Hlenderia: Difference between revisions
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The '''Commonwealth of Hlenderia''', officially the '''Hlenderian Commonwealth of Mūnim, Kwarim, and Vrotrim''', is a country that occupies most of the island of Hayaneste, [[Gondwana]], except for the most northwesternmost portion occupied by [[Joralesia]]. Hlenderia is a [[wikipedia:Multinational state|multiethnic state]] divided between the Mūni, Kwari, and Vrotri peoples.<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Trinational System |last1=Andalen |first1=Serer |last2=Merrith |first2=Lendras |publisher=Norrith Encyclopedics |year=2009 |pages=6}}</ref> The majority of Hlenderia has a subarctic climate, dominated by boreal forest and wetland. The extreme southeast of the island, allocated to the Mūni people, is dominated by tundra. The western coast, mostly Vrotri ancestral land, has a milder oceanic climate. The capital, Pelachis, is located in the northwest of the country, near the border with Joralesia, along the Pela River. Hlenderia's largest city, Norrith, is located on the northern coast in ethnic Kwari land.
Archaeological evidence indicates that Hayaneste was settled at least four thousand years ago, but the first written records describing the Mūni, Kwari, and Vrotri peoples dates to the 6th century BCE.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Heleandus |first=Aldin |date=2003 |title=An Analysis of Potsherds Found at the Oramini Site |journal=Hlenderian Language and Literature |volume=15 |issue=1 |pages=1–15}}</ref> These ethnic groups would unite in the face of foreign threats, but would also often fight among themselves over farming and grazing rights, religious differences, or trade disputes. The modern state of Hlenderia was formed in the late 17th century, when tribal leaders from the three ethnic groups of the area united following settlement attempts by [[Auravas]], [[Ethalria]], and others. This first constitution of Hlenderia established political traditions that remain to this day, including its elective monarchy and legislature constructed and apportioned along ethnic lines.
Hlenderia is sparsely populated, and a large proportion of its people live in a few large cities along the coast. Hayaneste's interior is mostly taiga with cold, harsh winters and a short growing season.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Giniva |first=Fevke |date=2011 |title=A Meta-Analysis of 20th and 21st Century Meteorological Data |journal=Gondwanan Climate Studies |volume=40 |issue=3 |pages=1–50}}</ref> The Hlenderians that live away from the coast, mostly Mūni and Kwari, follow traditional ways of life and customary law. The Oramin Mountains, in the southwest interior of Hlenderia, are held as holy in the local folk religion and are designated a National Religious Preserve, one of the largest such [[Wikipedia:nature reserve|preserves]] in the world. The Oramin preserve is off-limits to foreigners except on certain occasions scheduled by the Bureau of Culture.
The island's harsh climate, traditional way of life and secretive religion of the Mūni, Kwari, and Vrotri, as well as the historic hostility of Hlenderia to foreign colonization, have led to the country having an international reputation for isolationism and xenophobia. One political scientist observed in 2009 that "the Hlenderian government does little to dispel this notion, and indeed one could infer that it is a reputation they would like to cultivate".<ref>{{Cite book |title=The Hermit Kingdom: Hlenderia in the Modern Age |last1=Anderson |first1=Philip |last2=Morevar |first2=Zharis |publisher=Gondwanan Political Perspectives |year=2015 |pages=117-118}}</ref> However, recent reform efforts by the national government and development intended to spur foreign investment has contributed to economic growth in the past decade.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ramri |first=Galumina |date=2020 |title=A Study on GDP Growth as a Consequence of Government Investment in Hlenderia |journal=Global Political Economy |volume=11 |issue=40 |pages=1–31}}</ref>
Hlenderia is a middle-income country with a developing economy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Ramri |first=Galumina |date=2020 |title=A Study on GDP Growth as a Consequence of Government Investment in Hlenderia |journal=Global Political Economy |volume=11 |issue=40 |pages=29}}</ref> The capital of Pelachis and large port city of Norrith are the largest contributors to the national economy, which remains focused on its fisheries, lumber industry, and manufacturing. In the extreme southeast of the country, the local Mūni people engage in small-scale subsistence whaling, but recent attempts to prepare whale products for foreign sale have resulted in controversy at home and abroad.
==Etymology==
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The name "Hlenderia" is a Staynish derivation of the native term "Hlendertu", meaning "three people". The term was invented at the time of unification in the 17th century; before this, there was no single name for the land or the people inhabiting it, and the Vrotri, Kwari, and Mūni peoples merely conceived of themselves as three separate groups inhabiting the same space. When [[Ethalria]] began visiting and mapping the area, they named the island Hayaneste. This name is usually avoided by native Hlenderians, who consider it a colonialist term, but it remains the common term for the island in the Staynish language.
Other names used at various times for Hlenderia are "Chemara", meaning "Chem's Land", referring to the creator deity of the native [[Hlenderian religion]], "Nagertū", meaning "People's Island", and "Āra-sire", meaning "Great Forest".<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Irith |first=Sarven |date=1998 |title=Etymological Analysis of Historical Names for Hayaneste |journal=Hayanesti Linguistics |volume=1 |issue=3 |pages=3-48}}</ref>
==History==
===Pre-contact Hlenderia===
The [[Vrotrim]], [[Kwarim]], and [[Mūnim]] are the three peoples indigenous to Hlenderia and are considered a distinct [[Gondwana|Gondwanan]] branch of humanity. Early migration to Hayaneste began 40,000 to 50,000 years ago and the island was widely inhabited by 35,000 years ago. A rock shelter named Balmassalū, located on the northwestern coast near the border with [[Joralesia]], is recognized as the oldest evidence of human habitation on Hayaneste and has been dated to be at least 42,000 years old.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brown |first=Rebekah |date=1995 |title=Balmassalū: A Newly-Discovered Rock Shelter in Hlenderia |journal=Early Human Anthropology |volume=1 |issue=80 |pages=1–21}}</ref> The oldest surviving human remains are skull fragments found preserved in an ice cave in southeastern Hlenderia; these date back 25,000 years. The [[wikipedia:bog body|bog body]] named "Erva", a corpse of a Kwari woman found in peatland outside Hamrith on the eastern coast, is an important archeological artifact dated back to 8000 BCE. <ref>{{Cite journal |last=Theravel |first=Morris |date=2003 |title=Hamrith Bog Body Preserves Evidence of Ancient Kwari Diet |journal=Early Human Anthropology |volume=3 |issue=11 |pages=1}}</ref>
Hlenderian culture resembling that which is practiced today began to emerge in the mid-Bronze Age, though it is believed that the [[Hlenderian religion|native religion]] preserves more ancient oral traditions in some form.<ref>{{Cite book |title='The Great Word-Law': Oral Tradition in 'la-Dereik' |last1=Indarith |first1=Sennamea |publisher=Arrow Books |year=2005 |pages=11}}</ref> By 4,000 years ago, the Vrotrim and Kwarim had developed complex urban and agricultural societies as a result of widespread Gondwanan trade networks. The Mūnim, native to the central and southeastern portions of Hayaneste, practiced a mixture of pastoral nomadism and temporary settlements with subsistence agriculture.
Developed trade networks allowed the three Hlenderian peoples to receive foreign technological advances to some degree, though the island lagged behind the more developed nations on Aurora and elsewhere until modernity. Iron working, water mills, irrigation, and even medieval advancements made their way to Hlenderia, either through trade, intermarriage with foreign visitors, or the occasional violent conflict with interlopers.<ref>{{Cite book |title=How the Printing Press Came to Hlenderia |last1=Omelin |first1=Dav |publisher=Bear and Elk Publishers |year=1999 |pages=55}}</ref>
The three groups inhabiting Hayaneste also would fight among themselves over grazing rights, religious differences, or affronts in the island's strict [[Wikipedia:Honour#Social_context|culture of honor]]. An informal code governed many of these internecine conflicts, regulating the use of revenge and feuds to solve problems. This code, known as "la-Dinu", was first written down in the 6th century BCE and remains the earliest record naming each of Hlenderia's three peoples.
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===Auroran exploration and colonization===
The first Auroran sighting of Hayaneste is attributed to [[Ethalria|Ethalrian]] explorer Waltraud Vogel, who sighted land in the northwest of the island in 1499 and eventually landed in what is now Ewising, [[Joralesia]] later that year. Early encounters between the Auroran colonists and the Vrotrim and Kwarim living in northwest Hayaneste were often violent, with both groups often putting aside their ancient differences to coordinate on raids of Ethalrian settlements.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Releth |first=Rondrel |date=2008 |title=A Model of Tolerance? Vrotri and Kwari Relationships During Colonization |journal=Early Modern History |volume=2 |issue=11 |pages=1-19}}</ref> These conflicts, driven by the scarcity of arable land in the cold environment of Hlenderia, led to resentment on both sides and acts of revenge undertaken by Ethalrian settlers.
Early Ethalrian settlements were eventually combined into a colony hugging the northwestern coast of Hayaneste called Tornaland. This colony, integral to the Ethalrian trading network in southern Gondwana, had fluid borders in its early years, but by the mid 17th century these were fixed aside from occasional cross-border raids by Vrotri and Kwari parties. The rising power of Ethalrian settlers, and their ability to intercept and destroy raiding parties, would be part of the impetus for the the Kwarim, Vrotrim, and Mūnim to unite under one leader in the late 17th century.
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Fish and meat is supplemented with local produce. Potatoes, which grow well in Hlenderia's north and central regions, are a staple crop. In the more temperate western coastal regions, wheat harvests feed a vibrant Vrotri baking tradition. A type of broad, flat noodle known as ''arku-sudū'', popular in western Hlenderia, is often eaten with sauce. In the far northwest, the warmest part of the country, a cottage industry of bell pepper farmers supplies the nation with a type of paprika-flavored condiment known as ''rakwuti''. Foraged produce, including mushrooms and berries, are a seasonally available addition to the Hlenderian table. Particularly prized are ''zani-heads'', a young fern frond that must be boiled to eliminate dirt and natural toxins. Zani-heads are typically eaten with a sour vinegar sauce, or lemon when available.
==See also==
*[[Hlenderian religion]]
*[[Kwarim]]
*[[Mūnim]]
*[[Vrotrim]]
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Gondwana}}
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