Kafédin mé Hiĵagin, ta ofowin pa hiĵag ba xmeci (Wanderers and Sandmen, brothers in the mother desert)

Last night I finally got around to defining the difference between the two desert peoples of Wytn. For a very long time I had refused to do this, as I felt that they worked together as a rather cohesive group- but after viewing geography and seeing the difference in regions (which of course leads to differences, both subtle and overt, in lifestyle) I decided that defining these two groups would be a step forward in understanding the nomads.

What follows is a brief description of each, along with a picture showing the environment in which they are found. I expect to update this entry several times, so keep an eye out for changes.


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Nuv ta kafédin - About the wanderers
The Kafédin are a nomadic people (hence the name) who live in the area of the mother desert which lack the iconic shifting sands of the high desert. They come together once ever 4 years in a massive great "festival", during which time the tribal leaders conduct a bride exchange between their peoples, territory negotiations with other tribe leaders, and copious amounts of trade. Because of their interconnectedness, the dialects of the yaundin ta kafédin are very closely connected, and between any given group the dialects are guaranteed to be understood.

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Nuv ta hiĵagin - About the sandmen
The hiĵagin are famous for living in the massive rock complexes which crisscross beneath the shifting sands of the mother desert. Unlike their close relatives the kafédin, each group has its own distinctive dialect, and between different groups there is bound to be both a lack of understanding and hostility. The hiĵagin are tolerant towards their southern cousins, and from time to time trade and exchange women with them.

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Img sources:
* found here.
** found here.
*** found here.
**** Northwestern University Library, Edward S. Curtis's 'The North American Indian': the Photographic Images, 2001.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/award98/ienhtml/curthome.html