Mari people

The Mari are a broad human ethnic group native to Northern Serrona; having a population distributed throughout much of Lausá and even expanding into Leifmyrr. They are one of two indigenous human ethnic groups in Lausá - the other being the endangered Kolsson people.

They are the most populous peoples in most of the regions they inhabit and are divided into numerous smaller groups. Most Mari speak the also broad Mari language, though there exists numerous dialects - not dissimilar to its Lausán sister language Lo'Oi which also bares many dialects.

Etymology
The name Mari is believed to descend from one of two origins, the most likely is that it comes from the Proto-Lausán and Early Mari language word for a 'sea' or 'ocean', being 'mar'. A common suffix among the Lausán languages tends to be '-i', '-y', or '-oi'- which typically denotes a people of some kind. In the case of both the Archaic and Contemporary Mari language, '-i' is used to denote plurality in a word ending with a consonant, meaning that if this etymological origin is true the name 'Mari' may literally translate to 'seas' or 'oceans'.

Subgroups and smaller ethnic groups of the Mari
There are numerous smaller ethnic groups or subgroups that are considered either to be Mari outright or Mari in origin. Many of the cultural differences among the subgroups can be traced back to Rathniri colonization and the blending of Rathniri cultures with the Mari ones.

Kaladinians
The Kaladinians are believed to be the oldest population of any of the Mari groups, being descendent of the very first humans to enter the Serronan continent, possibly from Onthukhan and Southern Leifmyrr many millennia ago. The Kaladinians are notably agrarian and paganistic in their social and spiritual lives.

Kaladinian food is one of the most popular culinary traditions, many restaurants across Eldham serving Kaladinian fried (frickin) chicken, numerous rice-based dishes, and some fish-based dishes. It is believed to be the single most popular type of food eaten in places like the United Socialist States of Eldham.

Vansharii
The modern Vansharii population (inhabiting the geographical and political region of Vanshire) is a mixed group believed to be mostly descendant of the Mari, though due to frequent contact with pirating cultures from abroad and the peoples of Leifmyrr, they tend to have ambiguous features. Irregardless of this, the Vansharii have long maintained a strong Mari identity. They are often compared to that of the Morladronians which are also descendent of pirating cultures such as those of the Tortugans or Barbossans.

Xekans
The Xekans are another very old peoples, and possibly the single-most populous of any Mari subgroup. They inhabited the geographical region of modern Medtremar baring the same name, Xeka. Little is known about early Xekan societies due to a lack of major archaeological findings, much of Southern Xeka is either jungle or expansive wetlands and its North is populated by large mountain ranges which have resulted in erosion of early settlements and difficulty of finding remnants of early Xekan society.

What is known about the Xekans is that they were greatly notable for their architectural abilities, the Xekan culture was notorious for the construction of massive walls which to this day can be found interloped through many settlements or former cities in Xeka.

Liberumites
The Liberumites are an endangered subgroup, historically inhabiting the Southern coastlines of the Xekan geographic region. They were a hugely fishing-based society that utilized seafaring to make nomadic settlements across the Haxhoit Sea. Their population dropped massively from famine, approximately around the same time as the Kolsson famines, their population not having had recovered to this day. They shared many similarities with their Kolsson neighbors to the South and evidence suggests that many modern Liberumites might actually have mixed Kolsson ancestory; albeit being largely Mari in origin.

Adalorians
The Adalorians are a subgroup found in the former geographical region of Pergamos, today known as Adalor. Around 80% of their ancestory is either Mari or Lo'Oix in origin and as a result their belonging in the Mari family lineage is often considered unclear - many scholars not placing them in the Mari family tree and instead alongside the Lo'Oix or being a distinct mixed group all together. Many Adalorians speak a patois of Mari, Lo'Oi, and foreign languages that were introduced largely by merchants and mercenaries throughout Serrona's many wars.

Morladronians
The Morladronians are a very unique subgroup, that many disagree is even part of the larger Mari ethnic group. Today they speak a language that has very little relation to Contemporary Mari; some scholars arguing that it is a language isolate. They are descendant largely of pirating cultures that would have mixed with Mari subgroups in the geographical regions of Vanshire, Xeka, and the former Santosi territories.

As a consequence of their unique cultural traits and the fact that most of their ancestory is likely not Mari in origin, they are seldom considered a subgroup of the Mari.

Religious traditions
Possibly due the relative primitivity of the pre-colonialization Mari culture, centralized religion hasn't caught on among the Mari as much as it has in other culture groups. Modern Mari religious beliefs can be very varied, and are often more of a mix of folktales and superstitions than concrete beliefs. These can be most documented in the Kaladinia and Xeka regions. In some regions, however, Mari religion was replaced by the religion of colonizers or immigrants, such as in Vanshire, where no state religion exists and whose citizens have a very wide range of beliefs. Similarly, Atheism is very prevalent in many ethnically Mari regions inside the USSE, such as Adalor.

Mari folk religion, aka Mari Paganism, largely involves the presence of spirits. These spirits exist as a result of human or animal death, and can influence the physical world. The Mari believe that spirits can possess objects or even people, and that the longer a spirit exists in the world, the more it "fades away" (read more here) These beliefs are typically grouped together as one religion, but can have different folktales or specific beliefs depending on the region. In some cultures, certain important spirits are said to have almost godlike power, whereas in others spirits have a more animal or human-like nature. (needs link to Mari Paganism wiki page)

Notable Mari people

 * Mar'Leh of Vanshire
 * Diamond Sylveri
 * Breado Maraléa