History of Sanemi

The History of Sanemi goes back thousands of years, and starts in the stone age with the arrival of the proto-Sanemi peoples in the distant past. With the domestication of many crops early on, between 6000 and 4000 years ago, the beginnings of civilization in northern Bazwebwe slowly arose. Villages grew in power and size to become regional city states, and some of these city-states such as Imbalitsi became the centers of large states in their own right. The Imbalitsi Confederation, lasting from 1908 to 1641 BKS (Before Kylorne Start), saw several significant changes in regional society and is regarded as the direct predecessor to the modern Sanemi state.

The collapse of the Imbalitsi Confederation brought with it an age known as the Middle War Period, or Ngoja Imp'inkathi as it is known in Sanemi historiography and in the seSanemi language. This age of warring chiefdoms, cities, and tribes lasted for nearly 1200 years, and is regarded retrospectively as an age of suffering and pain for many. However, with the founding of the Sanemi kingdom by Sifiso "the Liberator", this age of warfare was brought to an end and a golden age was brought to the land.

Following the "Sifisine Golden Age" (caZinar'inkathi weSifiso), a slow decline led to the collapse of the state around the beginning of the Kylorne Tribal Period. This decline was brought on by a combination of famine, government corruption and mismanagement, disease outbreak, economic depression, and an onslaught of hostile undead. However, it was not incomplete, as with the ascension of queen Zoziyu Inyoni, the state was re-consolidated and reformed during the Tribal Period, to emerge as one of the most preeminent states on the continent in the modern day.

Paleolithic
The earliest instances of sentient habitation in the lands of Bazwebwe appeared roughly 3.4 million years ago. Many of the early ancestors of the sapient races of the world share common descent within what is known as the Common Ancestral Tool Complex, or CATC for short. While not a unified entity, the CATC is the oldest archaeologically attested tool culture known, and all later cultures are descendants of this industry.

Tools of the CATC are mostly simple stone tools, hand-axes, and other objects made of bone, flint, dolostone, and flakes of obsidian for various purposes. The CATC is representative only of the tools made by these early peoples, and not of any immaterial culture such as kinship or social structure. However, it is known that human-line sophonts existed in Bazwebwe about 2.8 million years ago, appearing 600,000 years after the beginning of the CATC complex.

Around one million years ago, after the various ancestors of modern peoples began to diverge, the Protopanhuman Complex or PPHC began to appear in the archaeological record. The PPHC is, unlike the CATC, generally used to describe explicitly human-line artifacts, but admixture and exchange with other species likely occurred in these early days when they had only recently diverged. Regardless, the PPHC demonstrates more significant skill in tool development and fire usage, before giving way to the Mesolithic around 300,000 years ago.

Mesolithic
The Mesolithic, marked by the Ayitshuni, Msasagutu, Itabiguakha, and woKulatakita Cultures in Sanemi archaeology, is recognized as the beginning of human behavioral modernity. Fire usage became nearly widespread at this time, as these early peoples began to create artwork and form complex social relationships.

The four cultures are generally recognized by the appearance of four key developments:


 * Ayitshuni Culture with the development of fishing tools, such as specialized spears around 300,000 years ago
 * Msasagutu Culture with the creation of trade networks (evidenced by materials used that were not present in the nearby area, such as seashells miles inland or different stone types in tools) around, beginning around 230,000 years ago
 * Itabiguakha Culture with the creation of primitive dwellings made of wood and elephant tusk/bone, as well as cave paintings and petroglyphs, beginning around 150,000 years ago
 * woKulatakita Culture with the widespread use of art (including sculpture), weaving, and clothing by about 40,000 years ago

From Mesolithic sites such as Msasagutu Mesa, the type locality of the Msasagutu Culture, one can infer things about ancient culture at this time. People of the Msasagutu Culture probably lived in small forager bands; they had relatively equal social status and little to no division of labor except between ages. This stage of human development is thought by some anthropologists to represent a form of primitive communism; however, other scientists disagree or cite that there is not enough evidence to draw conclusions. It is known, however, that members of the Itabiguakha and woKulatakita Cultures buried their dead, and it is from these ancient graves being discovered that much of their culture can be revealed. While they still remained foragers, a division of labor appears by the woKulatakita Culture stage, as some individuals were buried with what were presumably ritual instruments for early magic, weapons for hunting or war, and even in one instance artist’s tools. Dogs are also thought to have been domesticated at this time, as dog skeletons are found sharing human graves in at least two instances.

Neolithic
The transition to the Neolithic is defined by the transition from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to an agricultural one. The first instances of settled agricultural life are known from Sanemi around 7500 years ago, with the advent of the Usebe Amatshe Culture, and the use of early millet of the genus Digitaria, sorghum, yams, and beans. Cows are known to have been domesticated in this region from wild aurochs at this time as well.

Between about 6000 and 4000 years ago, many other crops were acquired by the proto-Sanemi. Oil & raffia palms, rice, watermelon, and Cucurbita gourds were domesticated locally by the proto-Sanemi, whereas other crops- namely wheat and taproots like turnips, cassava, onions, and potatoes- were brought in from elsewhere in Kylorne. Most other livestock, including goats, sheep, pigs, chickens, and cats, were brought in from abroad as their wild ancestors did not inhabit the region.

While many forms of art existed at this time, including petroglyphs, customized tools, small sculptures, pottery, and more, no writing is known at this time. As such, all that can be known from this time must be gleaned from the archaeological record or from maintained folk practices that may have been maintained from long ago. It is not known if the switch from tribal collectivism to formal chiefdoms and kingdoms arose at this time, or later.

Iron Age
Sanemi’s technological history with regards to metal development is significantly different than that of other lands. While most regions experienced first a period of bronze use before discovering iron, in Sanemi it was iron that was discovered first. The first evidence of iron smelting in Sanemi dates to approximately 3900 years ago, and copper and gold smelting within the following century. These early iron furnaces were made out of compacted mud and specially designed to reach the temperatures necessary for the smelting of iron ore.

Labor Specialization and War
With the advent of iron tools, farming and warfare appear to have become more effective. As less labor was necessary to produce the same crop yield, jobs became more specialized, and weaponry less prone to breaking. This allowed for a warrior class to emerge in proto-Sanemi society, and wars between tribes began to create true stratified societies by around 3400 BKS. The Hayakopo gravesite, located north of Indudumadwane village, is the largest and most well-documented known mass grave from this era, dating to about 3370 BKS. The site holds the graves of twenty-two warriors, buried with their weapons, and their bones show signs of being stabbed and clubbed to death. It is unknown whether or not their killers, the families of the slain, or some third party buried these warriors, but their graves appear to have been given much respect.

Cities and Nomads
The specialization of labor brought along by the advent of metal toolmaking allowed for the creation of larger settlements. Militaries conquered the surrounding villages, and thus the central conquering village became urban hubs as their subjects remained farmers supporting their overlords. Thus, the age of Sanemi city-states arrived by about 3300 BKS.

Not all proto-Sanemi joined the city-state system. Many remained pastoralists on the plains and highlands, raising livestock which they would regularly drive to the cities to sell en masse in exchange for goods produced in the cities. Despite their economic ties, the pastoral tribes remained constantly moving, and impossible for the settled peoples to govern.

Writing and Invention
The first written records in Sanemi are dated to about 3000 years ago, after centuries of city-states interacting with each other. These early kingdoms first used writing to record debts, orders of grain and metal, and general economic activity. It was not until around 2800 BKS that writing was used to record historical events, stories, or relay messages. During this time, metal-casting and alloy manufacturing also developed, as trade routes allowed for the knowledge and material necessary to manufacture bronze and brass to come to Sanemi.

The system of writing developed at this time, Olanwezi, was pictographic or logographic in nature, with each character representing a unique character. Olanwezi was only known to a few designated members of society, namely scribes and the magician-doctors known as semlingo. It is around the early historical age that the first literate semlingo developed the Anethesetha magic system, between 2800 and 2400 BKS.

First baShani Kingdom
The first large state in Sanemi history is known as the First baShani Kingdom (Siqala Zwenkotsi baShani). Pastoral warriors of the ancestral Shani people gained control over a significant number of city-states. In the year 2553 BKS, King Seshindi Galango I was the first of the nomadic rulers over the city of Khango, and from there he and his descendants conquered vast swaths of the agricultural lands of modern-day Sanemi.

Unfortunately for Seshindi’s dynasty, the conquerors were not capable of maintaining the complex bureaucracies of the city-states, having been raised on the plains first and then into a life of luxury. The economy of the First baShani Kingdom was stifled for nearly its entire existence, and slowly the kingdom collapsed by 2481 BKS. Only two cities, Khango and Tlabadhiniyon, remained under the control of the Seshindi dynasty; the rest of them had their old rulers restored. It is said that because of the failure of Seshindi’s patrilineal system that the maSanemi people now trace their inheritance through a matrilineal system instead; historians are not sure if this is true, or merely a vernacular explanation for the existence of the system.

Imbalitsi Confederation
In 1908 BKS, sustained raiding by various Shani groups forced the Habewa and Nkondo city-states to band together, forming the Imbalitsi Confederation. This confederation, so called for having the official treaty of its formation signed in the ancient city-state of Imbalitsi, built an army uniting the city-states of the two tribes and went out to conquer the Shani lands that separated the Habewa and Nkondo. The various nomadic bands of the Shani were defeated by the two large armies, and the Eastern Shani bands were wiped off the face of Kylorne to never be seen again. The western Shani were subjected to Nkondo culture, and remained their subjects, producing animal products and resources from the wilderness for the Nkondo and Habewa farming towns.

The years of the Confederation brought much technological progress and wealth to the cities, and the arts flourished as well during this time- however only for the upper classes. Many of the Confederation’s subjects remained very poor, and the time is regarded as a darker period in the history of Sanemi.

Zwe isaMukusu
The most egregious act of the Confederation was the implementation of the Zwe isaMukusu (meaning "the land owns") system. Many of the children of the slain maShani warriors were taken into captivity by the Nkondo and Habewa elite, as were many other prisoners of war. These captives were used as servants in the houses of the elite, and many went to work in the fields of wealthier landowners. These captives and their descendants were legally bound to the land that they were ordered to work upon. Many times as the Confederation fought internal rebellions and border tribes, even Habewa and Nkondo farmers were forced into serfdom under the Zwe isaMukusu.

Due to the extreme poverty and demands of the Zwe isaMukusu, many of the maShani captives in the south liberated themselves by running away and joining up with the Kice and Muqolo peoples, who lived in the wilderness away from civilization. Those in the north instead fled to join the multitudes of non-Habewa forest tribes. However, leaving was heavily discouraged by implementing "snitch benefits" and harsh punishments for deserters.

Collapse of the Confederation
The Confederation lasted over three and a half centuries, when in 1641 BKS it was dissolved following disputes between the various clans leading the cities. The dissolution of the confederation was initially celebrated by the peasants of the countryside and many of the urban poor, but it soon became apparent that the bloody warlord era to come was no better for most. Still, the division of the confederation meant that the subjected nomadic bands of the maShani could once again restore their independence, and many leading city-state clans found themselves more metaphorical room to exercise politics. This, however, meant that greedier rulers could turn on their neighbors and steal the land and workers the neighbors owned. This spiraled into an era of infighting that would last over a thousand years.

Middle War Period
The years following the dissolution of the Imbalitsi Confederation were marked by long conflicts between the various city-states, nomadic tribes, and foreign powers. This period, called the Ngoja Imp’inkathi or “Middle War Period” lasted over a millennium, and saw the rise and fall of numerous small powers. Most of the small kingdoms of the era took the names of their capital city-states or the ruling clan.

Warfare and Serfdom
This era was marked by the most extensive use the Zwe isaMukusu system had seen in history, and the institution defined much of the era for millions of people. The wars that frequently wreaked the countryside involved the capturing of enemy combatants, to the point where many war strategies of the middle and later era focused not on killing but on capturing enemy soldiers. These enemy soldiers were taken in as forced laborers for the small kingdoms, or sold to wealthy landowners. From there, they were ordered to construct buildings and infrastructure, become personal servants, or do farm work. The legal terms of the Zwe isaMukusu made sure that the land's workers were bound regardless of who owned the land, and as such the land was frequently fought over by greedier rulers. The addition of new workers to lands by the capturing of enemy soldiers only worsened the issue in certain lands; the most fought-over lands eventually had the most people on them, and this only made them more sought-after.

The warfare in the Ngoja Imp’inkathi required the development of many new technologies. Plate armor, while existing in some forms during the late 1400s BKS, was more often a liability due to its weight and thermal properties causing severe heat exhaustion by the soldiers who wore them in Sanemi’s hot tropical climate. Soldiers’ armor in these times often took the form of studded cloth or leather armor, derived from the ancient quilting traditions of Habewa weavers. This armor was nearly as protective as metal armor, but also did not absorb heat as easily, and thus took over as the most common soldier’s gear. Chainmail armor, developed in the 1500s BKS, did not become commonly used by any but the elite soldiers until the 800s BKS.

Imp'inkathi Politics
Politically, many historians subdivide the Ngoja Imp’inkathi by the dominant kingdoms and city-states of the era. While many dynasties of Habewa and Nkondo kingdoms existed among the cities, Shani nomadic tribes remained dominant on the central plains, and many Shani dynasties often took over the states bordering the savannahs and plains. A number of religious cults also managed to form small states of their own during this time, attracting several converts and sending missionaries to convert villages.

Some of the most peculiar of the non-kingdom states of the era took the form of zweumdukura, or “free man’s land” in seSanemi. These were often the product of frequent peasant rebellions, as those who were former warriors were able to fight and lead other peasants in battle against their masters, and established states in their own right. Some of these became their own royal dynasties; others became democratic, and formed alliances with the free yeomen to create republics. In order to combat the near-constant peasant rebellions, many states often implemented some of the world's earliest labor laws: maximum amounts of labor hours per day, bans on cruel punishment and excessive child labor, and in some instances even abolished the Zwe isaMukusu altogether. These laws varied from state to state, and were often created and removed at the will of the aristocracy.

Imp'inkathi Culture
Much of the literature of the Ngoja Imp’inkathi details the court intrigue of the various small kingdoms, wars and heroes, and the struggles of the peasants to make ends meet. Art was visible in every government building and on weapons and armor, and even down to the tools used by farm workers. The smaller size of states and need to feed armies encouraged the creation of new farming techniques and the introduction of new crops and livestock from abroad, and despite the wars the population of the warring states swelled. Lots of vital infrastructure was constructed during this age, though often by Zwe isaMukusu workers.

Along the southwestern coast and island of Manzakhingi, large numbers of Nkondo became regionally distinct from their eastern brethren. Taking to the sea, by the 6th century BKS they slowly built a new ethnic identity- the Enka. Enka sailors slowly began trading not only between the small states of what would become Sanemi but all around Bazwebwe and even across the sea to other regions. This introduced many new crops and technologies to both the proto-Sanemi and their contacts overseas.

Unification and Golden Age
In 489 BKS, a child of king Mthunzi Mfene II and one of his Shani palace concubines, Nobuntu Zanele, was born. This child, named Sifiso kaNobuntu, though born into the Zwe isaMukusu, eventually wrested his freedom at the age of 19 in a revolution where he forged ties with his free relatives in the neighboring Ayimaya Kingdom. He swore to destroy the family and allies of the old Mfene Kingdom, and united a band of Shani chiefdoms who had been terrorized by the Mfene clan to wipe them out.

Creation of the Sanemi Kingdom
During this time, known as the Vengeance War, Sifiso IV met with a semlingo who told him that it was his destiny to right the wrongs of his past with good, not revenge. It was here that he instead changed his goals, from the hateful annihilation of the Mfene clan to ending the Zwe isaMukusu and the constant warfare among the multiple tribes of northwestern Bazwebwe. His goals enlarged, the ambitious Sifiso IV enlisted a massive army of peasant volunteers and regular soldiers, and embarked on a 39-year long war to conquer just about every local kingdom. His army only grew and grew from every conquered state, and many rebellions broke out to join Sifiso’s forces. In the wake of conquest, the local kingdoms who put up the least amount of resistance retained their power, and were given the lands of the more egregious enemies of Sifiso.

The state created from this war was then called “Sanemi”, meaning “to do good”, and reflects his campaign to do right and end the warring period and Zwe isaMukusu, rather than to get back at his former oppressors. The later years of Sifiso IV's rule saw the introduction of standardized weights and measures, as well as the use of minted coinage instead of rice, salt, or cowrie shells.

The death of Sifiso IV in 431 BKS hailed a period of mourning followed by a golden age brought about by his successors of the Obhejane and later Ifolo clans, who posthumously bestowed upon him the name "Sifiso sePedukura", or "Sifiso the Liberator". His successors, following in his footsteps, continued to standardize the seSanemi language that had formed from the various local tongues of the old kingdoms, improve and merge together the old local infrastructure of the Ngoja Imp’inkathi, form an influential meritocratic bureaucracy, fund education and temple construction, and much more.

Golden Age
Many freed Zwe isaMukusu workers went on to become yeomen farmers and craftsmen, being gifted ownership of the land that they were once bound to. Now no longer bound to the land, they could easily travel around and build up generational wealth. The unification of the small states allowed for goods to become cheaper and more widely available, and the population and quality of life soared.

Increased funding for temples and education led to increases in literacy, and many important religious, scientific, technical, and magic texts were written during the Sifisine Golden Age. Traditional oral works like the Kulayenza weThuma were finally written, and many books and artifacts were stored in the original Okidza Wisdom District. Overseas trade was conducted with the states of Lazzeatir and the southeastern seas through the port city of Manzakhingi, and the Sand River and camel trains facilitated trade through the continental interior. The construction of the Mayamiyombo Canal in 305 BKS under king Sosho Obhejane VI connected the capital of Okidza with the Sand River, increasing the growth of the capital and trade in the Sea of Gumbahlo region.

The frequent moving of the newly-freed yeomen and increase in trade had steep consequences for language, as a creole known as seSanemi began to be spoken. As travelers crossed wider swaths of land than before, the dialects and languages of the newly-founded Sanemi Kingdom coalesced into a more singular language. The recognition of this new development was not officially recognized until 206 BKS, roughly two centuries after the Vengeance War. Many foreign words also entered the early seSanemi language at this time due to the significant trade Sanemi sustained with the greater southeastern and central regions.

Esibucayi
The Esibucayi, literally meaning "crisis", is the overall term describing both the decline of the Sanemi state and the entire Tribal Period in Sanemi.

Initial Decline
Around the 130s BKS, crop yields began to decrease as a series of droughts meant that food prices rose. This sharply affected all who were not directly affiliated with food production, and many of the cities experienced bread riots. Furthermore, many of the successors of Sifiso sePedukura were not as morally-upstanding, and corruption and nepotism led to several institutional issues. Infrastructure was left to ruin, and corruption left much less money available for use in funding government projects. This decline went on for decades, and many poor folk left the cities. Many became criminals and pirates; a large migration of Enka migrants went across the Dure Straits to join what would become Bilgewater's Buccaneers.

These issues all led to an increase in poverty among the common people, and put strain on the government. A coup in 97 BKS led by Obhejane clan restorationists overthrew queen Bushupwe Ifolo, throwing the country into a brief but bloody civil war that killed thousands and left many more poor and suffering. The usurper, Seuku Obhejane III, and his son Seuku IV, ruled until a counter-coup by Bushupwe's grandson Weasin Ifolo restored the original line in 47 BKS.

After king Weasin Ifolo died under suspicious circumstances in 43 BKS, a feud between his eldest twin daughters Sarudzayi and Siban began as yet another succession crisis unfolded. In order to prevent yet another civil war, two were forced by the royal court's bureaucrats to rule as diarchs as a compromise. The diarchy was incredibly inefficient at solving the Three-Year Famine of 41 to 39 BKS, and the outbreak of a plague meant that Siban died the same year as the famine ended. Many saw it as a sign of fortune from the spirits, and blamed Siban as the worst of the two diarchs, subjecting her to a posthumous campaign of slander.

voAyimendla
The peak of the crisis is known as the voAyimendla, or "the anarchy" in seSanemi.

The outbreak of what became known as Siban's Plague 39 BKS only exacerbated the nearly century-long economic depression in Sanemi. Many farmers revolted, and a number of Shani bands rebelled and joined a semlingo named Lundi Nkuhlu who prophesized the destruction of Sanemi and the resurrection of an ancient army from the Second baShani Kingdom that would take over and create a Shani kingdom to outshine even Sifiso's state. His prophecy proved somewhat true; many undead in the form of zombies, skeletons, spirit-inhabited trees, and other forms attacked and killed thousands of people in the countryside. This event is thought by many to be connected somehow to the Solemnity of Einsiedeln.

The outbreak of Siban's Plague and the rising of an undead army effectively restricted the control of the Sanemi royal government to only the cities. The degraded infrastructure and lack of money the government had due to corruption meant that raising an army to fight the monsters was difficult, and many villages, being isolated from the government and each other, turned towards increasing self-sufficiency and self-governance lest they face starvation. The new isolation, interestingly, slowed the pace of the plague.

The city of Okidza under queen Sarudzayi's control remained firm with what little army was able to be raised. The city's soldiers were not above looting from the countryside, however, and many farmers found themselves effectively in what they called the "New Zwe isaMukusu", giving up large parts of their harvests to the city. For almost 30 years Okidza and its surroundings remained the stronghold of the government, until a large number of undead besieged it in 3 BKS. The city then became almost abandoned, as the undead were trapped inside and burned along with much of the Wisdom District. The area was from then on only used by local farmers who used the city's ruins to build their own homes and towns, or sold the material to traders.

Tribal Period
The Tribal Period in Sanemi effectively lasted about a decade, from the collapse of the government in 3 BKS to the restoration of the kingdom's government properly in 6 PKS. As the city of Okidza was abandoned, queen Sarudzayi seemingly disappeared and was presumed dead. For the first few years, many pretender governments attempted to declare themselves the official successors, yet these pretenders often became targets and were killed. The only pretender to maintain power for long, who had only a weak connection to the throne, was a young girl named Zoziyu Inyoni. Related to the Obhejane and Ifolo clans through her father of the Ukhozi clan, she was propped up by a group of former bureaucrats she personally regarded as "corrupt and inefficient". Nonetheless, using them for support, she began to move her pretender government from the village of Udongajete to the ruins of Okidza in 2 PKS, where she began to reconstruct the capital.

Though few maSanemi speak a language from outside of their native tongue, positive relations during the tribal period were garnered with the tribes to the east, primarily the Tsaytsa and Fitek Tenkiswikem. At first, neither party's officials could fully understand the other's language (both lacking proper diplomats at the time), and only a few pidgin speakers could facilitate verbal speech between the tribes. However, a more common form of inter-tribal communication in Bazwebwe is a system known as segula, or Hand Talk; it is a form of universal sign language common to the peoples of the southeast. The use of Hand Talk by those skilled in it allowed Sanemi to begin projecting diplomatic power across Bazwebwe under Zoziyu's reign.

Modern History
The reconstruction of Okidza, expansion of infrastructure and agriculture, and securing territory geographically have been stated as queen Zoziyu's top three priorities. The completion of these projects allowed for the securing of a proper state; however, only the port of Manzakhingi City and the Okidza region fell under direct government control following the ascension from the tribal period. In order to connect the villages outside of the government's control, Zoziyu began a still-underway project of building roads.

Her rule also saw the widening of the Mayamiyombo Canal and introduction of the Azerdan faith to Sanemi. It was also under Zoziyu that the current flag was created, invented in part by herself and the mayor of Manzakhingi, one Shukha Sorubo. Prior to this, only the national cloth pattern was used as a symbol of the kingdom.