Kuduk

The Council of Kuduk Antkeni ri Kuduk
Flag
Motto: WIP "WIP" "Preparation in Safety, Discipline in Struggle"
Anthem: Haashi ("Our Song")
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%)
Government	Constitutional Federative Oligarchy
• Elder of the Anana	Masha "Spotted Robin"
• Elder of the Kunik	Ogoro "Yellow Pine"
• Elder of the Anik	N'evde "Wise Wolf"
• Elder of the Hey	Itkun "Rolling Hatchet"
• Chief of the Yevaks	Kara "Strong Boar"
• Chief of the Manirak	Saaba "Rising Feather"
• Shaman	Iriko "Loving Hawk"
Legislature	The Elder's Council
Independent
• First Unification of the Realm	1870 C.E.
• Establishment of a Constitution	1928
Population
• 2022 estimate	900,000
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$1,109,700
• Per capita	$1,233
Gini (2022)	10.6 low
SDI (2022)	0.41228 low
Currency	Kupon(s) (KPN)
Mains electricity	120V, 60Hz
Driving side	both Right and Left
Calling code	422
ISO 3166 code	KDK; KD
Internet TLD	.kdk

The Council of Kuduk, 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 six major tribes and several smaller ones. A majority of the tribes have an Elder, Chief, or a Shaman as their official representative. Kuduk's largest and most economically important city is Naryan. Älemsi Negdel is the closest sovereign state to Kuduk, but Kuduk currently shares no borders with any state.

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 Great 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 meritocratic system of government that had an Elder at its helm. It was roughly around this time period that the modern tribal borders of Kuduk began to take shape. With newfound interconnectivity, several faiths and local beliefs spread across the Isles, sewing 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 fear of being colonized by the MBE, "Taku" Meritäch, 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 Isles under one banner for the first time in history.

The main religious and spiritual beliefs within Kuduk are oftentimes referred to as Kuduk Mythology. Experts are currently debating if the mythology should be considered polytheistic or atheistic in nature as deities in the Kuduk Mythology often have limited powers. Two prominent spirits in Kuduk Mythology are the Hvista, the winter spirit, and Nüm, the summer spirit. A popular oral story that contains the two spirits as major characters is called The Torchbearer. It tells the story of a human called Nüm who brings a blessed torch all the way to the highest mountain in the Isles and rescues the Hvista from a curse she placed on herself. Depending on which tribe is telling the story, the ending may vary, but the most popular interpretation is that when Nüm lifted the curse, he died in the process. The Hvista pitied him and so she resurrected him as a spirit. Other popular 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.