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Yajawil of Kumakah | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Sun of Tohil
| |
| Motto: Young Sun, Bright Moon, Burning Mountain | |
 Location of Kumakah in the Mutul | |
| Capital and | Kumakah |
| Official languages | |
| Ethnic groups (2020) | |
| Demonym(s) | Kumakahians |
| Government | Absolute monarchy |
| Legislature | Noj Holpop |
| Noj Sajal Ch'ob | |
| Noj Mam Ch'ob | |
| Province of the Mutul | |
| Area | |
• | 46,434 km2 (17,928 sq mi) |
The Yajawil of Kumakah is a province in southern Mutul. Divided between the Achi Lowlands and the K'iche Highlands, the Yajawil sit at the foot of Nojwitz Mountains, the physical border between the Divine Kingdom and the Noble Republic. The Chixoy River find its source in the K'iche Highlands and flow through the province and continue its road for thousand of kilometers until reaching the Makrian Ocean in Kayahallpa. Beside Sante Reze to its south, Kumakah is border to the west by the Yajawil of Mamk'ab, to the north west by the Yajawil of Tolonik, to the north by the Yajawil of Pokomk'ab, and to the north east by the Yajawil of Pokomwitz.
The Yajawil represent more or less the core of what was the Kingdom of Kumakah, the K'iche kingdom that would go on to conquer the rest of the Mutul during the late 11th century. Its rulers would become the K'uhul Ajawtek, and the latest of these K'iche Dynasties is none other than the Ilok'tab Dynasty which has ruled over the Mutul since the 13th century.
Despite its relative isolation, Kumakah remain a core region of the Mutul and the most developped of the southern provinces. It's economy is centered around Heavy industry and Engineering. Kumakah is notably where the Mutul' weapon manufactures are located, far removed from potential threats and close to the raw materials and energy extracted from the mountains and rivers.
Kumakah is a very conservative province, home to some of the oldest and most powerful houses and families of the Divine Kingdom. It was notably the powerbase of the Royalists during the Sajal War and its from Kumakah that Itzamnaaj B'alam reconquered the throne for his son, B'alijaj Chan K'awiil II and the K'iche people there have remained both Orthodox in their practice of the White Path and indefectible in their attachement to the Divine Throne. In return, the Kumakah is one of the most well funded province and access to healthcare is easier there than in most other provinces of the Mutul.
Etymology
The Yajawil is named after its capital city, Kumakah. Kumakah itself is a deformation in Mutli of the K'iche name of the agglomeration: Qʼumarkah. The meaning, "Place of old reeds" (Qʼumqaraqʼaj), is a traditional expression in Western Mutul used to refer to a large metropolis or powerful city. Puh (or Tullan) in Kanol share a similar etymology to Kumakah. This is one of the many clues used by certain historians to validate the traditional myths of the Kʼicheʼ people that tie them to the ancient Chik'in Kingdom and the K'uy Dynasty.
History
K'iche Kingdom
The K'iche enter history only in the 7th century with the creation of the First K'iche Kingdom which was officially founded the 9.4.11.6.0 3 Kankin 11 Ajaw (17 December 525) in Sak K'ak Witz ('White Fire Mountain') by the so-called Forefathers of which the current aristocratic lineages of the K'iche people, including the Ilok'tab, claim descent. A generation or so later four Forefathers clans (the Sotz'il, Xahil, Tukuche, and Raxonihay) seceded and abandoned Sak K'ak Witz, migrating further east and founding their own city of Iximt'e. Later, a second crisis in Sak K'ak Witz led to three other clans (the Nimabal, Tahub, and Ilok'tab) leaving as well during the 8th century and founding a different city in the Highlands: Kumakah.
The royal historiography present these clans as descendents of Tatinak-Chaan lineages who migrated southward to flee the troubles of the Maize Bread Rebellion that almost broke down the K'uy Dynasty from within. However, historians outside of the Mutul have noted disrepancies inside this story. Notably, the complete lack of contemporary K'uy documents or monuments mentioning the foundation of new kingdoms by nobles from their own state. Similarly, that the K'uy wouldn't try to exerce their hegemony over these runaway houses once their authority had been restored after the Rebellion seems implausible to some. The same "Heterodox" or "Heretical" historians have put forward a different hypothesis, linking the K'iche Forefathers not with noble houses but with insurectionists turned to banditry who fled outside of the Mutul to avoid repression. However, this theory is also hotly debated and lack strong evidences.
The Kingdoms of Kumakah had a strong vertical structure. At the top of society were the Ajawtek, 'the Lords', who ruled over their vassals, the Aj K'ajol. Slaves were also held and included both sentenced criminals and prisoners of war. The nobility itself was strongly codified and vertical: there were twenty-four Nimja, or 'Great Houses', in Kumakah. All of these houses were grouped in four clans: the Nimabal K'iche, the Tahub, the Ilok'tab, and the K'oyol. At the foundation of the city, only three clans existed but the K'oyol were added later on as they grew in power after the early conquests. Each clan had at its head a patron lineage and so was led by a clearly defined Patriarch. The Patriarch of the Nimabal K'iche was also the Ajpop, the King.
Reputedly, each of the clan was linked to a specific role in society. The Nimabal were the rulers and administrators, the Tahub the traders and scholars, the Ilok'tab the warriors, and the K'oyol the artisans, smiths, and stonecutters of Kumakah.