This is actually going to retcon a few things I’ve said about gender, but eh. I like it better this way. (not a language post really, but I felt it was needed to round out the culture.)
The Sumii people generally recognize three genders, but it’s not unheard of for someone’s identity to fall outside this gender trinary. Two of them are close to what we’d recognize as “male” (tema) and “female” (temi). The third, temen, is basically just “third gender” (in fact, the very word comes from the words for “person” and “three.”) It is not an agender or polygender identity. They normally use the het pronoun, and are treated as a sort of gender neutral category.
Sumii culture doesn’t really have gender roles, aside from some items of clothing being worn normally by men or women (not as a strict rule however, and temen people do not follow any sort of clothing restriction) and the Tsarehi almost always being female (again not always the case – in some villages it is considered an archaic rule, and you see men or temen in the role, and others consider temen the only ones fit to be Tsarehi).
Gender is not assigned at birth. All children are considered non-gendered until they’re able to grasp the concept, at which point they’re allowed to choose what fits best for them. However, this doesn’t mean people don’t get an idea in their heads what gender the child is – some do end up calling a child “little sister/brother” or giving them a more gendered name or pronouns based on their anatomy. And speaking of anatomy… I’m not going to go into too much detail at the moment what their genitalia is like, but there is, for lack of better terms, one that is considered “male” and one that is “female,” and many that we would call “intersex.” Intersex people are much more common here than they are among humans. Most end up falling into the temen category, but some do identify as men or women.
As for sexuality, they have the same range as we do – people who love different genders, the same gender, multiple genders, or aren’t interested in anyone. There are no specific words for each one, and in fact they aren’t considered separate identities at all. For the Sumii, love really is just love. Polyamory is also pretty common. In fact, you’d probably just as often see a family with three parents as you would two!
I need to dump some more out of the word list. But hey, they’re kind of necessary, aren’t they?
Ene - To breathe (en - breath)
Hasaa - To lead
Iavi - To force*
Iti - To jump
Ksara - To fight (ksanom - a fight)
Lada - To try
Oji - To cause* (oji is also the noun form of cause)
Saati - To visit
Sadaa - To take
Selaa - To add
Yunsono - To threaten (yunson - threat, mesono - threatening)
Cannot be interchanged as in English. “iavi” is to intend something to happen and make it happen through your actions, while “oji” is passive - one event causes another to happen with no intent. Â
“Aali atip i maaya ak hapena dra, komatit kurin uusa an dak.”
“If one stands at the edge of the water, their feet won’t stay dry.”
This is a Sumii proverb basically meaning “you can’t be a bystander without getting involved in some way, because even choosing to walk away is a choice that affects the outcome of a situation.”
I sketched a couple of the animals found on Samit. This is going to be long and image-heavy, so everything will be under the cut. Also, I apologize if the images are hard to see. I don’t have a scanner at the moment. And I have no idea why most of them are sideways...
Kunip
A panther-like animal used by the Sumii as a mount. They are very fast and, as desert- and plains-dwellers, can tolerate extreme temperaures. However, they lack pulling strength. They are naturally insectivores but can eat small bits of meat if necessary - their teeth are not sharp enough to tear meat.
Talasi
Already mentioned in one of the food posts, though I’ve changed its anatomy a little. The “forelegs” I changed to two antennae with tiny hairs that can sense movement and temperature. Its body is made up of tough bean-shaped segments protecting a soft underbelly. They are herbivorous, eating mostly algae.
Enaali
Very similar to an earth salamander. There are actually several species of them, some for land and some for water - here is the water version. Those flaps of skin under its forelegs help propel it in water, a second set of eyelids help to see, and it has large, efficient lungs that allow it to hold its breath for hours. Like the talasi, it has antennae on its head as well as “whiskers” down its spine and on its face. (The head ones also serve a second purpose - they’re bioluminescent and attract prey.) Both the land and sea species lack claws, and instead have tiny spines lining their feet.
Hanti
Once forest-dwelling predators, they have been domesticated by the Sumii as pets. They are still capable hunters, though, with their two rows of tiny, sharp teeth, beartrap-like jaws, and whippy tails. They’re often found hiding in tree branches and on roofs - those long fingers are made for climbing. Wild breeds still have a pair of bony spikes on their tail tips, but the domesticated ones only have small lumps in their place. They’re also mostly hairless, except for a strip of hair running down the spine. Don’t expect them to meow or purr - their vocalizations are too high pitched to be heard.
Tapi
A hairless, carnivorous rodent. They’re actually an important part of the decomposition process, as most of their diet consists of scavenged meat. Their long snout homes in on the scent of rot and blood, and their fangs easily tear meat from bone. It can hold its own against small predators by biting and whipping with its tail spikes.
Yaameimu
This one’s not a specific species, but the general concept of “fish.” Most resemble eels, with a large fin on top and bottom of its body and propelled by smaller fins to the side. Its eyes are on antennae protruding from its head. Each pair can see at different parts of the light spectrum. They can’t smell, but some can sense chemical changes in the water on their scales.
Aanoho
Filter-feeding invertebrates. Its four long tentacles both move it around in water and glow. The purpose of the glowing is unknown, though it’s thought to either attract plankton or serve as some form of communication among members of its species. The “mouth” underneath its bell has tiny hairs that pull in plankton.
Ditsei
A type of bug. It pushes itself through the air with its wing flaps, or can ride along on air currents. Like most bugs it has two pairs of eyes held on stalks. On both the top and bottom of its body there are griplike hairs, allowing it to grab onto trees where it feeds on leaves.
So long story short, I’m working on translating Pokemon Emerald into Sumii and ended up with a rather large list of words. I figured rather than posting them one at a time as the WotD, it’d be more useful (and clear my “add to dictionary” list faster) to just post them all at once.
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Nouns:
Apulan - Bottom (after a word it becomes “below”)
Arot - Top (after a word it becomes “above”)
Dalya - Music
Katsi - Tide
Lalyi - Tongue
Meij - Skin
Ninyut - Facial expression
Serel - Sound
Uluti - Baby
Utsei - Wave (on water)
Yaja - Shadow
Verbs:
Adoka - To follow
Emya - To choose (emyu - choice, memya - chosen)
Iliki - To tickle
Nuali - To fix (menuali - fixed)
Saadi - To finish (mesaadi - done)
Sutaja - To copy (sutaj - duplicate/copy, mesutaj - copied)
Taa - To kill
Tadi - To hide (metadi - hidden)
Umajo - To close
Particles:
Ni- - Thing that ____, ____ing thing (Used like si- for people words. For example, “imit nitaa” would be “killing blade” or “the blade that kills.” Or you could use nitaa by itself if it’s been established you’re talking about said blade, if you wanted to say something like “it’s a killer.” Me- can be used in a similar way.)
It’s an adjective marker. Words in Sumii are pretty flexible; you can take a verb or noun and change it into whatever you need. So me- makes an adjective, ne- for adverbs, and you can take the vowel off a verb to make a noun, among other things.
I’m glad to hear you like this! And questions are always appreciated.
So long story short, I’m working on translating Pokemon Emerald into Sumii and ended up with a rather large list of words. I figured rather than posting them one at a time as the WotD, it’d be more useful (and clear my “add to dictionary” list faster) to just post them all at once.
---------------------------------
Nouns:
Apulan - Bottom (after a word it becomes “below”)
Arot - Top (after a word it becomes “above”)
Dalya - Music
Katsi - Tide
Lalyi - Tongue
Meij - Skin
Ninyut - Facial expression
Serel - Sound
Uluti - Baby
Utsei - Wave (on water)
Yaja - Shadow
Verbs:
Adoka - To follow
Emya - To choose (emyu - choice, memya - chosen)
Iliki - To tickle
Nuali - To fix (menuali - fixed)
Saadi - To finish (mesaadi - done)
Sutaja - To copy (sutaj - duplicate/copy, mesutaj - copied)
Taa - To kill
Tadi - To hide (metadi - hidden)
Umajo - To close
Particles:
Ni- - Thing that ____, ____ing thing (Used like si- for people words. For example, “imit nitaa” would be “killing blade” or “the blade that kills.” Or you could use nitaa by itself if it’s been established you’re talking about said blade, if you wanted to say something like “it’s a killer.” Me- can be used in a similar way.)
Funerals are conducted as soon after death as possible, out of respect for the deceased. Everyone has a right to a funeral regardless of whether they were a good or bad person - after death, what happens to them is in the hands of the Amiriyute (afterlife will be discussed below.)
The Tsarehi leads the funeral, and everyone in the village is welcome as long as they remain respectful. Generally though, they consist of only those who knew the person. The Sumii cremate their dead, and the funeral is held at the same location (always somewhere outside the village, to keep it ceremonially clean). After the body is placed on the pyre (katsav), someone will start a menukonya, or mourning song. The songs are always different; they don’t have words, just a melody, and they’re made up on the spot. The others may join in or just listen. Once that is finished, they may leave gifts to be burned with the body (these are also considered utrapatla, since you’re entering the “home” of the dead.)Â
The actual burning is only attended by the Tsarehi. Instead of wood, usually a flammable oil is used so the body burns hot. The ashes are left to blow away in the wind, and any solid remains left are buried.
After death, there are two possibilities, depending on their actions in life. Either the deceased is allowed into the afterlife to live in the stars and watch over the living, or they are reincarnated to try again at being a good person. If a soul has been reincarnated many times and not learned their lesson, the Amiriyute may decide to curse them to walk the world as a nokri, or lost spirit. They will be forever unseen by their people and bring about misfortune where they go.
The Amiriyute are also seen as each playing a role in death. Mitsal decides how the body dies. Aalo separates the spirit from the body, and guides them to be judged. The spirit is presented before Ayusel, who ultimately makes the decision on the spirit’s afterlife. The others are allowed to discuss with her, but in the end her decision is final.
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New vocabulary:
Ava - To die (av - death, meyav - dead)
Katsav - Pyre
Menukonya - Mourning song (plural: menukonyat)
Nokri - Lost/cursed spirit
Nuadi - To mourn
Selyaam - Funeral
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