Mūnim

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Mūnim
A Mūni family photographed in southeastern Hlenderia, 1900s.
Total population
~6,230,000
Regions with significant populations
Hlenderia6,210,000
Joralesia20,000
Languages
Hlenderian language, Mūni dialect
Religion
Hlenderian religion

The Mūnim, or Mūni people, are one of the three indigenous peoples inhabiting the island of Hayaneste off the southern coast of Gondwana; what is now the nations of Hlenderia and Joralesia. The Mūnim speak their own dialect of the Hlenderian language, and practice their own variation of the Hlenderian religion, known to its practitioners as "la-Dereik". Historically, the Mūnim were the most populous of the three peoples inhabiting Hayaneste and observed their traditional way of life through much of the interior. Mūni chiefs were also instrumental in the foundation of the modern nation of Hlenderia. Since the advent of modernity, however, Mūni territory has been steadily reduced and their political influence curtailed by the Hlenderian government. Beginning in the 21st century, the Mūni population has once again begun to increase with improvements in infrastructure and medicine in the remote interior of Hayaneste.

Traditionally, the Mūnim have pursued a variety of livelihoods, including fur trapping, coastal fishing, and, controversially, whaling. Many Mūni live in settlements along Hlenderia's coasts, but the southeastern Mūni bands, living in the tundra of Hayaneste, pursue a livelihood of nomadic muskox-herding. It is the lifestyle of these southeastern Mūni tribes that is most well-known globally, despite their status as a "minority within a minority".