Xidipuge

Xidipuge, or duck kite, is a toy played with by young Yalisi children on the island of Yalisi, the neighboring islands, and among the Vesisape Yalisi on the mainland. To make a xidipuge, one will take a piece of square cloth, decorate it to look like a mideupi, a mammile resembling a duck with short fur and only one eye, and stretch it over a cross of wooden sticks fastened together with string. When thrown into the air against strong wind, the xidipuge will fly high and, if well crafted, for a sustained period of time.
Mideupi are known for dueling amongst each other in competition for mates, and children mimic their battles by trying to fly their own xidipuge into another's, sending it crashing down to the beach.

Manufacturing process

Some people will infuse magic into their xidipuges to make them more stable. Once magic has been applied, the xidipuge is often called a zezoni xidipuge, or "storm xidipuge," as the magic keeps them flying high without problem even in rough squalls. Using a storm xidipuge during battles is frowned upon and can be subject to disqualification in organized events. A tell-tale sign that magic has been applied is the apparent stillness of the kite in lighter winds.

History

The first xidipuge is attested to one of the old Yalisi king's children. One of the children's guardians found the child's fascination with mideupi to be endearing, and the child had started to outgrow the silly wooden mideupi boats used as swimming toys. Mideupi are great swimmers, but the guardian wanted to create a toy that would mimic the mammile's ability to soar high in the air, even in the most dangerous of storms.
The original xidipuge was lost to time, but many copies were made during the child's life, as they insisted that their playmates also have one so that they could fly them together. The idea of battling the kites sprung naturally from group kite flying sessions.

Significance

Mideupi have lived along the coasts of the continent for millions of years, evolving along with the Teronura. Many representations of the animal appear in Yalisi art and recreation for thousands of years.
It is customary for any child after a few years old to have flown a xidipuge at least once, if not owned their own.

A very fancy xidipuge with a soft stuffed mammile attached to the cloth rather than having the cloth cut to look like the animal as is typical.

Related ethnicities

• Vesisape Yalisi
• Yalisi

Rarity

Fairly common

Raw materials & Components

Cloth made from the fibers of the Lakoma plant is a common material that can be cut into a square and then stretched across two crossed wooden sticks. The center where the two sticks cross is wound tightly with string to secure the join. The corners of the kite have pockets to insert the sticks and keep them sturdy. The pockets are then glued shut to prevent the pockets from causing the kite to fly improperly.
From the center of the join is fastened a long (6-10 m) piece of string that ends with some sort of handle, usually made of another stick.