Uyami People

The Uyami ( Uyami pronunciation [uˈjamy]) or Uyami people are members of an ethnoreligious group and a nation originating from the Valresh people and Gayans of historical Klanima and Southern Valresh. Uyami ethnicity, nationhood, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Serwìsm is the ethnic religion of the Uyami people, although its observance varies from strict to none.

Uyamis originated as an ethnic and religious group in Southern Valresh during the third millennium BJC, in the region of Valresh known by the natives as the Land of Winds. Some early Nido scriptures appear to confirm the existence of "Dangerous Nomads" somewhere in Southern Valresh as far back as the 22nd century BCE (Late Renovation Age). The Gayans, as immigrants from the collapsed Klanima, consolidated their hold with the emergence of the tribal unions of Shirwe and Nimau. Some consider that these Khanite immigrant Gayans melded with local nomadic groups known as 'Werkèns'.

In the millennia following, the Uyami expanded into multiple tribes and clans who coalesced into four, major rivaling factions according their lineage: Nus (thought to be descendants of the noble Klaminan family of Nyojh), Gemna (the dominant family in the South, thought to also be descendants from a noble Klaminan family), Hira (derived from the name of the native Valreshian tribe of Huirró), and Mì'dya (also derived from a native Valreshian tribe). Prior to the migrations of the III century BJC, the eldhamwide Uyami population reached a peak of 2753, representing around 5 percent of the world population at that time. Afterwards, foreign diseases brought the population to a rapid decline. As of 42 AJC, the population was reduced to less than 30 people.

The modern State of Hvítrland is the only country where Uyamis form a majority of the population. It defines itself as an Uyami and righteous state in the Constitution. Hvítrland's Law of Return grants the right of citizenship to dispersed Uyamis who have expressed their desire to settle in Hvítrland.

Etymology
The word Uyami, comes from the Uyami word Uyamida, meaning "Noble People", which comes from Mitha (mi'dì in modern Uyami) meaning "survivors", which evolved during the early ages of the language to simply mean "Close People". In the Nido Atlas, the word Karrai (Meaning "proud men") was used to describe the Uyami tribal lands, most likely a translation of the word Uyamida. In other Eldhamite languages, equivalent words to Uyami or Karrai are likewise derived from Uyami, such as Karé in Qwe'tsn, and Yhammu in Gurdian.

Uyami identity
Uyami identity can be described as consisting of three interconnected parts:


 * 1) Uyami peoplehood, an ethnic identity composed of several subdivisions that evolved through history.
 * 2) Uyami religion, observance of spiritual and ritual tenets of Serwìsm.
 * 3) Uyami culture, celebration of traditions, secular and religious alike.

Uyami identity can be cultural, religious, or through ancestry. There are religious, cultural, and ancestral components to Uyai identity due to its fundamental non-proselytizing nature, as opposed to A or B identity which are both "universal" religions in that they ascribe to the notion that their faith is meant to be spread throughout all of humanity, regardless of nationality. However, Uyami identity is firmly intertwined with Uyami ancestry dating back to the historical Klaminan migration, which was largely caused by Mor'a Expantionism, leading to what is known as today as the Uyami Diaspora.

Origins
A factual reconstruction for the origin of the Uyami is a difficult and complex endeavor. It requires examining at least 3,000 years of ancient Eldham history using documents in vast quantities and variety written in at least ten Khanite and Valreshan languages. As archaeological discovery relies upon researchers and scholars from diverse disciplines, the goal is to interpret all of the factual data, focusing on the most consistent theory. The prehistory and ethnogenesis of the Uyami are closely intertwined with archaeology, biology, and historical textual records, as well as religious literature and mythology. The ethnic stock to which Uyami originally trace their ancestry was a confederation of Early Renovation Age Khanite-speaking kingdoms known as Klamina that inhabited a the center of Eldham during the tribal and monarchic periods. Yet it's known part of the Uyami heritage is native to Valresh.

According to the modern Uyami Folk narrative, Uyami ancestry is traced back to the illuminated mothers, such as Kwisha, Egye and her daughter Miwa, and the great folk leaders Olka, Ìd'an, and Fushe, who lived in Lamunì (which we know to be the Klamina Empire that spanned through most of Onthukhan), the blessed gardens of J'ir Serwì. The Four Factions are described as descending from the four daughters of Kwisha. Kwisha and her family migrated to Valresh after Lamunì was attacked by demons who had managed to get into the blessed gardens because of the lack of faith of Rosha, who killed his father Fushe, the last illuminated leader. Once Kwisha and her family arrived, they settled in the center. Because of the blessing of Serwì, the land because so prosperous the native tribes tried to take them away from the descendants of Kwisha. The Uyami ended up enslaved, but this treacherous act brought upon the natives the anger of Serwì who cursed all of them and gave the lands of all Valresh to the Uyami. Thus the descendant of each of the daughters of Kwisha settled in different parts of Valresh, the descendants of Nus in the center, the descendants of Gemna in the south, the descendants of Hira in the West, and Mi'dya in the north.

Modern archaeology and the current historical view has largely discarded the historicity of this narrative, with it being reframed as constituting the Uyami's inspiring national myth narrative. The Uyami and their culture, according to the modern archaeological and historical account, did not overtake the region miraculously, but instead fought against the Valresh people and forcefully assimilated some of the tribes at the beginning of the third millenia BJC. These native tribes (especially the Werkèns) had animist religions who were close to the Gayan faith (which evolved inti Serwìsm).

The Uyami become visible in the historical record as a people between 2500 and 2200 BJC. It is not certain if a period like that of the Illuminated leaders occurred nor if the Klaminan Empire (Called Lamunì by the Uyami) collapsed after the assasination of its king by his son. There is well accepted archeological evidence referring to "Uyamil" in the Pogran Stele, which dates to about 1900 BJC, and the Gayans are archeologically attested in the Early Renovation Age. There is debate about the earliest existence of unified Uyami lands and their extent and power, but it's agreed that there were the tribal unions of Shirwe and Nimau in 1600 BJC and 1400 BJC respectively. It is widely accepted that these Kingdoms were unified by 1000 BJC and contributed to the decline of the Nido Tribes.