Hamal-i Shea

The Hamal-i Shea are a distinct ethnic group and identity of the Hamalfites. Hamal-i Shea groups are known to have traditionally settled in coastal areas in the Hisuuani Caliphate, though during the post-Mombadid era the tribe expanded as the Empire did, mostly escaping the growing size of urban communities. While the Hamal-i Shea speak their own distinct dialect of Hamalfite it is not so far divorced to be mutually unintelligible with their brethren and often the dialect has been co-opted by Hamalfite communities that live in coastal regions, often leading to the dialog being described as the "Coast Accent".
The Hamal-i Shea arose from Hamalfite or proto-Hamalfite tribes settling in fertile coastal areas like those in the area of Haison and who gave up nomadic life-style for sedentary life as farmers of land and sea, responsible for the cultivation of wheat, barley, and even rice. The Hamal-i Shea gained some notoriety as sailors both through longer-range fishing expeditions and through their own trading voyages along the Hamalfite coast and further.
Religiously, the group has largely co-opted the Ayba'dhja Asiaha'wabha as the popular religion although some groups popularly adhere to traditional Hamalfite paganism on some level.
== Eytomology ==
In much the same way as the Hamalfite refer to themselves as the "Blessed People" (Hamal + Iffite) the Hamal-i Shea refer to themselves in their dialect as the Hamal-i Shea or the "Blessed of [the] Sea".
== Origins ==
Anthropological studies of the Hamal-i Shea hypothesize that while they are not much different in language, appearance, and language, the the traditional practice of this group arose as a historical divergence of the peoples. The divergence is suggested to have possibly arose from as far back as Shizad al-Giroz who in his unification all the peoples by Hamalfite legends bound all men by the same language and custom until his death.
During the time of his reign the Hamalfites built their first semi-permanent cities and the heirs of this ancient legacy passed to the Hamal-i Shea who refused to return to the deserts and stayed in their coastal villages, harvesting salt, fish, and cereal crops which were in turn traded to the inland tribes for weapons, horses, peace, or other supplies. The history of the Hamal-i Shea then becomes a cycle of serving a tributary to larger Hamalfite tribes or staunchly independent people who manage to preserve an unbroken life-style.
Conversely, others might suggest the process of settling down along the coasts was a process of escaping desert economic hardship and to achieve an easy life-style on fertile shores as opposed to the outcome of a single event. Many Hamal-i Shea communities reject this notion, claiming lineage from Shizad al-Giroz.
== Culture ==
While the Hamal-i Shea are fundamentally the same as the in-land Hamalfites they have made notable contributions to the Hamalfite way of life through their existence. They are accredited to the preservation of Hamalfite cuneiform after the centralized collapse of post-Giroz as well as the development and implementation of the cursive Hamalfite Script. Their notable adaptation of boats over horses developed an independent naval tradition and their often accredited to the Hamalfite visual arts.
While existing in a rudimentary since pre-Mombadid the evolution and full realization of their contributions wasn't made until the Caliphate era. Though exceptions are made to the Hamalfite script, as the inland tribes adapted it openly for goat-hide transcriptions and as a literary basis and trade language.
Category:New Voldrania Category:Haisonuuna Category:Ethnicity