I will stop using the word empire from now on
I just think the word empire always wasn't appropriate to how maanuls colonies work as well as it does not Corolates with their way of thinking, it will be replaced by the word region or by stuff like south /north and ect as well as be called those in maaniali, for example maak'thao means west and keezeh means east.
On altuyur there isn't countries or borders, just bunch of colonies of people living a very community-based lifestyle, colonies can be the same number as a village to a small city (big colonies like these are rare, there is only one per region) The rest of the colonies are scattered around and will have contact with their nearby colonies.
They're so driven to being a social species that they will raise any children despite not being related blood wise, they think that spiritually they all form one and will compare themselves to the equivalent of mycelium on altuyur, because they say that they're a network that is connected to one a other. (This all also goes for kyhuines)
So I think using the word empire feels too much like if they had a country, which they don't and is a concept they wouldn't like because to them you can't own a part of altuyur or decide where a country starts and ends, they would think you're stealing from haanu (or in kyhuines case "Mahiiti" because this also applies to them)