hoko mʌnik/Dawn Moniqan Ethnicity (/ˈoko manik/)

  "Who can tell me what dawn moniqan means, in the context of Arndology?"   "It's a shorthand to refer to the civilisations that predate the founding of modern Moniq, under the then Hunarch of Goguryeo, and it's establishment of many treaties."   "That is accurate, but incorrect, or at least, incomplete... You see, the modern idea of Dawn Moniqan predates that Hunarch by almost a century, due to a confluence of events. Any favourite guesses what they are? Yes, Amarat?"   "Didn't the Era start with the codification of Moniqan as a modern language, instead of the prior glyphs?"   "I want to tell you you're right, but think about it... The codification of Moniqan as a language took what was the glyphs then... It did not reinvent or re-glyph a language that was, at the time, the most spoken in all of Arnd."   "Wouldn't it be that reglyphing, that starts the era then? Seems to me it would be quite an event."   "It would, except it was not a single event, the reglyphing took centuries, if not millenia. You see, the Moniqans never agreed to give up the old glyphs, or at least, not more than one at a time."   "How different were the Dawn Moniqans from the new ones then?"   "Aah, now you're onto something. These changes did not happen in Isolation, the Dawn Moniqans were nomadic hunter-gatherers, with a complex oral culture and traditions. They traded with the nearby Goguryeans for ships, and used those ships to extend their reach. They did so with some distaste, according to the ancient texts, thinking that the best land for their people was that of Moniq, but individual soldier leaders felt that to expand their reach over lesser land was still better than to kill each other over the best land."   "Those texts are Moniqan?"   "Ah, what a pertinent question, no, they are not. They are, Innu texts, written in Dawn Moniqan, but with the dialect that was associated with the Innu Warlords that were ousted when Kagomine was founded. Many historians critique the veracity on the texts because it seems they are sugar-coating their own departure and/or exile from early Moniq."   "Do we know if the clan matriarchs came over?"   "Hmm, we do not yet know that with certainty, why do you think it relevant?"   "Because the modern Moniqans would not let a clan leader leave, I assumed if the clan leaders moved, then this had a more widspread approval. After all, a clan moving would move the entire clan, not just the soldiers or leaders." Then, Avalline d'Ankeryn interjected.   "The Amarat Scroll claims clan Matriarch marriages were arranged to stabilize the rule of Moniq over Innu, did we find any corroborating claims?"   "The Amarat Scroll and the Kannici Codex are uncorroborated, except by each other. They're believed, if they are genuine, to have been written within five years of one another, and to describe related events." She was an aristocrat of some repute, if not quite on Amarat's level, and her knowledge of Arndology¹ seemed extensive.   "Be that as it may, you're going to find out..."   The whole class groaned, they knew what was coming...   "You'll write a five page essay on Dawn Moniqan, expected on my desk by next week, I want you in groups of five, we'll reuse your first-day Introductory Groups. Each group of five is to pick one subaspect of Arndology, whether geography, sociology, migratory studies, literature, heraldry, the art history of a major form of art that was practiced at a time, and write how it was impacted by such a colossal shift in both language, and culture. Oh, Amarat, stay after class, I have a question..."   "How did you know about the Clan Mothers?"   "I've met Clan Mother Hyacinth Xue and Clan Mother Raxani Xhi."   "Lady Hyacinth and Lady Jasmine, respectively, the two highest ladies at court in modern Moniq, and you throw their names around!"   "They... were quite insistant I address them as Clan Mother Hyacinth and Clan Mother Raxani, not their titles..."   "Oh, and how did they refer to you?"   "They... called me cousin."   "Of course they would."   "You don't believe me."   "You're not making this up?"   "Why, what's the big deal?"   "There's actual ongoing research on whether or not current moniqan clan ladies can leave. No one from Moniq is participating, so we're not sure. If you went and asked them, and had some kind of recording..."   "No, I didn't carry recording devices with me, not at age six... And my mother and I were diarists, but I doubt it would count..."   "Perhaps not, but still, it's... acceptable that you put it in your essay. Current arndology does not exclude self-testimony, especially of events one has participated in or witnessed in person. It only requires robust self-examination, including the motives for such."    

"What did they put in the water this year?" The Traci was upset, this was not normal. A teacher at this level was usually unflappable. "I've the Mei and signal pleasure." He didn't sound pleased. "To announce that two papers from this class have been selected for the short list for the Overdomei of Innu's prize for original research. Group 3, for their essay on Sculpture, and the psychology of movement, numbering: . and Group 6. whose essay on family structures was picked up for the shortlist, and triggered the formation of a military research ad hoc group from SpecForce! By: Avalline d'Ankeryn, Amarat Veneer Jr, Dentrag Aixpee, Nehanna Laigai, Reina Narapt and Kalatran Tsu. They're waiting for you outside, no, I'm keeping your paper, they... already have copies."

 

"What?"

"I'll let Disruptor Douallé Moneydime explain."

 

As one group of students was escorted away, the remaining thirty students continued the lesson. "So what was so important about the Dawn Moniqan? We have a whole module on them..."

"Oh, as a civilisation commonly thought to have invented writing, they're the most ancient civlisation for which we actually have consistent, mostly accurate and trustworthy reports. For the non-arndologist, civilisation started in Dawn Moniq."

"Are they named because they were the dawn of the Moniqan civilization?"

"Ugh, a horrible pun, no it's a bad translation of hoko mʌnik that stayed. They referred to their civilization as such in some of the most ancient texts, it means 'glory of dawn' or 'glorious dawn' depending on translation."

"Shouldn't we be wary of calling them glorious, to their face?"

"Well, the term only refers to the ancient ones... That was the object of some debate. But the global consensus, not just in Kagomei, was that the glorious ones were the nomads, and while the more modern Moniqans are a lot easier to deal with, they're precisely easier to deal with because they're more agrarian civilization less horseback raiders. Less glorious, by the standards of the hoko mʌnik, but still plenty strong, by ours. Most modern Moniqans feel their standard of living is an improvement too, not that many like living in yurts and hunting for their own food."

"There's a darker side to this, too, isn't there?"

"Explain, please?"

"There was zero immigration in Dawn Moniqan society, save the odd marriage into the tribes. You were joining up to follow where they went?"

"Actually, that's in one of your essays, as well, there's evidence there was immigration, but the direction did change. More than a thousand years before Kagomei existed as a nation, there were no measurable people of Kagomine extraction in what would become Moniq. Now, Kagomine diaspora constitutes perhaps ten per cent of Moniqan residents, as befits our main trading partner, neighbouring country, and the size of the reverse diaspora... Moniqi constitute the same ten per cent of Kagomine.

Most traci can't even talk about students' origin, but here in Arndology, we must, it is part of our subject, and our curriculum... By happenstance..."

"Could we not talk about them while they're gone?" Interjected Amalthea Venatori, whose family's feud with the Veneers was well known, and indeed, of her six missing classmates, everyone knew she didn't want to sit through another mention of his unbroken line of descent to Great Kagomé herself.

"Of course, we should wait for their return."

""