City-State of Kikai
Kūlanakauhale o Kikai
"We are strong, and growing stronger. We will never be weak again." - Keola Mālauka’i, leader of the Hānaukai
Kūlanakauhale o Kikai is the government of the island of Koa'ki and the Kaikai people. It is one of the most powerful nations in the Southern Region, and the capital of Koa'ki is one of the busiest ports, rivaled only by Tauranga on the island of Atu Motu, over five hundred miles to the west.
Structure
The Kūlanakauhale is ruled by a council known as the Hānaukai, which has seventeen members drawn from the seventeen villages that make up the city of Kikai. To be eligible for a seat on the Hānaukai, one must have been a champion in one of the many games and competitions held by the Kaikai throughout the year; the Kaikai believe that those who can triumph in these events are posessed of the skill and character to serve as leaders. Each of the seventeen villages elects their representative from those who are eligible, and the winner will hold the position until they either die or resign.
Public Agenda
Officially, the Kūlanakauhale o Kikai is a peaceful nation interested only in furthering trade, protecting their people, and sponsoring the athletic competitions beloved of the Kaikai. However, in recent years there has a been an increase in the number of raids by the Kaikai against Tāngata communities on the island of Atu Motu. These raids are not officially sponsored by the government, but they are encouraged by many members of the Hānaukai in an unofficial capacity. Those who engage in the raids are treated as conquering heroes who are striking a blow against the ancient enemy of their people, and the wealth they return with is considered ample reward. On Atu Motu, these raids have drawn the attention of the Whenua-Mārama leader Aoraki, who has used them to argue for the unification of the Tāngata under a single leader. It is likely that if that happens, the situation could escalate into a war between the two islands.
History
Kūlanakauhale o Kikai was founded by the legendary Kaikai hero Katoa, who led the Kaikai out of bondage on Atu Motu and to the island of Koa'ki. Before they left, the Kaikai people were enslaved by the Tāngata of Atu Motu, who treated them as little more than beasts of labor and controlled every aspect of their lives. Katoa led a rebellion against the Tāngata hapūs, initially seeking to carve out a place for the Kaikai on the large island. When this failed, Katoa chose to leave Atu Motu and lead the Kaikai east, to the island of Koa'ki.
Koa'ki had never been inhabited by humans before, and the Tāngata believed it to be cursed and forbidden because of the strange and unsettling ruins on the island's northern coast. These buildings are titanic cubes of yellow stone that dwarf any human construction in the Great Ring. They have no windows, only a large open doorway facing to the west. Legends held that the buildings had been built by some ancient race of giants, and that the ghosts of their builders lingered in their shadowy interiors.
Katoa convinced his people that the Tāngata fear of the island and the ruins made it the perfect place to construct their new home. Not only did the Kaikai come to live upon Koa'ki, they built their villages inside the garguntuan structures, each of which is large enough to house an entire community. The seventeen villages of the Kaikai that make up the Kūlanakauhale o Kikai are still inside these structures, and have grown and thrived under their roofs.
Interesting. I really like that they have to have won an athletic competition to be considered for government. I can see why some would unofficially support the raids, even if they don't do them out loud, considering the past.
Thanks! I’m still developing the storylines for this region, and the conflict between these islands are probably going to feature prominently.