Kuduk
The Tribal Federation of Kuduk Kuduk Duuyak 喾肚 | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Seal
| |
Motto: "We are the Fish who Hunt Bears" | |
Anthem: Hashidakk ("Crashing Tides") | |
 Kuduk on the World Map (All Kuduk territories in red). | |
| Status | Universally Recognized |
| Largest | Naryan |
| Official languages | Kuduk (all dialects) |
| Recognised national languages | Kuduk (all dialects) |
| Ethnic groups | 98.3% Kemonomimi (Yaki), 1.7% Nekomimi |
| Religion | Traditional Kuduk beliefs (99.7%) Others (0.3%) |
| Demonym(s) | Kuduk |
| Government | Constitutional Federative Tribal Republic |
• Elder of the Anana | Masha "Spotted Robin" |
• Elder of the Kunik | N'etke "Wise Wolf" |
• Elder of the Anik | Ókoro "Yellow Pine" |
• Elder of the Hey | Itkun "Rolling Hatchet" |
• Chief of the Yevaks | Kara "Strong Boar" |
• Chief of the Manirak | Ika "Rising Feather" |
• Shaman | Iriko "Loving Hawk" |
| Legislature | The Elder's Council |
| Independent | |
• Establishment of the Tribal Federation | 1870 |
• Unification of the Region | 1920 |
• Establishment of a Constitution | 1928 |
| Population | |
• 2022 estimate | 900,000 |
| GDP (PPP) | 2022 estimate |
• Total | $1,109,700,000 |
• Per capita | $1,233 |
| Gini (2022) | 10.6 low |
| SDI (2022) |  0.41228low |
| Currency | Red Krone (¥) (KRK) |
| Mains electricity | 120V, 60Hz |
| Calling code | 422 |
| ISO 3166 code | KDK; KD |
| Internet TLD | .kdk |
The Tribal Federation of Kuduk (Kuduk: 喾, Kuduk, and formally 喾肚, Kuduk Duuyak), or commonly referred to as Kuduk, is an island nation located in Northeastern Novaris consisting of the islands of Heiki, Sagut, and Kakut. The Isles are politically and culturally comprised of 36 tribes, each being separated into at least one moiety. Each moiety elects and sends one representative to the Legislative Assembly of Kuduk, which acts as the main legislative body of the nation. The Assembly elects a Prime Minister based on the party or coalition that holds a simple majority. All of the tribes have either an Elder, a Chief, or the Shaman as their official head of state. Kuduk's largest and most economically important city is Naryan. Ymirland is the closest sovereign state to Kuduk followed by Jarisven.
The Kuduk Isles were inhabited as early as the Bronze Age. The first settlers took on a nomadic lifestyle, grazing yak, sheep, goats, and cattle. The first known sedentary polities to arise during this time were the early Wheat Chiefdoms. Within the first few years of the early settlements in Kuduk, the Early Kuduk Migrations took place, which dispersed the early Kuduk peoples across the Isles. In 1200 BCE, many of the previous Wheat Chiefdoms were replaced by a more meritocratic system that had an Elder at its helm. It was roughly around this time period that the modern cultural identities of Kuduk began to take shape. With newfound cross-tribal interconnectivity, several faiths and local beliefs spread across the Isles, sowing the seeds of what would eventually become modern Kuduk Beliefs. As faiths around the Isles began to meld into one another, a figure known as the Shaman rose to power. Following several conflicts between the tribes known as the Blood Feud Wars, the Shaman forbade use of weaponry and violence within the Isles. This act officially ended the Blood Feuds between the Tribes. Throughout this period, the Shaman gained more and more power, until Kuduk came to recognize the position as legitimately as the Elders and Chiefs. In 1453, the Kuduk Spirit Wars began. The Spirit Wars were a series of battles in which tribal armies would shout obscenities at each other in order to "taint the enemies' spirits." The Spirit Wars officially ended in 1673, after the Great Blizzard of 1673. In 1870, to resist growing colonial power in the Northeastern Novaris Region, Tlayaan "Taku" Meritáak, the then-Elder of the Hey, proposed that the tribes should form a union as a sort of "Council" that convenes for issues facing the entirety of Kuduk. In 1870, the tribes gathered together and formed a union, officially uniting the multiple tribes under one banner for the first time in Kuduk history. The Tribal Federation would successfully unite the isles in 1920 after the initiation of the Foya Tribe into the Federation. In 1928, the Federation adopted a new constitution which sought to change the local governments of several villages and tribes to a more representative system.
The main religious and spiritual beliefs within Kuduk are oftentimes referred to as Kuduk Shamanism with the collection of stories and characters pertaining to the faith, as well as older versions of the religion, being called Kuduk Mythology. Experts are currently debating if the mythology should be considered polytheistic or atheistic in nature as spiritual figures in Kuduk Shamanism can be interpreted as either gods or regular spirits. One prominent spirit in Kuduk Mythology is the Thunderbird, a giant eagle-like spirit who can shape shift into a human. Other well-known spiritual figures include the Uniguks, the spirits of identity who wear a custom-made mask which represents their personalities. Oftentimes these spirits are payed their respects via idols, totems, or rituals.
Kuduk is classified as an LDC with a lower income subsistence economy. Because of the nation's reliance on day-to-day local trade, economic growth is fairly slow. Despite the low HDI rating, Kuduk ranked among the highest in international measurements of human rights, civil rights, freedom of the press, and freedom of ethnic and religious minorities. Contemporary issues facing Kuduk include high rates of illiteracy, lack of public education, and poverty.
Etymology
The nation's name of Kuduk originates from the traditional name given to the Isles by the early tribes. Although the exact meaning has been lost to time, many linguists agree that the Ku- prefix of the word in old Kuduk refers to the wilderness and that the root word duk means land or island. Several other interpretations and theories behind the meaning of the name claim that the Ku prefix is meant to mean western, referring to the Isles' western position on the global map.
Geography
General Geography
Located at the Northeast corner of Novaris, Kuduk is the third most northern state in Novaris, followed by Cryria and Älemsi Negdel. Early volcanoes originally formed the Islands, but Kuduk's Volcanic activity has ceased to be active since before the first arrival of people.
Being an isolated island chain, Kuduk shares no borders with any other state. The waters surrounding Kuduk is described as abnormally rocky due to the Island's volcanic origins. During the winter and parts of fall, Kuduk's waters can harbor icebergs that range from 1 to 75 meters (3 to 250 feet) in size, the largest recorded iceberg near Kuduk, named Machanoah by locals, was roughly 168 meters (551 feet) in total length.
Kuduk is roughly 79,000 square kilometers in size and has a population density of around 11.5 people per square kilometer, officially categorizing the nation as mostly sparsely populated areas.
According to the Köppen Climate Categories, Kuduk is mostly classified as a Tundra with a small chunk at its southernmost point being classified as Subarctic.
Regions
Northern Rotantic Peninsula
The Northern Rotantic Peninsula contains the tribes of the Táankat, the Bakabuk, the Altayuk, and the Alakanuk. The peninsula is known for being made up exclusively of tundra plains and for being the location where Machanoah lies. Villages are sparsely populated, with many people living within handcrafted igloos.
Animals such as the Rotantic Fox and Polar Bears live in large numbers within this region. One notable feature of the peninsula is the Yokuk River, which serves as the home for several villages in the region.
Western Woodlands
The Western Woodlands, also called the Western Coast Tribes, is home to the Anana and the Hey, both of which are part of the six major tribes of Kuduk. Geographically, the region is comprised of the western quarter of both Sagut and Kakut. Like its name suggests, the Western Woodlands are comprised of thick woods with abundant greenery that is especially prevalent during the spring and summer. The region is also home to the very economically important Anana-Hey Strait, which acts as an entryway and exit for fishing vessels wishing to enter or leave the Great Lake.
This region is mostly dominated by lush woodlands, with the exception of the northern area of the Hey tribe, which is considered tundra.
Eastern Woodlands
The Eastern Woodlands region contains the tribes of the Yik, the Assimirak, the Chariak, the Chisak, the Nunak, the Nukak, the Kichinuk, the Ulanuk, the Achi, the Akta, the Häk, the Aleuk, the Nenuk, the Öranuk, and the Arakuk. The Eastern Woodlands are the second largest region in Kuduk and have a geographical landscape that is very similar to the Western Woodlands.
This region also contains Kuduk's greatest amount of diversity in terms of both flora and fauna, with nearly every other animals around the Isles being found within this region. Several rivers have formed deltas and large channels leading to the eastern coast. This region is densely packed with trees and other vegetation, causing many of the local tribes to stay decentralized due to the difficulty of transport around the region. The largest contiguous forest in the Eastern Woodlands, which is also the largest forest in Kuduk, is the Tonguk Forest. It is theorized that the sparsely populated Tonguk Forest is likely home to several undiscovered species of birds, bears, foxes, and deer.
Great Plains
The Great Plains are among one of the largest and second most biodiverse geographical region in Kuduk. The Area is notable for its long stretching grass field plains with low density forests, several rivers, and rolling hills. Within the plains, the Kuduk Wetlands can be found, comprising of interconnected marshes, ponds, and river deltas, all of which are situated near the western coast of the isles.
The Great Plains is known for housing several bovines, buffalo, sheep, and goats, most of which have been herded and used by settlers to survive. The Wetlands are often considered to be the most ecologically stable wetlands biome in Kuduk. The region houses thousands of different species of waterfowl, the most notable of which is the Harlequin Duck, which is considered to be an important cultural symbol to the people who live near the area. Many different species of birds and waterfowl use the Wetlands as a place to migrate to during the fall and winter. Although the temperatures in the Wetlands drop significantly during the winter months, the water of the marshes keeps the area relatively warm.
Following Bergmann's rule, many of the Great Plain's flora are extremely large in order to withstand the cold fall before dying out in the winter. Another reason as to why Kuduk vegetables grow to the size they do is due to the more hours of sunlight provided everyday during the spring and summer, giving the plants enough energy to grow to giant sizes. The most notable of these plants is the Giant Cabbage, which weighs in at an average of around 59kg (130lbs). Other giant plants include the giant squash, giant cantaloupe, and giant pumpkin.
Notable animals found in the Great Plains is the Babydoll Sheep, Kuduk Guinea Pig, and Miniature Highland Cow. Near the sandy coasts of the Plains, the Kuduk Beach Frog can also be found beneath the sand.
North Heiki
The majority of North Heiki, like most of the geographical regions, is considered to be subarctic; North Heiki specifically, however, is a subarctic mountainous forest region. Out of all of the geographical regions in Kuduk, North Heiki has more active volcanoes per square kilometer than any other place in Kuduk. As Such, many of the local beliefs and oral stories have been shaped around the volcanoes and the contrast between the long winters and burning magma.
Temperatures in the region range from an average high of 65 °F (18 °C) in July to an average low of 10 °F (−12 °C) in December. The hours of daylight per day varies from 20 hours in June and July to 6 hours in December and January. The coastal areas consist of temperate rainforests and alder shrublands. The interior areas are covered by boreal forests and mountains.
South Heiki
South Heiki, also called Tlongat, is a small insular breakaway from the main Heiki island. Major bodies of water near and within South Heiki is Lake Isaile, Icy Strait, Glacier Bay, and Kakotun Strait. Through much of Kuduk's history, South Heiki has often acted as a point of contact between the isles and nations outside of Novaris.
Out of all of the geographical regions, South Heiki is the one and only region that is not a majority Subarctic. Instead, South Heiki is considered a Humid Continental climate with many lush forests and no permafrost.
Land Ownership
Historically, and even still in the modern day, individual land ownership in Kuduk failed to garner a strong enough hold on Kuduk society to become widespread. Because of this, property rights in Kuduk can be complicated at times depending on the area.
For the cities within Kuduk, apartments and houses can be rented or bought. Further into the rural areas of Kuduk however, houses and shelter are typically built and owned by clans. It is typically agreed that the house itself is owned by the clan, and that an individual person cannot purchase or claim ownership to a plot of land.
The borders between the tribes weren't fully drawn out until the unification of Kuduk in 1870, and even still there are villages and Clans whose allegiance leans toward one tribe despite their location being within another tribe. It's because of this that the tribal borders of Kuduk are often not treated as the de facto decider of where the actual borders between the tribes are.
Tribes, Villages, Clans, and Houses
Kuduk is separated into various different polities that each have different governing structures.
At the highest level, Kuduk has Tribes. Tribes are large nations with a certain unifying culture that are made up of at least three villages with at least 1,200 people between them. There are 36 Tribes in Kuduk, each one having a distinct history and culture that interact with one another. A Tribe can be ruled by an Elder, Chief, or Shaman. The majority of Tribes are ruled by a tribal council that deals with legislative and judicial matters and an Elder who deals with executive matters. The Shaman rules over several culturally distinct tribes collectively called the Shamanic Tribes and is chosen by the Elders of those tribes. There are only two Tribes left on Kuduk who still have Chiefs in power: The Manirak and the Yevak. Chiefs are hereditarily placed into power similarly to a monarch. Though in the modern day, the Chiefs of those two tribes are bound by the rules of the constitution and by their local Villages' Council, reflecting that of a constitutional monarchy.
On the next level down, Kuduk has Villages. Villages are considered settlements comprised of two or more unrelated families. Settlements with only one family living within them are called Dwellings and are usually autonomous. Depending on their size, some Villages may be referred to as cities or towns, but because of their political structure, these locations are often still referred to as Villages for the sake of law technicality. Villages are lead by Village leaders, and they are elected by the Heads of the Clans within the village.
On the level below, Kuduk has Clans. Clans are large extended families that live within and make up a village and are made up of houses. The exact break off point in which a Clan is no longer considered a single Clan, but multiple Clans is often messy and uncertain. Typically the break off point is decided by the members of the Clan themselves. Some Tribes, such as the Yevak are matrilineal. The daughters of a Clan are the ones who will pass on the Clan name to their children, while the sons would usually assimilate into a different Clan. Patrilineal tribes, such as the Manirak, also exist in which the roles of Clan name-bearer and assimilator are switched.
Below Clans is the lowest level of polity in Kuduk: Houses. Houses are akin to immediate family members. Similar to Clans, Houses can be matrilineal or patrilineal, but they usually follow whichever rules their Clan has. Tribes who contain matrilineal clans are extremely likely to contain matrilineal houses as well and vice versa, although there are a few instances in which Tribes mix up the systems in various ways, which can result in things like Clan Fusion, Clan Assimilation, House Fusion, and House Assimilation. Much of the early "warfare" between Clans within 1000-1200 CE was a race to create the largest family possible to gain the most amount of political and social influence within your village. Over time, the rules regarding Clans and Houses have gotten fuzzy. In the Modern day, houses are rarely used for any official political decisions with that power delegated to villages instead.
History
Prehistory
Paleolithic
The first arrival of people to the Isles at roughly 30,000 BCE was likely the product of fishermen from Älemsi Negdel sailing eastward to find new fishing spots. Settlers to the new islands were mainly hunter-gatherers and formed nomadic lifestyles to survive the elements. Stone tools were widely in use throughout Kuduk, as well as early torches and hearths to keep people warm.
Many cave paintings during this period were often made using berries as pigments and cave walls as canvases. They can be found in excess near the western side of Kuduk.
Neolithic
With advancements into agricultural technology, many of the early Kuduk peoples, bar the ones living in the Great Plains, abandoned their nomadic way of life for a more sedentary lifestyle. These new villages were often small, comprised of only 2-3 clans that worked together to survive the winters. Many megalithic stone structures were created during this time period. Many speculate that it was an early form of religion that caused the neolithic peoples to create the megaliths.
Bronze Age
Although metallurgy existed prior to the Bronze Age, the metal tools created were often unusable and brittle. When tin was discovered and alloyed with copper, bronze became a highly used material that was often sought out for. The high demand for bronze caused many early villages to begin establishing contact with their far away neighbors for trade. This newfound interconnectivity within the Isles is often accredited to the cause of the Great Kuduk Migrations, in which several thousands of people from all sorts of Tribes migrated across the Isles in search of resources.
The bronze trade coupled with the sedentary lifestyles of the people caused a political explosion, in which several Clans and Villages gained immense local power. Some Villages had even begun establishing alliances or even politically merging with neighboring settlements, creating a new type of political entity, the Tribe. The Qaanuk, the first ever tribe to have existed in Kuduk, are a fantastic example of the newfound power the bronze trade brought to Kuduk.
With the new bronze tools at the disposal of the Kuduk people, agriculture also saw a boost in efficiency. This saw the rise of the Wheat Chiefdoms, in which multiple villages, headed by a hereditary Chief, rose to power via the new agricultural tools and methods available to them. The Bronze Age, as propserous as it was, would eventually come to an end by a variety of factors including but not limited to: the over-reliance and inevitable depletion of bronze, worsening environmental factors, and worsening intertribal conflicts.
Dark Age
The Kuduk Dark Age is a period of transition in Kuduk history between the Bronze and Iron Age. Not much is known about the Dark Ages, however it is known that this period of time was heavily detrimental to many of the existing societal foundations that had previously dominated many of the aspects of life in Kuduk. Famine, raids, and poverty were extremely common during this period and were only alleviated when tribes across the isles began switching from bronze to iron as their main resource.
Classical Kuduk
Sháankan Era
The Antiquity Age, also called the Sháankan Era, marked the very beginnings of the rebound from the dark ages. The bronze trade that had once dominated economic activity throughout the Isles was gone, but it wasn't necessarily replaced by iron, unlike other places in the world. By the time of the worldwide Iron Age, many tribes understood the importance of limited resources and were now more likely to hoard up on food than trade with in excess like their forefathers had done with bronze. This caused a major shift in the intertribal dynamics present within the Isles, as tribes and clans sought expansion over trade as a means of survival.
Large-scale alliances and political mergence became widespread and gave birth to a new era of tribes the scales of which were unprecedented. Tribes such as the Great Niks of the Northern Great Plains and the Proto-Anana of the Southwestern Woodlands rose to power via a combination of political marriages, diplomacy, and conquest. Tribes such as the Great Niks sought to expand into and control large swaths of territory in order to tax traveling merchants to gain power.
Many of the mythological stories and oral traditions that are iconic to modern day Kuduk cultures can be traced back to the Antiquity Age as their beginnings. Large Artworks, depicting battles, mythological creatures, and fictional stories became commonplace. Because of newfound interconnectivity between Tribes at a larger scale than ever before, stories, plays, and values that were very popular spread across the Isles and became the foundations for a religiously unified Kuduk.
Middle Ages
Kuxwéi Era
Kuduk’s Kuxwéi Era was characterized by the emergence of new political systems in the Western Coast that altered the social composition of those tribes and instituted a new ruling class. In 745 CE, the Proto-Anana Chiefdom, which had dominated the Western Coast of Kuduk, collapsed due to pressure on the Chief from the newly created Naa Sàati class. Several Major Tribes, including the modern day Anana, Hey, and Yevak, were formed due to the break up of the Proto-Anana. The Naa Sàati (meaning Clan Leader in Kuduk) established matriarchal and hereditary governments that oversaw loose collections of villages connected by the familial ancestry of their rulers. Inter-Tribal trade became commonplace during this era with the formation of the Chudéi Passage, a trade route that ran through the Western Great Plains and the West Coast of Kuduk.
The newfound political systems overseeing the western coast tribes caused a short population boom within Kuduk. The political system, being based off of familial ties, preferred large families with many children and thus encouraged political marriages and fundamentally altered the way in which many tribes organized their families. The introduction of the new political system from the neighboring Anana Tribe caused the Yevak plains people, who at this time were not yet a unified tribe, to become more matrilineal and eventually grow to become predominantly matriarchal throughout the Middle Ages. The same process also affected other Tribes such as the Anana and the Hey.
The same processes of religious homogenization that was recorded in the previous eras also continued throughout the Middle Ages. The title of Shaman was first coined and used during this era to describe especially talented medicine men from the Eastern Woodland Tribes. These early Shamans affected the religious composition of the Eastern Great Plains peoples and the natives of Northern Heiki.
Yawéinaa Era
The Yawéinaa Era, also referred to as the late Middle ages in Kuduk, is described as taking place between 1000-1453, was characterized by the emergence of new powerful Tribes who expanded their influence and territories with differing strategies.
At the turn of the 11th century, the Western Great Plains slowly became unified through strategic political marriages carried out primarily by the Yevak Clan. The newly formed Yevak Tribe sought to expand its regional power through controlling significant portions of the Chudéi Passage and Middle Lake. The vast majority of land controlled by the Yevaks were locally controlled with either a consort married to a Yevak Clan Member or a Yevak descendant.
In South Heiki, a new tribe called the Mancoda came into power under a chief named Wáarcon (most well-known by his international name, Capricorn). The inter-connectivity brought about by the Mancoda tribe culturally unified the south of Heiki. Following the Chief’s death in 1285, the Mancoda tribe fractured into separate tribes once again.
In 1203 CE, the small Qori Chiefdom that controlled the northeastern villages of the Eastern Great Plains was overthrown by a dynasty of ruling class of Chief-Warriors who called themselves the Manirak. Between 1203-1294, the Manirak Empire expanded across the Eastern Plains primarily through conquest and the subjugation of smaller plains Tribes. For much of the 13th and 14th centuries, the Manirak acted as a regional rival to the Yevak Tribe as both tribes vied for control of the Great Plains.
In 1353, the Manirak Empire invaded the Anik Tribe of Kakut and began the Nikan-Manirak war. Initially, the Manirak Empire saw great success between 1353-1413 and had nearly doubled in size. At the turn of 1414, the Yevak, Kunik, Anik, and Chariak Tribes began actively resisting Manirak expansion while the Yik and Assimirak began resisting Manirak rule from within the Empire. 1415-1453 saw a period of slow decline for the Manirak Empire with the official end of the Nikan-Manirak war being declared in 1453. After the end of the Nikan-Manirak war, the Manirak Empire fell with the Imperial Dynasty being removed from power and replaced with the modern day Dynasty. Most historians consider the fall of the Manirak Empire as the end of the Middle Ages for Kuduk.
Kayeili Era
The Kayeili Era of Kuduk history, also referred to as the Era of Peace, was the time between the end of the late Middle Ages (Yawéinaa Era) and the beginning of the Early Modern Era (Haawudi). This Era is characterized by the Decree of Non-Violence carried out by Shaman Tilichi, which has since been a defining characteristic of Kuduk inter and intra national relations. Throughout much of this Era, several changes between the relationships of the tribes readied the isles for political unification and greater interconnectivity among existing tribes.
The first major event to take place during the Kayeili Era was the Spirit Wars. Despite Shaman Tilichi's Decree of Non-Violence, many of the smaller tribes of Kuduk continued to hold grudges toward other small tribes for historical reasons. This sparked off the Spirit Wars, which were a series of conflict that employed the sole use of religious curses and hexes to do battle. The main reasoning behind using religious methods to battle other tribes was to not go against Shaman Tilichi's decree. The Spirit Wars ended in 1673 after an unusually strong winter, referred to as the Great Blizzard of 1673. Many people in Kuduk took the strong winter as a sign that the spirits had grown tired of their Spirit War and were punishing them for their misdeeds. Shaman Yanyani declared the official end of the Spirit Wars during the blizzard. Throughout the blizzard, many previously held intertribal relations altered significantly from a form of adversity to more cooperative relations. This was especially true for the Manirak Tribe and all of the tribes it invaded during the Great Tribal War. The Manirak helped several smaller tribes from the eastern plains and forests during the blizzard. Relations between the Yevak Tribe and the Manirak Tribe during this time warmed up significantly as well. The Kayeili Era officially ended with the first unification of Kuduk in 1870.
Haawudi Era
The Haawudi Era, also referred to as the Early Modern Era of Kuduk, was a time period characterized by the political unification and early formations of the Kuduk isles.
Elder Tlayaan Meritáak of the Hey Tribe officially proposed the creation of a Tribal Federation to the other tribes. Initially, this proposal was only accepted by the Anana and Yevak Tribe. The first tribe outside of the original three to apply to join the federation was the Achi Tribe, which was initially rejected but later accepted. Following the death and replacement of the Shaman of the Eastern Woodland Tribes, the eastern tribes of Kakut and Sagut all joined the Federation simultaneously. Through a sporadic series of applications, all of the Rotantic Tribes as well as the Kunik and Anik Tribes applied to join and were accepted. Several large Heiki Tribes such as the Kans agreed to join, causing several smaller Heiki Tribe to join in as well. In Sagut, the only tribe not yet in the Federation was the Manila Tribe, which had been rejected. Later, the Yevak Tribe Chief Lin Kwáan vouched for the Manirak to be added into the Federation, which helped the Manirak be accepted into the Federation following their third application. The final tribe to be added into the Federation was the Foya tribe, added in 1920.
The Haawudi Era ends just before the 1928 constitutional reformation. During this era several political changes across Kuduk ended in the unification of the isles.
Tóokat Era
The Tóokat Era, also referred to as the Modern Era of Kuduk, took place between 1928 and the present. The main defining factor of this era was a unilateral increase in international communication, political changes from the 1928 constitution, and a slow abandonment of the historical isolationist stance which had defined Kuduk international policy in centuries prior. In the late 20th century, Kuduk joined the Red Crown Economic Union, which to this day is considered a controversial topic.
2023 saw the installment of new political reforms lead by Shaman Iriko which were part of a greater modernization plan for the country. Kuduk elected its first Prime Minister and its first full Legislative Assembly. Kuduk began testing its modernization laws and programs on a small town named Yinyin by the south Yevak coast.
Economy
Trade Relations
For most of Kuduk’s history, both as a collection of independent tribes and as a federation, the vast majority of trade was carried out internally within the isles.
Beginning during the late 20th century, Kuduk joined the Red Crown Economic Union, which spurred some trade between Kuduk and its members. During this time, Kuduk’s main relations for trade remained confined to just nations within the RCEU.
Following several political reforms in 2023, Kuduk opened up the possibility of forming trade relations to nations outside of the RCEU for the first time. Most notably, a trade deal was made with New Leganes in which New Leganes would receive agricultural goods from Kuduk and in return Kuduk would receive aid in educational programs. Additionally, another trade deal was formed with Tavaris in which Kuduk exports cheese, textiles, and various agricultural products to Tavaris, and in return Kuduk receives solar panels, wind turbines, and bio-fuels.
Policies
Following the political reforms of the 2023 election, fiscal and monetary policy are decided by the Ministry of Finance and the Kuduk National Bank respectively. Historically, both fiscal and monetary policy were decided within tribes by their tribal councils, often creating inconsistent and differing economic policies across the isles.
The Ministry of Finance is responsible for deciding the total budget of the nation’s fiscal year and for controlling the nation’s fiscal policy. Since it’s inception in 2023, the Ministry of Finance has worked closely together with the Káan Administration to normalize fiscal policy across the isles and standardize the use of the Krone. The Ministry of Finance also controls how frequent and stringent Tariffs on imported goods should be.
The Kuduk National Bank acts as the central bank of the country. Similarly to the Ministry of Finance, the KNB has, since its inception, worked together with the Káan Administration to standardize monetary policy across the country. Aside from dictating the country’s monetary policy, the KNB also controls the nation’s money supply and the amount of foreign Krones that enter Kuduk’s border.
Restrictions and Regulations
The ministries of Kuduk's government are the main legislative bodies that pass regulations and restrictions within the industries of Kuduk. In cases where certain regulations need to be applied across multiple industries that cross the jurisdictions of several ministries, the Assembly as a whole votes on the regulation rather than any single ministry.
One of the more notable and frequent regulators in Kuduk's government is the Ministry of the Environment, which regulates industries for the purposes of environmental protection.
Statistics
Government and Politics
Legislative Assembly and the Ministries
The Legislative Assembly, often referred to as the Assembly for short, is the main legislative body of the Kuduk Government. It is comprised of 180 seats, each representing one of the 180 moieties in Kuduk. Each seat is an elected position in which the residents of a moiety can vote on a representative in the secondary election cycle.
The Legislative Assembly's main function is to develop and pass laws. A secondary function within the Legislative Assembly are the ministerial affairs. Ministries are sub-sectional divisions of the Legislative Assembly that focus on a specific subject that is considered important for the country. Ministries can be created or removed by a vote from the Legislative Assembly. The main executive behind the ministries is the Prime Minister of Kuduk, the current PM being Deisha Káan of the NPP. The Prime Minister often represents a party or coalition of parties which has gained at least 90 out of the total 180 seats. The Prime Minister's main functionality is to control executive matters in the Kuduk Government. Prime Ministers are the head of the Sedáa and have a cabinet comprised of the head chairperson of each ministry in the government.
The Tribal Council
The Tribal Council acts as the highest level judiciary in the country. It is comprised of a traditional tribal representative from each of the 36 tribes of Kuduk plus the Shaman. In all cases, the Tribal Council has the final decision in the interpretation of the law. The Tribal Council is expressly a passive judicial body and cannot interpret the law unless a court case reaches the council.
The Chamber of Ravens
The Chamber of Ravens is a judicial chamber that acts as the judiciary at every level below national. Their judicial jurisdiction stretches from the villatic level to the tribal level. The Chamber of Ravens is named after the raven, a bird that often acts as a metaphor for justice in Kuduk Shamanism.
Foreign Policy
Kuduk is a full member of the International Forum and the Red Crown Economic Union. For the majority of Kuduk history, the nation's primary policy regarding international affairs was one of isolation, including toward other member-states of the RCEU. Recently, during its modernization efforts, Kuduk began to contact outside nations for trade and other business purposes. Kuduk often holds strained opinions toward nations it views as contradictory to its cultural and traditional values, regardless of whether the nation has interacted with Kuduk before. Most nations Kuduk has a favorable view of are comprised of one or more of the following traits: anti-militarism, environmentalism, a care for culture and the arts, anti-colonialism, and fair elections. Kuduk currently holds no official stance or relations toward any superpowers.
Kuduk is considered a small power.