Munyoi
The Munyoi were a hill-dwelling Rostran people who once lived in the vicinity of Ereteusutaio in Rostral D. Now considered a Lost Tribe, the Munyoi left behind scattered dugout ruins and small populations of Munyobu speakers struggling to keep the language isolate alive for posterity.
The reason for the collapse of the Munyoi civilization are a matter of ongoing speculation among Rostran academics. Medial D is a comparatively pleasant environment for hominids to live in; explorers in the region have noted signs of ancient agriculture and animal husbandry suggesting a well-established agrarian culture before the arrival of explorers from the Medial C.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
Though the Munyoi are themselves long-gone, their language - Munyobu - survives among some freelanders and other stateless peoples residing around what is now Ereteusutaio. Rostran anthropologist and linguists are rushing to preserve this language, as the number of native speakers declines every year due to the aging of the native speaker population and cross-cultural influences from Archipelago settlers. Munyoi folklore is difficult to discern from the folklore of the peoples who came afterwards, but occasionally, idioms with no apparent modern influences within the Munyobu language hint at the ways in which the ancient Munyoi perceived the world around them.
Average technological level
Evidence suggests that the Munoi had well-developed textile, pottery, stonemasonry, and copper-working industries.
Art & Architecture
Munyoi homes were large, subterranean dugouts designed to house multiple generations of a family. Layers of sod and packed soil were undermined horizontally near the crests of hills to create self-healing roofs. Intricately-carved logs and long, straight crossmembers were used to create supports for this roof. The soil of these roofs was sometimes ammended with loose wool netting just beneath the surface, a strategy believe to be employed in a bid to increase its interconnection with root systems and, by extension, its structural integrity. The entrances to these dugouts were left often open along one side, and runoff was controlled by either letting the sod overhead grow to create an overhang or by the implementation of short wooden porticos. Further drainage was accomplished by digging long, narrow trenches diagonally down from the entryway towards lower parts of the hill.
Though there are little signs of ovinex inhabitation in region before the arrival of Civil Ovinex alongside later settlers from the Rostran Archipelago Confederacy, the Munyoi left behind extensive evidence of woolworking, including some examples of finished goods preserved in water-resistent pottery storage tubes. The Munyoi are believed to have been prolific shepherds, subsisting on the milk and meat of sheep while using the wool shorn in early spring to produce furniture and clothing. Munyoi textiles were brightly-colored with natural reds, yellows, and greens and featured a variety of simple geometric patterns for decoration. Apparel was often loose-fitting and featured large open areas to permit sweating in the sometimes stifling Medial D weather. Furniture was often wooden featured woolen pads and coverings, though bedding was more often stuffed with reeds.
Foods & Cuisine
Mutton, dairy, and cereals - especially corn and barley - were likely the major staples of the Munyoi diet. Pots have been found in some Munyoi households containing remains of ancient cheese and beer, revealing that the culture had a firm grasp of the concept of fermentation as a means of food preservation. Habañeros and even hotter peppers are known to grow in the region, though whether the Munyoi often incorporated these into their cuisine remains unknown.
Funerary and Memorial customs
Few Munyoi grave sites have been preserved into the present day because the warmth and moisture of Medial D soil serves to accelerate the decomposition process. Often, burial sites will only contain a smattering of bone fragments loosely collected with pieces of jade, copper, or petrified wood jewelry. Some surviving skulls show signs of trepanning or, perhaps, blunt-force injuries to the head. Despite this fact, warfare is not currently believed to be what ultimately destroyed the Munyoi civilization, as intact family homes - often preferrentially destroyed in early Rostran warfare in other contexts - are among the most common and well-preserved form of Munyoi ruin.
Related Locations
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