta, the spirits Broton and Secumba were born, the spirits of good and bad luck. Now, with 10 spirits, things start to get confusing. Each spirit mated with their parent spirits, sibling spirits and other relative spirits, creating almost all the spirits which make up the earth. Every rock spirit, tree spirit, animal, flower and insect.

With all these multitude of spirits, Ke'etunbits still felt lonely, like he was missing a brother. He saw Dena and Setunbei close together. The spirits of fire and life working together. He decided it was time to bring actual life into this world, so, he stole some of their power and fused them together to give birth to Kahala, the spirit of the sun. Seeing his creation as if it were his first child, he decided to act once more and fused the powers of Seto and Reta together, the spirits of water and imagination, to create Ohtawa, the Spirit of the Sea.

Now, the 3 major spirits were born.

But, Ke'etunbits still felt lonely. He was surrounded by spirits for all these beautiful things, flowers, plants, trees and rocks, yet no such thing existed. So, he tasked Reta, Broton and Secumba to create all the mortal things (although, at this time they were still immortal.) They created all the natural life in the world, as well as all the birds, insects, fish and animals which walk the earth. But, they were all wild, with no proper minds of their own. They all acted chaotically, eating and destroying. So, Ke'etunbits placed Ohtawa on this land and tasked him with dividing up the land, into sections. With each section he created, new life was granted to these land masses. The last of which. The one which Ohtawa fell in love with, was Redento Vihus. Ohtawa and Redento Vihus were married, being the first ever spirits to do so. But, Vihus was trapped in the land which she grew from, and Kahala was a spirit, meant to stay in the heavens (although the heavens are normally called The Chaos). Ke'etunbits needed Ohtawa to stay with him up in the Chaos/Spirit World, so brought him back, forbidding him from returning to the world. In his anger, Ohtawa asked Kahala to help him make the Unspoken One retract his sentence. Together, the spirits of the Sea and the Sun killed Ke'etunbits Taharei, banishing him to the Spirit World forever, unable to travel between realms like he used to. As a spirit and unable to die like a normal mortal, he cursed the world which Ohtawa loved so much, bringing death and disease to it. But, while Ohtawa felt that this was a curse, Ke'etunbits actually gave the world his blessing. Although it may seem like a curse, he understood why Ohtawa wished him dead and forgave him for his actions of banishing him to the Spirit World/the Chaos for all time.

With the ability to die, the now mortal animals and plants were able to experience the emotions of life. Now, all was set in place for the final spirit. Ke'etunbits was now banished and unable to travel between realms like he once did before. He grew lonely again and decided to put an end to his loneliness for all time. He cut off his finger, and gave it as a gift to Reta, Broton and Secumba. He asked them to create one last being, using the knowledge and power of his finger. To make it a being which could understand loneliness, and pity and sadness, but also joy and happiness and anger to their fullest extent. To be able to imagine and create. Reta did not feel like she possessed enough power to do such a task, so asked help from Ohtawa and Kahala as well. It had been many centuries since Ke'etunbits' banishment, and Ohtawa wished to make amends for his actions long ago. He agreed, and with the powers of all the spirits, he and his wife Redento Vihus had their first children. Humans.

It was the humans who recorded the long histories of the Nature Spirits and granted certain spirits the title of God. Even though they are lesser beings than spirits, they were the ones to choose who rose above them and who would fall. And they were granted this honour for one reason, they had the power of death. They were able to see and experience life to its fullest, since it was so fleeting. Just like Ke'etunbits, the first of the spirits.

Influence on Modern Rhodevus

Native Rhodevans had a profound influence on modern Rhodeve life and culture.

Naming Conventions

A strange tradition in rhodevus is not to spell spoken names with a Y (spoken name being the first name).

The reason for this comes from multiple different sources but they all relate to the same thing. a Y looks like a symbol commonly used to represent: death, misfortune, greed, murder, plague, famine, etc. Depending on the native group, it represents different things; all of which are negative.

According to Laaban tradition, which is the most popular reason for the continuation of the tradition, a 'Y' is called (translated to English) a 3 pronged scepter. each prong representing a different trait: the right one represents sickness from the water spirits, the left one represents sickness from the earth spirits and the bottom one represents sickness from the sky spirits . Laaban communities which had been struck by a sickness would mark this symbol outside the community. whichever sickness was thought to have killed people in the community would get a little tick on that point. if nothing is ticked, then the community possesses them all. So, a Y in a first name is considered bad luck on that person.

Nowadays, it is less so considered bad luck and more to do with tradition. people with 'Y's in their name generally are those without native ancestry or those recent to the country.

Important People of Native Rhodevan Ancestry

• Diana Wolff: Young Wolf
• James Wolff: Rides Horses
• Amelia Wolff: Sails Storms
• Bellami Wolff: Shadow Dancer
• Raisa May: Raven Song
• Rachel High-Sparrow: Dances with Waves
• April High-Sparrow-LeFleurar: Breathes Trees

• Sierra Everen-Abrams: The Commander (Luka)

Historical

• Tanto Chief Mika: Catches Flies (First), Rides Alone (Second)
• Tanto Chief Soaring Eagle
• Sips Creek
• Laaban Chief Bull Bear
• Laaban Chief Dances with Wind (son of bull bear)
• Laaban Mikan Bowell: Bawaka/Thunderous Death (adopted son and blood-nephew of dances with wind)

• Princess Anne-Maria Angellos: Bawaka/Thunderous Death