Etsevu Nilamui (ate-say-VOO nee-lah-MWEE)

CW: child fights, prejudice

The matriarch put her hand out for Ayan, who nervously stepped forward. "Before we begin eating, I would like to announce that Ayan has made her declaration of intent to join our community."
Ayan didn't know what she had expected, but it certainly wasn't this. Several people banged on the tables in front of them, as a roar of cheers rose up. Askel, of course, was loudest. "It's about damn time!"

by Nagy Arnold

Etsevu nilamui, or skills demonstration in the Epaluno Language is the ceremony in which a person recieves full rights among the Pelan. It is also sometimes called an Ibi'an ceremony, especially by outsiders.

The ceremony gets its name from its oldest form, a coming of age ritual in which nine year-olds were given sharpened Thoov branches and told to face off against an armed teenager or adult. This was considered a way for the nine year-old to demonstrate that they were prepared for adulthood and had the skills necessary to participate in the community fully. If the child won the battle (which they usually did, as the adult would purposely leave openings), they were considered an adult, and presented with the purple headscarf, or ibi'an, which marked their full status in the community. From then on, the child would be able to participate in democratic decisions made within the tribe and expected to participate in other activities, such as hunting, cooking, and child-care.

In some cases, Pelan communities also held an etsevu nilamui gem, or adult skills demonstration for outsiders who joined the Pelan community. Usually, these were people who had been outcasted by the societies into which they were born and joined the Pelan nomads, or later, people who had married into Pelan communities. For these people, the matriarch typically held a secret community vote regarding whether a person had integrated enough to give them full rights. A no vote would usually be followed by a discussion as to what the person still needed to do, and a yes vote would be followed at a later date with a formal presentation of an ibi'an to the person in question. Adults were not required to fight as children were because they were considered to have already demonstrated their skills during day to day life.

Related Ethnicities

• Pelan

Etsevu Nilimui Gem vs. Conversion

The Pelan have always considered their culture different from the Epaluno Religion. Therefore, the adult ibi'an ceremony marks someone as a member of the Pelan community, but is considered different than an Epaluno conversion, which only requires a declaration of faith. Before the ceremony was formalized, most adult ceremonies were held for people who had participated in the community for years, but had not necessarily adopted the religion. Today, most people who join a Pelan community do so because they have converted to the Epaluno religion. For these people, the declaration of intent to join the community usually accompanies the brief conversion seremony during a service or community meal. In some cases, however, a person who has interacted with the community for years may finally agree to be officially adopted into it. For this reason, the length of time between a delcaration of intent and the final etevu nilimui gem can vary greatly, though it usually takes several years.

by Topich

In 1751, a more formal adult ceremony was created in Liri. This involved a formal declaration of intent to join, and then a process of learning the Epaluno language and the traditions of Hospitality, usually over the course of several years. When the temple matriarch determined the person's knowledge was sufficient, she would present them to the community, stating their accomplishments and the skills they would contribute the community. The community then had a public vote to decide if the person would be given full rights. If the vote was a majority yes, the adult would be presented with an ibi'an, and have full rights among the Pelan going forward. If the majority vote was no, the matriarch could call for another vote in the future.

During this time, Pelan in Liri were often accused of being Neithan spies and trying to overthrow the government. As such, many Pelan communities worried about false friends who might join the group only as a means of looking for "evidence" to support these rumors. The declaration of intent, therefore, was created in the hopes to weed out those with bad intentions, and the public vote allowed community members to express distrust in an outsider in a safe way.

It is likely the child ceremony had begun to shift, more closely resembling the adult ceremony, but the formalization of an adult ceremony sped up this process, and by the end of the 18th century, the child ceremony had evolved into what it is today: in which the parents or the temple matriarch presents the child to the community, sharing the child's accomplishments and skills that they are now able to contribute. Then the child is given their ibi'an. It is also likely that the fight was worked out of the etsevu nilamui to better fit in with outside cultures who considered it barbaric. A notable difference between the two ceremonies, however, is that the child ceremony still does not include a public vote.

The adult ceremony has also changed little since the 18th century. There is still a declaration of intent to join the community, though this is typically less formal. The person is often presented at the end of a service or during a meal as a way of introducing them to the community. They then participate in the community, studying the language and traditions. When the matriarch feels they are ready, she holds a public vote. Today, however, the vote is typically a formality, and a matriarch will typically not call for one unless she believes the vote will pass. More often than not, they are unanimous.