Mifajene Reservation
| Mifajene Reservation | |
|---|---|
| League charter | 704 ME |
| Location |   |
| Size | 7,552 mi² (19,560 km²) |
| Country | League of Balúrail |
| Region | Balúrail |
| Subregion | Western Lowlands |
| Largest City | Beltesha |
| Population | 60,000 |
Introduction
The Mifajene Reservation is a semi-sovereign region of the League of Balúrail, in the northwest of Balúrail. It was established in 704 ME and is home to about 60,000 Mifajene, most of that people. The Mifajene govern themselves within it. The House of Tahami, the home of Tahami, their creator, stands in the Reservation. It has no capital and no cities; its largest settlement is Beltesha.
Etymology
The Mifajene name for the Reservation is Tid'iye, "place apart".
History
The Mifajene, created by Tahami, lived throughout the lowlands of Balúrail for thousands of years before the arrival of the Tuzquão. In the First Mifajene War, c. 320–342 ME, the League took the southern and coastal lowlands, and the war ended with a treaty in which the Mifajene gave up those lands. In the Second Mifajene War, c. 590–612 ME, fought as the League expanded into Ezinco, the League defeated the Mifajene again and claimed the rest of the lowlands. For nearly a century afterward the Mifajene lived under League rule as Tuzquão settlement spread around them, and their lands shrank.
The Reservation was established by treaty in 704 ME. The treaty was imposed on the Mifajene, and Mifajene from across the lowlands were moved onto the Reservation. The land set aside for them lay around the House of Tahami, in the swamps where Tahami first emerged. The Mifajene of the northern highlands were never subjugated and remain outside it, in Eimbuver.
Geography
The Mifajene Reservation covers 7,552 mi² (19,560 km²) of the Western Lowlands. It faces the sea to the north and west, and borders Ezinco to the south along the Ayellaye River and Eimbuver to the east. Lake Layemshemwo, on the eastern border, is shared with Eimbuver.
The Tahami Swamp covers the west of the Reservation, and the House of Tahami stands within it. The western coast is broken into bays and islands: Teje Bay, where the Ayellaye reaches the sea at Beltesha, Dazolo Bay and the Teje Islands. Feshleme Bay and the Jak'i Islands lie on the north coast. Low hills rise in the east, toward Lake Layemshemwo.
Climate
The Reservation has long, cold winters with extended freezing periods and short, warm summers. Fog and rain are frequent on the coast, and spring is the wettest season.
Flora and Fauna
Goverment and Politcs
The Mifajene govern themselves within the Reservation, but it is not a fully sovereign nation: it lies within the League, which conducts its dealings with the Reservation through a department of the federal government. The Mifajene have no central body. Their society is tribal and decentralized, and each village manages its own affairs.
Not all Mifajene accept the arrangement. There are pockets of rebel activity on the Reservation, and the rebels work with the free Mifajene of Eimbuver.
Economy
Fishing is the main occupation on the Reservation and the basis of its economy. There is a small trade with Ezinco.
Demographics
About 60,000 Mifajene live on the Reservation, out of about 67,000 in all of Balúrail. Beltesha, at the mouth of the Ayellaye River on Teje Bay, is the largest settlement. It is the only large town. The other towns are Nesham, Gemwezo, Ded'elcita, Selomleso, Betomtudo, Begwelo and Yalcelu, on the bay beside the Jak'i Islands.
Most Mifajene live in smaller villages. They lie along the coast and on the Teje and Jak'i Islands (among them Eliye, Deloshte, Yagoldo, Lede, Dezolo and K'obolo), around the edge of the Tahami Swamp (Tele, Besejen, Fehu and Rete), along the Ayellaye River (Tudzola and Neztudo), and in the eastern hills and beside Lake Layemshemwo (Cajak'i, Femcaja, Owete and Becesto). Nesfehu stands inside the swamp, south of the House of Tahami.
Transportation
Roads link the main villages. One follows the Ayellaye from Beltesha through Betomtudo to Begwelo, and others run from Beltesha to Nesham and around the Tahami Swamp between Gemwezo, Ded'elcita and Selomleso. The Reservation is reached from the League by road and by sea from Ezinco.
Culture
The Mifajene revere Tahami as their father and their god. Most are attuned to his Osia and practice the Path of Tahami, which they use to build their homes and villages in the swamps. Each year, in spring, during the wettest part of the year, they hold a festival in his honor.
Some humans travel to the House of Tahami to study the Path of Tahami. They seek his Osia and do not worship him. They usually set out from the port of Ezinco.
See also