The First Government of Antarand

The Story

The first people to live in Antarand were the Mermish  and the settlers from the Bathblast Islands, thus we call them the First Islanders. They settled in many places on the island, but especially along the Forgecard River, bringer of life. And they lived peacefully.
Then came the Pelan , who sought refuge. They agreed with the First Islanders that they had no claim to land, but asked that they might have a small piece of it, for they had claim to no land. And so the First Islanders let the Pelan stay, and they traded skills and goods. The First Islanders taught the Pelan how to fish, and the Pelan taught them how to use a bow and arrow. And they lived peacefully.
Then came the Xurugwi , who were recognized and welcomed by the Pelan. And the Pelan told them the First Islanders might offer them a piece of land if they could live in peace. And so the Xurugwi brought them bone art. And they lived peacefully.
Then came the Sprites , who were skeptical of humans and war-like, but the Pelan and the Xurugwi stood with the First Islanders to defend their right to the island. And the sprites saw that if they stole the land, they would become the monsters they escaped from, and so they took only a small part of the unused land. They brought new ways to grow the trees and life flourished on the island. And they lived peacefully.
Then came the Yub , who agreed to the same terms the other islanders settled in. And they brought with them a need for structure.
And so the Yub leader went to the leaders of each of the other four communities and suggested they form an alliance, in the event that newcomers arrive on the island. The other four considered this superfluous, for they already lived in peace. But the Yub leader came again, and said that formal alliance would make them stronger in the face of enemies and nations who might try to claim the island. So at last, they all agreed.
Each of the five communities sent their leaders to meet at the base of Forgecard Falls, for it was central among their communities, as site used by all for trade. Though they did not all speak the same language, the sprites served as interpreters, for they quickly learned every language on the island. And when the Yub said they needed a single leader at the head of the alliance, they chose from among the First Islanders, for they had willingly offered their home as refuge to the others. But to show that all were equal in their new alliance, they bathed in and drank from the river together, and once they had, they found they could all understand each other perfectly.
And so, on the banks of the Forgecard River, they forged their alliance. And they lived peacefully.

Historical Significance

This story tells of how the many people of Antarand came to live there peacefully, as well as how the first government of Antarand was made and how the royal line was chosen. The story emphasizes that aside from the First Islanders, Antarand is a home of refugees who are united in that they sought freedom. Though there is little documentation of early Antaran  government, it is agreed upon by Antaran historians that these five groups came to the island in this order and lived and traded (more or less) in peace, eventually interbreeding and integrating, evolving into modern day Antaran society. The story also provides an explanation for the Antaran language (also known as Antaran Creole) and the location of the capital city.

In Popular Culture

It is common for groups to perform this story during the National Day of Refuge. Though the story may have more elaborate scenes, there is usually a narrator who reads what each group brought to the island, and the audience is encouraged to say "And they lived peacefully," with the narrator. When the Yub first appear, they are often depicted as shadowy and strange, only to be revealed at the end to be no different than the other groups on the island. This not only reflects Yub culture, which centers around darkness and and the unknown, but serves as a dramatic turn, since the Yub are the only people who do not have the line "And they lived peacefully" immediately after their arrival.

Variations

Related Ethnicities

• Antaran
• Pelan

Related Species

• human
• Mermish
• Sprite

Related Locations

• Forgecard Falls
• Southern Islands
• Unity Bathhouse

Related Organizations

• Antarand
• Epaluno
• Xurugwi
• Yub

Connection to Unity Bathhouse

The Unity Bathhouse was built of the area of Forgecard Falls where the five groups supposedly met bathed in the water. It is open to all in Antarand, and many people believe the waters are purifying in some way. It is also a common ritual for new citizens to bathe there, as the first Antarans did.

Connection to Modern Government

It is said that the original government consisted of the king or queen, and the legislature, which represented the five communities of Antarand. Since the communities have become more intertwined (with new groups joining, besides), the country is now divided into five districts, with each represented in the legislature.