Esmans
Dalran: Júlrapere
Enmohó: Hydamjakhen
The esmans1 are the inhabitants of Esm, an island in westernmost Galafam Sea off the coast of the Isin Isthmus. They have long been considered strange by their neighbours, as esman tongue and customs differ significantly from those of the Dalrans, Orrólans, Enans and Imkalans, and are often referred to as cactus-eaters due to the important role of cactus fruits in their diet.
This period of isolation ended when the knesami arived on the island, after being banished from their homes in southern Þonnanó by the Vósali. Seeing that they were unarmed and desperate, the núrrans welcomed the newcomers and, in turn, learned new techniques in a number of different fields from them.
Over the centuries, the distinction between núrrans and knesami has become largely irrelevant to all but the most conservative families.
The esmans1 are the inhabitants of Esm, an island in westernmost Galafam Sea off the coast of the Isin Isthmus. They have long been considered strange by their neighbours, as esman tongue and customs differ significantly from those of the Dalrans, Orrólans, Enans and Imkalans, and are often referred to as cactus-eaters due to the important role of cactus fruits in their diet.
History
Esmans are descendants of two different waves of people, namely núrrans from northwestern Túlmikkía and knesami from southwestern Emlas. The núrrans were one of several tribes who inhabited the arid land of Orrs before the Orrólans came to dominate the region, and eventually settled on Esm due to pressure from the latter, millennia ago. There they lived in relative isolation despite the nearby Isin Isthmus becoming a major route for merchants, migrants and invaders between Emlas and Túlmikkía, mostly because they had little interest in the affairs of mainlanders, and had little to offer that interested them.This period of isolation ended when the knesami arived on the island, after being banished from their homes in southern Þonnanó by the Vósali. Seeing that they were unarmed and desperate, the núrrans welcomed the newcomers and, in turn, learned new techniques in a number of different fields from them.
Over the centuries, the distinction between núrrans and knesami has become largely irrelevant to all but the most conservative families.
Culture
Apparel
Esman clothing tends to be minimal, consisting of little more than a wide cloak and maybe a simple loincloth, and is traditionally made from woven agave fiber or, especially to the south, sea lion skin, though hides from other animals such as lemurs are used to some extent as well.Art
Architecture
Since Esm generally lacks suitable trees to build with, most esman buildings are made from stone and mud and thatched with dried grass. Larger settlements are sometimes defended by stone walls, with the gate closed at night via rolling a large boulder or carved stone wheel. These defenses are believed to not only keep rival tribes at bay, but evil nocturnal spirits as well.Cuisine
Traditional esman diet is heavily based on seafood, cactus fruit, agave and wild game, along with chickens and cassava, the latter which were brought by the knesami. Elephant birds, endemic to the central highlands, are sacred to the esmans and thus never hunted, though the eggs are occasionally eaten as part of certain rituals.
Cactus fruits- and pad, and agave flower by Lappalingur
Religion
Esman religious practices differ from one tribe to another, though most share common themes such as the importance of ancestor worship -to the point that deities and ancestral spirits are interchangeable- and funeral rites including secondary burials. The most common funerary rite is to leave the body to rot at a certain place, after which the bones are painted with ochre and placed either in a tomb or cave, whence they are removed every few years, repainted and then returned along with offerings.1Original icelandic: Esmar, sing: Esmi.
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