Tuhamaha

Blurb

Nomenclature and definition

The Yocatullic term Tuhamaha is considered a medieval neologism by scholars of Sublustrian linguistics, comprising two distinct parts: tuha and taumaha. Used in common speech across Sublustria is the informal term Waena and variants thereon. The sociolinguistic consensus on the coinage of Tuhamaha centers upon the unique cultural circumstance of Yocatullic imperial divinity, and it is believed that the imperial cult required a new term to use for its tributary collection rituals than had been used prior, while also avoiding violating a taboo on affording any living person a truly divine status.

Tuha is translated as a "division", and contextually as an "allotment". In regular speech, this most frequently has redistributive or reciprocal connotations, and this may reflect what was perceived as a common ritual service provided by the Yocatullic chieftains to tributary subjects. It may also refer to the redistribution of wealth and goods that was commonly conducted in traditional Sublustrian societies by political figures, especially to loyal followers, but also on a broader scale. During the early Confederate period, the redistributive model may have been standard practice within the Celestial Isles regarding goods and labor gained through tributes.

Taumaha is the Yocatullic term for a ritual involving sacrifice to divine entities such as spirits, ancestors, or gods. During the 16th century, this word was also used to translate the Eucharist into Sublustrian languages, and in many languages it refers specifically to food sacrifices. As it is considered taboo in Yocatullic society for a living person to be directly compared to a spirit, deceased ancestor, or god, it is possible that tuha was added as a corruption of taumaha to avoid invoking this taboo. When the two words are put together, it roughly translates as "The share of the gods", and may attest to Yocatullic nobility acting as ritual conductors as well as using portions of the collected tribute in sacrifice to various divine entities. It may also afford the tribute collectors a semi-divine status, while carefully avoiding the explicit language of a truly divine sacrifice.

The alternative term, waena, is a common term for a portion, allotment, or share. In some languages, it may also refer to a plot of land, a garden or farm, as well as being a generic word for the center or middle of a selection. This term is not used in official records, and is considered a vernacular description of the tribute, that being the imperial fair-share, rather than a legal or ritual term as employed by priestly or noble castes in formal settings. The distinction is important due to the culture of high poetry and rhetoric developed in pre-contact Sublustria.