Zhïammaa

Zhïammaa is a collective term for a number of abilities that the kkoarhae use to communicate with each other, and to communicate with, and control, their domestic animals.

Zhïammaa Nature and Abilities

 
Though humans are prone to refer to zhïammaa as a psychic or telepathic ability, it is in fact biochemical. Kkoarhae (and indeed, all warmblooded vertibrates on Shäwhaess) produce strong biochemical signals of mood, emotion, and physical state called zhïa. Zhïa, in turn, is interpreted by small organs in the nose, mouth, and throat; zhïa can be read in either air or water, and zhïa signals are often clearer and propagate farther underwater. Zhïammaa is literally 'the art of zhïa," and refers to the ability to read and interpret zhïa signals in the environment. 
All kkoarhae can, from birth, sense certain zhïa: strong emotions such as anger, joy, fear, or grief, and physical states such as illness, stress, and exhaustion. These signals are easiest to read with other kkoarhae, more difficult with other warmblooded vertebrates native to Shäwhaess, and extremely difficult to impossible with coldblooded animals, invertebrates, and all creatures not native to Shäwhaess--though with training, some particularly perceptive kkoarhae have been able to learn to read humans. It is also generally easier to read people with whom you are familiar, as their own idiosyncratic responses become familiar.

With training in zhïammaa, kkoarhae can pick up far more subtle cues. Most adult kkoarhae can tell if someone is attempting to deceive them, though this ability is far from a reliable lie detector; it may be impossible to tell which statement of a set is the deception (and whether it is a minor and trivial deception--a little white lie--or a significant one), and it fails utterly if the speaker believes their own lie. Elders, teachers, and justice-givers are also able to gauge the mood of entire groups and communities.
The kkoarhae can also use zhïammaa as a projective ability, to deliberately intensify certain emotional signals and deliberately repress others. They cannot 'lie' using zhïa, but they can selectively choose which emotions to enhance and which to repress. This ability is called mmöemmaa, or 'the art of calm' (though in some circumstances it may be used for effects other than calm).
 

Zhïammaa and Domestic Animals

The kkoarhae are capable of reading vertebrate warmblooded creatures native to Shäwhaess with zhïammaa, though they require practice, as the feelings and physical status of animals are not intuitive to them the way such signals are from their own species. This has two important implications for kkoarhae society: they do not eat those creatures from whom they can easily receive zhïa signals, and they deliberately use zhïammaa to help them manage and handle their domestic animals, which they raise only for transportation, hair/wool, and milk. Because they cannot read, or at least cannot easily read, coldblooded animals or invertebrates of any kind, they have no compunction about eating those animals. 
Kkoarhae animal handlers use zhïammaa to assess the health and wellbeing of animals under their care, and also to project emotions to the animals. For example, projecting a strong sense of calm may soothe a fractious animal. The vasse, which resemble large feathered manta rays and are used to pull the raft colonies, are trained to respond to strong signals of pleasure or approval from their handlers, which the handlers use to 'steer' them.
See Domestic Animals of the Kkoarhae for more information.

Mmöemmaa

Mmöemmaa, or the art of calm, is the corollary ability to zhïammaa. In shorthand, it is sometimes called the art of repressing or enhancing  zhïa, but this is not quite accurate. Producing zhïa signals is an unconscious reflex that, in most cases, cannot be controlled. instead, mmöemmaa is the art of deliberately altering one's mental state so as to produce the desired zhïa signals. For instance, if a kkoarhae is angry, they cannot stop producing zhïa signals indicating that anger--but they can use meditative techniques to reduce their anger and replace it with joy or calm. Similarly, an ill kkoarhae cannot stop producing zhïa signals of illness, but they can reduce their subjective distress, thus making those signals less alarming for those around them.
At least minimal competence in mmöemmaa is considered a necessity for good living among the kkoarhae, especially as their society is a tightly-knit one necessarily restrained to the limited space of a raft colony. It is considered rude for anyone out of early childhood to bombard their families and neighbors with strong emotions under normal circumstances, especially strong negative emotions. Thus, everyone is expected to keep their emotions at least somewhat in check. The kkoarhae aren't expected to completely tamp down their emotions (and indeed, a kkoarhae who is perceived as unreadable is distressing in their own way), but to keep them at a low pitch. In some cases, it is culturally acceptable to show one's feelings at a stronger intensity than would normally be acceptable. For example, family and close friends are given a great deal of laxity in expressing their grief for several days after a death. On a more positive note, strong signals of joy and pleasure are acceptable during festivals and holidays. In addition, mmöemmaa can be used to selectively intensify various feelings for artistic purposes (see Zhiamma in Art for more information. Mmöemmaa uses a variety of meditative and techniques to achieve mastery of emotions. These are deliberately taught to and practiced by children, and by adolescence, kkoarhae are generally expected to be able to master their own feelings, keeping the projection of them to a quiet pitch that is only detectable when in close proximity. As very small children and especially infants are not yet capable of effective mmöemmaa, however, their own sense of distress, pleasure, discomfort, or other feelings is often felt like a shout to all the families nearby--and the weary parents are happy when the child outgrows that stage.

Zhïammaa and Disability

In some people, the ability to read zhïa signals is weakened or entirely absent, rendering them unable to sense the physical and mental states of those around them. This is considered a disability on the scale of deafness or blindness, and can cause issues for the kkoarhae thus affected; much of kkoarhae society assumes that one will be able to read at least basic information about the state of those around them. Kkoarhae with this disability are called "axxei," a shortening of a longer and much older phrase that roughly translates to "those who live in the quiet." Axxei must rely on voice, body language, and words to interpret the feelings of those around them; their friends and relatives usually attempt to put feelings into words to help them, but may forget to do so, or have difficulty articulating their feelings, as they do not have practice in needing to do so.
Many axxei end up in professions that require quiet and concentration, as they have the advantage of not being distracted by the feelings of those around them. As such, axxei are often somewhat pitied by other kkoarhae, who see them as missing out on various elements of community, but are also highly valued for their analytical and detail work. Those who are axxei from birth generally adapt to this role quite well; those who are axxei because illness or injury damaged their sensory organs have a much more difficult time adapting to a world in which they cannot feel the feelings of their neighbors. From a kkoarhae perspective, all humans are axxei. 
More problematic to the kkoarhae are disabilities that prevent the effective practice of mmöemmaa. Unlike the axxei, whose disability stems from a single cause (absent, nonfunctional, or damaged sensory organs, or brain damage to the part of the brain capable of interpreting the signals from those organs), the inability to effectively practice mmöemmaa may stem from many causes, ranging from the physiological to the psychological. In most cases, teachers will spend extra time attempting to train the affected kkoarhae in at least minimal competence in mmöemmaa.  If this is not possible, it will be taken into consideration when the elders assess the kkoarhae for a role on the raft-colony. Those who 'leak' strong emotions, but are generally cheerful and well-adjusted, may be able to perform in a normal role in the colony; such are generally referred to as kküexxa, "sunny," as they often spill joy or pleasure onto those around them. Kkoarhae who cannot manage their emotions and who tend to more negative emotions, however, are generally kept isolated from those around them; they may be given roles as scouts, taking them away from the community for long periods of time, and given rafts on the edges of the colony so that their leakage does not sour the moods of everyone around them. It is not uncommon for these kkoarhae to send themselves into exile.

Zhïammaa in Art

Just as mmöemmaa can be used to quiet the emotions, it can also be selectively used to make them louder. While this would be considered rude in most situations, it can be used artistically, or in religious or festival traditions. Dancing and singing is central to many celebrations among the kkoarhae, and most kkoarhae dances are accompanied by a group of three to five singers (though the audience may choose to sing along), at least one drummer, at least one flute-player, optionally the player of a turtle-shell lyre, and three to five kkoarhae practiced in using mmöemmaa to generate and project a sense of festivity or joy. Similarly, a storyteller practiced in mmöemmaa might stir themselves up to various emotions when telling a story, and then project those semi-artificial emotions to enhance the effect: sadness when describing the death of the protagonist's mentor-elder, anger when confronting the mentor-elder's murderer, joy at achieving peace of the mentor-elder's spirit, and so on.

Genetic Engineering

While zhïa and zhïammaa are natural to warmblooded vertebrates on Shäwhaess, the degree of sensitivity and control that the modern kkoarhae have over it is not natural. Six thousands years prior to the modern era, the dominant culture of the time, the Öekkëtt, was a technologically advanced society proficient in genetic engineering. Though they were relatively circumspect about its use on their own people prior to the flood disaster, when it became clear that they were not going to be able to stop the catastrophic flooding, they enhanced its abilities to allow for strong and more finely-grained control of domestic animals. Their vastly increased sensitivity to one another was considered a useful side-effect, as a society confined to small spaces on rafts, deeply interdependent, would need to be one that was intensely concerned with the social fabric and the emotional wellbeing of others.