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The Eyewitness

They found the body in the snowy wastes of the Kilmay Rī.  A male, perhaps in his mid twenties, was found on a bare rock outcropping by two young Wolf Speakers.  He was stripped nearly naked but for a few rags.  Of what remained of his shirt, one of the sleeves had been torn off, revealing the wound on his shoulder, where the skin had been flayed.  A common practice among the people of Minhay when a person was banished - bereft of the markings that identified his tribe, the wound signaled that he was no longer under his people's protection.

Three knife wounds had penetrated his chest and lanced his heart.  Though it was obvious what had killed him, the Wolf Speakers blamed Kaymawākan, the White Ghost Deer Who Hunts the Hunter, for his antlers are sharper than spears.

How long the body had been lying there nobody knew, who this person was no one knew.  That is what the Wolf Speaker boys said, this is what their clan said, and this is what the authorities wrote in their report.

But I know.  I know everything.

His name was Alan Mašku.  A hot-headed City Speaker who had been agitating on the college campus to band together and organize and overthrow the ruling regime.  Such talk, of course, would soon attract the attention of the Ikkūne.  Thus, he was brought before the War Council.  Then the interrogations began.

The Ikkūne of Salmon Speaker Country, who was even younger than the unfortunate Alan Mašku, began by extracting from him his affiliation.  Oh, you are a Communist, the Salmon Speaker asked.  And what type of Hairy-Face are the Communist tribe?  Of course, the Salmon Speaker was mocking him.  As a man of principle, Alan denied nothing.  Another mocking question from the Salmon Speaker: so your tribe's religion says that workers must rise up and seize the means of production?  Who produces the salmon in my people's land?

When he didn't answer, the Salmon Speaker did for him.  Mother Earth blesses the waters of our land with the salmon.  And the Orca guides the salmon to our people.  There are no workers, no proletariats, no bourgeoisie in this equation.

The Salmon Speaker yielded to the other members of the War Council.  Ikkūne after Ikkūne questioned him, their queries laced with contemptuous remarks equating City Speakers as agents for a foreign invasion.  What sort of name is 'Alan'? they asked.  Only a name for Western snakes and Hairy-Face half-breeds.  They said these things and made all sorts of comments blatantly revealing their bigotry towards the City Speakers and Westerners.

Then all twelve Ikkūne cast their ballots.  The Ikkūne of Gull Speaker Country announced each vote, and the Speaker who had cast it.  And after the last ballot was read, the Ikkūne of Wolf Speaker Country nodded to one of the guards, who dragged Alan Mašku outside.

The authorities who discovered the body left it abandoned on the rock outcropping where they had found it.  Whoever that man was was not important.  They merely wanted to return to their hearths to enjoy the fire beside their families.  What did it matter that a man, exiled from his tribe, died in the cold desolation that is the Kilmay Rī?

Ah, poor youth.  As I walk about you, I smell the loneliness you felt as your life faded.  I am not usually one given to sentimentality, yet your scent reminds me of the daughter I had long lost.  I am a fierce and ruthless one, but at least for a few moments, the cold metal where my heart once was feels an old forgotten feeling.  For a few moments I forget my anger and my bitterness.

I am Kaymawākan, and this is my account of the man who was murdered that day.

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Kaymawākan, Ghost Deer of the Kilmay Rī

The Wolf Speakers, who speak a Minhast dialect similar to the Salmon Speakers, tell of a white deer that lives high in the Kilmay Rī Mountains. Many, many years ago, she stumbled upon the remains of her fawn, killed and butchered by a hunter. Out of grief her fur turned white, and she roamed the forest aimlessly, neither eating nor drinking. She died of dehydration and starvation. She did not return to the Turhatūman, the Spirit World, but woke up, stranded in the world of The Ones Who Stand Upright. Vowing revenge, she transformed herself into a mighty stag crowned with antlers sharper than metal spearheads. Thus she became the stag known as Kaymawākan ("He is Ruthless").

The Kilmay Rī is a harsh environment, but men must hunt so their families may survive through the winter. Sometimes a hunter does not return. Usually they fall victim to the elements. But sometimes their bodies are found, stabbed multiple times, the snows colored crimson from their wounds. Oftentimes the bodies bear bloody hoof marks that pierce through the flesh of their backs and chests. If you see the hoof prints of a deer in red-tinged snow, you know that Kaymawākan is near. Make haste and flee, for Kaymawākan is hunting you.

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Irkay (”The Deer”)

The Wolf Speakers, who speak a Minhast dialect similar to the Salmon Speakers, tell of a white deer that lives high in the Kilmay Rī Mountains. The Kilmay Rī is a harsh environment, but men must hunt so their families may survive through the winter. Sometimes a hunter does not return. Usually they fall victim to the elements. But sometimes their bodies are found, stabbed multiple times, the snows colored crimson from their wounds. Oftentimes the bodies bear bloody hoof marks that pierce through the flesh of their backs and chests. If you see the hoof prints of a deer in red-tinged snow, you know that Kaymawākan is near. Make haste and flee, for Kaymawākan is hunting you.

Sappim birīh suttu yiptikī asumambunekan; Kimalaški asumambunekan Wakpe intasuntakkimannaft Naħkasumambunku Wayhekī Šarrat tarampilaban.

Wahek, matti makkutirtaħte, Sappu waamburrunataharan Saxtidutyatawamtaħkaru, "Bakran tamaškektahabu?" Kirišmararannamā, "Nakkitaħš?" Hambin xānim kayyuun marišpinušillekmahu

Išpihipsalasibbatittaharu Kiantittaħte dustindirupputahekaru Kianki šullumtahekaru, Mattitittaħte amandisiħtirkaru Tamarsartakaru, Wahek mattitittaħte amandisiħtirkaru

Išpikyamšarekaran, Bastetallutsakšarekaran. Išpintahuslapallutsakšarekaran, Bašbayāk bastetallutsakšarekaran Wahek, marwastanaft Tarasmanesaššawaš

Tuytahatahanaft, Išpisaššarankilwāš Kimalaš tatannuykiwataħpitahan Sap ambunkimalaštahaban Nuskikungaħtakkultasnabu Eyha, wahek kadduttahan!

Rubwakankilwāš, Hittitittaharu wammīn Kahallatalluttartaharan Yiptia naħkkahallatalluttartaharu Išnittaħšimattahabu Yusnakarrawaš.

Inditamaškataku, Hatā' martubbataban Wahek, yiptiki kaddutahan Eyhak, nirraktaku, Waheki umyasalluttakukilwāš Suyyeknataħte kuddumtaku

Šandaħtahan, Eyha, wastane dawapabammā, Išpiskaħyiptian... Bisiraztakummā, Waheki mattuyekammā, Iħtaššarekan.

Sappu wahunnetirekte, Naš waššumbattaħte. Waheki iħtaħšittallutekaban, Kuttariyekaban, Waheki hištarkeħretahaban, Huttuytirekte dāwapwastanemahabanaft, sartirtahabu.

Among these mountains I walk this path In the deep snow In the depths of the forest Where the pines grow thick; The land sleeps Under this white blanket.

Then I see your tracks, You walked this path not long ago; You strike my curiosity; Why are you following me? I ask myself where you are, A question only these trees can answer.

A rustle alerts me, I turn in the direction Where I first heard you; I sense your presence Although I cannot see you, I know you are here.

I ready myself I ready my weapons; I have honed them meticulously, I have honed each their killing edge; That which bleeds shall not survive These sharpened edges.

In your overconfidence You foolishly reveal yourself, But you walk these woods Not knowing the dangers That await you in the forest, Thus you slip on the ice.

I seize this opportune advantage You foolishly granted me, Your weapons are now scattered Spread across the snow; You run to reclaim them But it is too late for you.

I give chase, You cannot outrun me; You stumble and fall, Now I stand over you; I plunge my weapons, They pierce your heart.

You crawl away, Your blood spills, It colors the snow red; I charge at you again, I stab you once again, Then I step back and watch.

Your bow lies here And your arrows lie there, But I still hold onto my weapons; I shake them at you As you give me the deathstare; My antlers dripping with your blood are the last thing you see.

https://soundcloud.com/nickcamporillo/irkay-the-deer?in=nickcamporillo/sets/windsong

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Raise your oars and strike the water!

These words came from the Salmon Speaker war chief Aggani num Raške, during the first incursions of Western powers into Minhay:

Išpiħyinasmuħtaknesammaš ušnidannuhaknesaš! Intannuyhaknesanimmaš sumataknesanimmaš riggakettemtearan kaħpaknesaš!

Pulunkīraran išpidutintaktahnesummaš, išpiduħtisaššiktahnesuš! Kudāš sattabenassuyiknesannimaš, dannuaran allateknesaš! Minagamataran allateknesaš wakkaydak!

Raise your oars and strike the water!  Head straight and board their ship! Bring me the captain and set him before me, I shall run my sword through him and cast him as an offering to the Orca!

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Sapim Tayatta ("This Poison")

This Horse Speaker poem is also known as "The Shaman Answers the Friar"

Matti waddanua hittimtaru, Tayatta min dannua išpisassambelampi.

Sakuki tanessatayattamminesaš, Naššiyekitturħamminesašaft taklahwinittamumāš Uggunki bastettayattatittemumāš, nuskikakkuneknesumāš, Harattayatteknesunimmāš nurrekeknesuš.

Matti wayyuhar hittimtaru, Tayatta min yuhar išpisaxtisassambelan.

Yuhar wattakalluttayattamminesaš, Naššiyekitturħamminesašaft taklahwinittamumāš; Uggunki bastettayattatittemumāš, āpirki yippehetireknesunimmāš, Siyyekimtahaš, tayatta min yuhar saxtisassamaħnesaš

Matti wasattawa hittimtaru, Suruššis kay awwakukmaħ, tanakkurennennesuš!

Tadutyattunnemumāš, Naššiyekitturħamminesašaft taklahwinittamumāš; Uggunki bastettayattatittemumāš, āpirki yippehetireknesunimmāš, Aškunnesammāš, turħamte keħrinesaš .

Matti wašširkat tašširkamtattamaru, Širkat dutyattutamabu.

Taxrikaħsašširkattarmannenesumāš tasuyyekna'ennemki ittahišširkatmakkaknesuš, wahēk Naššiyekitturħamminesašaft taklaħwinittamumāš; Uggunki bastettayattatittemumāš, āpirki yippehetireknesunimmāš, Āpirki saxtipayyakminesmāš, yurrudatarminesuš.

Sap min turħa ittaħšittūmanšaranaft išpissiblultireknesuš, Turħa taħlimmatišan, intakwasktireknesumāš išpissiblultireknesuš.

Hatā tartarrak išpirakne'ennennesumāš tašpiħyennesuš Naššiyekitturħamminesašaft taklaħwinittamumāš; Tūmantinnemte išpintettennesumāš, intakwasktireknesuš. Urruħyaknagikkitireknesumāš, intaharattireknesuš.

Turħa taħlimmatišanaft hittettemunaft, wassap min hukkemp, Taħtemaran intattaħšisakšarampamā tukkišampamā inturruttaršampi;

Inturrustuyyeknaštaršaban, inturruddeltaršaban, Tayatta hittitamannamā, "Sappu tektušmia"; Sapim tayatta, wahatā'a nessannennesuš, Išpikeħreammā, siyekkitennesumaš nistennesuš.

Iknitamaš, kurtamammā, naš wa'asmuyyakkāhaltamanaft, iknitamaš! Dūyim min Kirimastaran iknitamanimmāš, tabbuktartakkemaš!

Kan wassappu immattannesammāš sirastammenesuš, Immattannesammāš, galkemmipār daššilaptammenesuš; Immattannesammāš, šarrakti daššilaptammenesuš, Gālim min Kirimastaran bitamammāš, nistirasmatannesaš.

This is the water you offer us, This is the poison that has rotted your minds.

Do not tell us that our spirits will burn, If we do not drink it from its cup; Place it on the table and I shall draw my sword out, Thus shall I shatter its goblet, thus it shall spill onto the ground;

This is the circle you give us, It has a poison that has rotted your minds.

Do not tell us that our spirits will burn, If we do not eat this circle you have given; Place it on the table and I shall cast it into the fire, Thus it will burn in the fire, the poison will burn and die.

This is the jewelry you give us, Though it is embossed in fine gold, we will not kiss it;

Do not tell us that our spirits will burn, If we do not bow low before it; Place it on the table and I shall cast it into the fire, There it will melt, and its spirit shall die.

These are the writings you have written, These are the writings you give obeisance to;

Do not tell us that our spirits will burn, If we do not read it and take it into our hearts; Place it on the table and I shall cast it into the fire, Into ashes it shall burn, and then the wind shall take it away.

The spirit that resides in it, I shall drive out, This is a vile spirit, I will destroy it and cast it out.

Do not tell us that our spirits will burn, If we do not accept this abomination and raise it high; Bring it into our abode and I shall destroy it, I will grind it under my foot, I will crush it with all my might.

This evil spirit you offer us, the one that has seized you tightly, Like a viper it has bitten you, and it has wrapped itself tightly;

It wraps itself tight around your heart and your mind, You offer us its venom, you say it is a gift; We will not drink this poison you give us, It is a dangerous thing, so we will burn it and cast it outside.

Get away from us, you who are dressed in black robes, Go to the Salmon Speakers, so they can cut you to pieces;

Else if you remain here, we shall ride you down; Stay here and we will take to our horses, Stay here and we will run you into the ground; Return to Horse Speaker Country, and you forfeit your lives.

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Intakaħmastirruštattarħakaš, karušnakampiš!

- Let us gird armor tightly around ourselves, let us get ready to strike!

Salmon Speaker Chief Yazzun of the Kamakkūy Band, at the Battle of Tuhattam

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Let’s talk about plurals. In Imnura, plurals are created by changing all the vowels in a word - just like English does with “goose/geese” or “foot/feet.” Unlike English, Imnura plurals are all very regular. It’s easy to figure out how to change the vowels in a word to make it plural: using AEIOU,...

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Hakkumtahan, taruwwasattiahtahan.

Far from home, you do not share the burden.

Horse Speaker Saying

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North Cascades, Washington, US (by Vinny Pickens)

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How First Man Came to Kôya Island: A Nanhoshka Myth

The Nanhoshka people of Kôya Island tell their children that First Man left his birthplace of the Kamun Koryash (lit. "All Snow" in Nankôre) after an albino eagle had landed in front of his tent and told him of a fertile land teeming with wild game and emerald forests. So First Man gathered his tent and belongings, and he cried out, "Enut Kohtak! Akach tawáshin taa itá!", which means "Eldest Brother Elk, please let me ride you!", the language of the Nanhoshka people. And from the snowy wasteland approached Enut Kohtak, who approached First Man. "You have summoned me," the Great Elk said."First Man then said, "Brother White Eagle told me of a place that is filled with wild game that I might hunt for food, and great forests where I may find wild berries and nuts and all sorts of foods. Please take me there, because I am always cold here, and I am always hungry here. Iam lonely here too, and I want to find a mate, just as you have found yours. Please do me this favor, take pity on me!"The Great Elk then said, "The Great Father placed you here that you will find and kill the evil Fire Demon, who burns in the heart of these mountains of your land. You have a duty and must fulfill your responsibilities to the Great Father." And so Enut Kohtak turned around to return to his home.But First Man was desperate, and he wailed, and he pleaded, but all for naught. And so Enut Kohtak disappeared into the swirling blizzard before him and was gone. But Soshkori the Black Seal had heard First Man's cries. And so Soshkori approached First Man and he said, "First Man, I can take you there. Seat yourself on my back and I shall swim and bring you there." And so First Man did as he was instructed, and he seated himself on the back of the Black Seal. Then the Black Seal began swimming. He swam for many days and many nights, and then one morning, First Man awoke from his sleep and saw a great island, filled with lush forests, and all types of animals and wild game he could hunt for food. And finally the Black Seal landed on the shores of that island, wnd First Man retrieved hie belongings from the back of Soshkori and thanked him profusely. Then after Soshkori left, First Man entered the forest eo that he could set up camp in his new home.But the Fire Demon heard that First Man had departed, and he began to plot and scheme, for now was his chance to escape his snowy prison. "Nitori kah itá!", he said. You are a fool! And so he jumped out of the mountain he dwelt in, and then he too wandered in the direction that Soshkori had taken First Man.Now First Man had been living several years in the new land, and for the first time since he was created he was happy. No longer did he suffer from hunger, for game was plentiful, and the forests yielded many types of berries and nuts and fruits that until then he had never known. He even found First Woman, and he took her as his mate, and she bore him many children.But one day, the Fire Demon came to the shores of that great land. Not only was it teeming with great forests, but in the distance he saw great mountains. "I shall take those mountains as my home," he said, and he did so, and with great stealth he made his way to the far side of the island, which was rocky and seldom visited by First Man and First Woman, and their children. Then he came across the opening of a cavern, and he entered it and meandered through its countless tunnels, across its spiked ground and past its icicles of stone. He found a passageway and entered it, and then suddenly the passageway caved in. He had no way of escaping except through his one true power. And he summoned it with all his might, and his body became alit with fire, and his flames grew higher and hotter until he blew a hole through the passageway. But by this time his heat was too strong, and his fire blew out the top of the cavern and melted its inside. The force of the explosion rocked the island so hard that it caused an avalanche and killed First Man and First Woman's youngest child, her name was Chohari. At the same time, a great water of mountain of water swept across the ocean and swept away First Man and First woman's eldest child, a young man name Ayamporek. And when First Man looked up toward the sound of the explosion, he wept, for when he saw the volcano that exploded, he knew that the Fire Demon had followed him there.And so this is why tsunamis strike Kôya Island so frequently. This is why Mount Orik-ha sends up hot rocks into the air and burns the forests, and this is why so many of the children of First Man and First Woman, the Nanhoshka people, die when Mount Orik-ha unleashes his wrath.

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The War of the Salmon Speakers and Horse Speakers of 1472

Several years before European explorers landed and conquered a minor sultunate in what was to become Manila, in Minhay a brief but fierce war erupted between two powerful tribes. On one side were the Horse Speakers, who were aggressively expanding their territory eastwards where the weather was milder than their homeland in the Central Plateau, and pasture for their horse herds were abundant. On the other side were the Salmon Speakers, who after a previous war had earler driven out another tribe called the Bear Speakers who had been constantly raiding Salmon Speaker settlements. Now the former Bear Speaker territories sloped gently westward from the western footlands of the Pacific Coastal Mountain Range, the heart of Salmon Speaker Country, and extended through dry woodland, which finally became flat plains with many oxbow rivers. So this land, which later became part of today’s Tuhattam Prefecture, was occupied by the Western Salmon Speakers.

So it was inevitable that the eastward expansion of the Horse Speakers, Minhay’s most feared tribe, would lead to a clash with the Salmon Speakers, the most powerful maritime tribal nation. The Horse Speakers overwhelmed those Salmon Speakers who had occupied the flat plains. This victory however failed to prevent the Salmon Speakers from launching vicious reprisal attacks from the oxbow rivers, which the Salmon Speakers dominated with their superior nautical skills and their sleek and swift war canoes. The Salmon Speakers, who were also masters of the coastal mountain forests of their homeland, halted the Horse Speakers’ advance at the western edges of the woodland.

A final, bloody battle took place at the Salmon Speaker settlement called Tuhattam, from which the prefecture derives its name. The area surrounding Tuhattam is covered with thin woodland, enough to make attacks from horseback difficult but not impossible for the Horse Speakers. The area however also is studded by erratics and piles of tumulus, remnants from ancient glaciers. There are also many brooks and streams that flow through the area, the type of place that would make a Salmon Speaker feel at home, as well as a lethal guerilla fighter.

Other Salmon Speaker bands were migrating towards Tuhattam to provide additional reinforcements. At around this time the Salmon Speakers had added two additional weapons to their arsenal. One was the Salmon Speaker long bow, whose length extended from the kneecap and reached upward past the warrior’s crown by a full head, and was strung with a taut bowstring made from twisted animal tendon treated with a tree resin that kept the fibers tough yet supple and resilient. It was a long-range weapon specially designed with the charging Horse Speaker in mind. The other weapon was a long, curved sword made from high-quality carbon steel, a design directly imported from the Kingdom of Kogureo (aka Korea).

A horde of Horse Speakers fell upon Tuhattam on one early morning in spring. The Salmon Speakers both within the settlement and without had been long prepared for this day. Still, the Horse Speakers, who greatly outnumbered the defenders, breached one of the spiked timber palisades and a very bloody battle ensued within the settlement. Outside both Speakers were engaged in a seesaw battle, the Horse Speakers trying to surround the defenders, and the hail of arrows from Salmon Speaker archers armed with long bows thwarting their enemy’s tactics. The Salmon Speakers inside the settlement finally prevailed in hand-to-hand combat, as their new Korean-style swords were superior to that of the Horse Speakers. The Horse Speakers were about to launch a second wave of horsemen, but the arrival of the Kamakkūy band from Salmon Speaker Country caused the Horse Speakers to halt. Now the numbers were evenly matched. The war chief of the Horse Speakers, disturbed by the Salmon Speakers’ new weaponry, and unnerved that a force only a third of the size of his could fight so fiercely, decided to withdraw.

As a historical event, objectively the Horse Speaker and Salmon Speaker War of 1472 was a draw, as the Horse Speakers kept their territorial conquests in the southern plains, where oxbow rivers were few in number, while the Salmon Speakers retained control of all the woodlands and the northern plains, which contained several of the oxbow rivers. Still, to this day the Horse Speakers say they won the war because they drove out the Salmon Speakers from the southern plains, while the Salmon Speakers claim that the victory is theirs because they drove away the Horse Speakers from the woodlands and northern plains that would later form the western part of Tuhattam Prefecture, and their victory over the Horse Speakers at the Battle of Tuhattam.

But perhaps the most important outcome was this war shattered the reputation of Horse Speaker invincibility. It also erased all notions that the Salmon Speakers are always a gentle, easygoing people . This war revealed why the Salmon Speakers also call themselves the People of the Orca.

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Gālast min gaggādi min sumbātide dutyusaptasnumāš, arbuħtaħnesandūr wabbakšaš.

Even if a thousand Horse Speaker arrows fall upon you, you shall still live.

Salmon Speaker saying from Tuhattam Prefecture

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Akkar intakaħsareksatumāš, Gāl Kūranaft silaptaħnesuš, wattūmeymasn.

Look steadfast at the enemy's arrows that fly in your path.  You will ride the Black Horse tomorrow. Horse Speaker Saying