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Offline Kopsje

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BLICK - Regional Magazine
« on: September 27, 2021, 03:44:31 AM »

Gypsies of the Alucard

Children of the Blue
Gypsies of the Alcuard, Nomads of the Sea, Children of the Blue, these titles and many more are the names used to describe the exotic and often unnoticed people who inhabit the waters of the Alucard Ocean and its various islands. Known internationally simply as “Water Nomads” the group has become more widely known in recent years during their official “Declaration of Sovereignty” in early 2019. Though the Water nomads refer to themselves as simply “Sea Nomads”, ethnographers have come to classify the various tribal groups that compose the Nomads under the ethnic-cultural title of Humsoo.

The Humsoo live an unorthodox lifestyle in relation to the rest of the Welt, even by Nomadic standards. Opposed to residing on land the Humsoo spend the majority of their lives on handcrafted ships traveling by boat across the Alucard, occasionally making landfall on national coasts or in self built stilt dwellings. It is in these locations the Humsoo will temporarily rest exchanging greetings with fellow tribes, trading for essentials, and pawning off their own goods. Perhaps the most perplexing of the Humsoo is their economic culture. Opposed to any fixed currency as adopted by the majority of the Welt and its countries, even amongst land-dwelling nomadic peoples, the Humsoo exchange commerce entirely through bartering. In this way they are considered economically independent from any country or their currency. As one might expect the Humsoo make most of their living through aquaculture and artesian crafts. One method of their fishing practices, called “cyanide fishing” by those who study the Humsoo, involves divers spraying liquid cyanide near coral reefs as a means to drive out fish from hiding. This then causes fish to expose themselves to the divers who collect the fish and then sell them off. Though it is unclear whether all tribes or certain tribes use this particular method, it has earned the ire of many Countries who hold territories near and in the Alcuarad region.   

“Our faith teaches us that water is the source of all life and that the earth that reaches forth from its life giving waves is evil. For as long as anyone recalls we have therefore living on our boats travelling the relative safety of the Alucard…”
 
~ High Chief, Vouto Rar – Opening statement in the Declaration of Sovereignty

The Humsoo are a vast collection of peoples divided among numerous tribes. Though they may each differ in tribal costumes, one thing that ties the various groups together is their faith. Though itself subject to deviations among the tribes all tribes follow a generalised theology. With information collected from those who study the Water Nomads, and the scarce few accounts by Humsoo laymen themselves, a basic understanding of the religious practice has formed. The Humsoo believe the origin of the Welt is that of an endless ocean presided over by the deity known as Laimpei. Laimpei is a life deity accredited for the creation of the various form of aquatic-life and lesser spirits that serve them. It is also assumed by theologists, that Laimpei is the “giver of life” as the Humsoo attribute water with life and thus consider it a holy entity. In contrast a deity called Gothass is accredited with evil and, in Humsoo theology, said to have forced rock above the oceans in a means to drown out the waters of life with land, with an intent to ultimately destroy all the oceans and replace it with land. In this regard the Humsoo will avoid setting foot on land above sea level associating it with Gothass, evil, and as tainted territory. However as this land ultimately originates from below the oceans, the Humsoo believe that when raised it brought the gifts of the ocean with it and thus, though hesitant, will not shy away from collecting resources from lands. Prior to stepping foot on land, the Humsoo will engage in ornate rituals calling upon Laimpei to protect them from Gotthas and the evil spirits that dwell on land. The Humsoo will also avoid sleeping on land as it is believed that the evil spirits will take their resting bodies to Gothass.

The Humsoo believe their deity, Laimpei, dwells deep in the ocean’s depths within a submerged cavern. Considered a sacred place the Humsoo will take meticulous preparation to be reunited with their deity. Upon a tribe members passing the rest of the group will gather personal possessions and along with rocks wrap the fallen in a ceremonial garment. The deceased will then be blessed and set to the oceans where they will be submerged into the depths of the ocean. In this way the Humsoo believe that the deceased will eventually be reunited with Laimpei in their sacred cavern.

A state for the Stateless
“Since the earliest records began the people of the Alucard Sea have lead an existence unique to Mundus… For as long as anyone recalls we have therefore living on our boats travelling the relative safety of the Alucard Islands, we then have had land dwellers from Paracambi, Bakkermaya and Lodja spread into this region establishing their fixed lives…and now we find ourselves denied access to our ancient fisheries…This prejudice we face has lead to our nine tribes joining together and establishing the Confederation of Water Nomads…We therefore claim nine of the Alucard Islands as our sovereign territory and call for the international community to recognize our rights as a sovereign nation.”

~ High Chief, Vouto Rar – Opening statement in the Declaration of Sovereignty

On the 17th of April in 2019, under the leadership of Vouto Rar the first elected High Chief, four Humsoo tribes would make landfall on various uninhabited islands that dot the Alucard region, planting an unidentified banner and proclaiming the islands sovereign territory of the newly formed Confederation of Water Nomads. A new country was born. Though the most recent and the only known official effort by the Humsoo to reach any international attention, this proclamation was not the first attempt at creating a unified identity. In 2015 a Humsoo tribesman by the Name of Nihi Toungzai would meet with three other influential tribes in a first meeting to unite the Humsoo under one sovereign banner. It is not known what became of Nihi, but this conclave is largely believed to be the progenitor for the Declaration of 2019.

In his address, Vouto Rar, would briefly outline the framework for the country’s new political process:

”I have been elected as High Chief of the Confederation for the next 4 years and each tribe shall appoint someone to sit on our council. We therefore claim nine of the Alucard Islands as our sovereign territory…”

The nine islands the High Chief refers to are a small archipelago located in the northern Alucard region. They are bordered by the Bakkerymayan controlled islands of Wellow to the east; Walesby to the south; and the Paracambian controlled islands of Alemba to the west; and Gustavia to the north. Since their initial declaration the Water Nomads have established themselves around various islands in the Alcuard. The Confederation has proclaimed the island of Joothad as their new political capital.

The initial declaration has received a mixture of responses with some welcoming the new Country and its people, often on the basis of sympathies, while others have rejected the declaration refusing to recognize the declaration or any attempted Water Nomad State. In particular the Republic of Lakhzovia and the Kingdom of Clysperis have both officially recognized the new Confederation:

“The nation of Lakhzovia, too has experienced the pain of dispossession and persecution in our native territory… The Lakhzov Republic therefore wishes to extend recognition to your confederation of tribes…”

~ Sachim Kadassa, President of the Lakhzov Republic

” The Kingdom of Clysperis hereby recognizes the Confederation of Water Nomads as a sovereign state, free to stand tall and proud as equals”

~ Akasha Di-‘nh-mi-Re, Pharoah of Clysperis

While others have shown support they have not outright made any official recognition of the Confederation’s declaration. Of particular note is the Maori Commonwealth (of the Iwi), of which the The Maori Youth Council, has openly sympathized with the Humsoo establishing a “Support Group, intended to help this group ensure their human rights are protected.” According to the Support Group, they seek to provide a voice for young Humsoo aged between 16-21 to engage in political acitivites that would give the Humsoo a voice on the international stage. A statement from one of the groups spokespersons further explained their decision:

"The history of the Maori is not to dissimilar to that of the Water Nomads…We must ensure that they are allowed to develop their lifestyle to a manner suitable for them."

Rejection and Tension
Though the Husoom, and Confederation, have made no intent or open statements of aggression or hostility against other Alucard Countries they have been met with strict rejection in their declaration by many of their neighbors. Most Notably the Empire of Paracambi and the Dukedoms of Bakkerymaya. Understandably, perhaps, the largest point of contention between the two countries and the Declaration is the clear breach of the Fair Seas Concordant. An international treaty outlying an intent to reach an equitable approach to the territorial waters and resources of state sovereignty and law on the open ocean has been cited by many critics against the Declaration as to their refusal to recognize the Confederation. In particular, the following point as outlined by the Fair Seas Concordant text:

* Coastal States have sovereign rights in a 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) with respect to natural resources and certain economic activities, and exercise jurisdiction over marine science research and environmental protection;

~ Fair Seas Concordant, ‘Preface – Summary of the Fair Seas Concordant’

In their Declaration the Confederation of Water Nomads would encroach and breach the EEZ of both Bakkermaya and Paracambi.

The Empire of Paracambi does not recognise the existance of this so called Confederation…We…retain full rights to our territorial waters and EEZ as laid out under the Fair Seas Concord as well as long standing understanding between Paracambi and Bakkermaya.

~ Benson II, Emperor of Paracambi

The nation of Bakkermaya once more reaffirm our claims on the territory we currently occupy as well as those waters granted to us by the FSC. …no individual or group of individuals may take up residency on an island and simply declare it to be a new nation which disrupts the EEZ of several other nations.

~ Hugo Lascelles, Grand Duke of Bakkermaya

However, it is not just international legalities that have earned the Declaration the Ire of many states. The Humsoo, known more widley by the common name, Water Nomads, in the Alucard have often been seen as something a bothersome to the various Alucard nations. Though it is unsure how the Confederation views or will respond with tensions between its fellow Tribes, and its neighboring regions, actions taken by certain tribesmen have been more than enough cause for tensions with the Alucard countries. In may of 2019  the Paracambian navy arrested a group of group on grounds of “criminal damage, theft and illegal fishing”, when the group was conducting fishing within Paracmbian EEZ waters. In June of the same year another group, having breached EEZ waters of Bakkerymaya, was detained by the Bakkermayan Navy following the discovery of a cache of high grade weapons. Later that Year, in December, another group was found to have established a settlement near the Lodijan Island of Tyr. Though no action had been taken against the Group, the incident provoked a new defense policy to be enacted by the Lodjain government.

The most notorious of incident associate with the Humsoo is the Kidnapping of Mila Pasternak, the younger sister of Vadik Pasternak, the Vice President of Kaitaine. A group of twenty Humsoo collaborated with the Bene Gesserit, a paramilitary organization labeled as a terrorist group within Kaitaine, to kidnap Ms. Pasternak and accompanying friends who were holidaying in the Alucard. With the Assistance of the Bakkermyan Navy the Kaitine forces were able to free the young lady and two other Kaitine nationals, though it was reported that four others were taken hostage by the Bene Gesserit, with assistance of the Water Nomads.

These Recent Events have done little to support the image of the Confederation, and possibly increase tensions between the Humsoo and Alucard countries. The Confederation has yet to make an official statement on these incidents.

Compromise
Despite the uneasy relations between the Humsoo and their Alucard Neighbours, the various Alucard countries have seemingly made ways to compromise with the Humsoo enacting policies and making laws that would grant tribals citizenship to their respective country’s in accordance with certain agreements. A new policy in Bakkerymaya would require Humsoo to acquire citizenship in Bakkerymaya or apply as a ‘visitor’ in order to access any of the islands that would be covered by the Declaration. This policy would also require “a photographic and fingerprint record” to be taken from applying Humsoo. In Lodja a policy would open up citizenship for Humsoo “who can prove they have resided in Lodja's exclusive economic zone for 12 months continuously”. As of yet there has been no known policy to be established by the Empire of Paracambi.

 The regional organization; the Treaty of Unity for Alucard Nations (TUNA), have also made the Water Nomad question apart of their founding document. In particular article twelve in the TUNA Charter which states the following:
12. TUNA recognise the Water Nomads as one of many indigenous groups that have managed to maintain their way of life. As a result this organisation shall commit to, wherever possible, supporting their way of life…a) Any Water Nomad wishing to leave their traditional way of life behind will be supported to do so by members of this organisation. ~ Treaty for Unity of Alucard Nations, Charter article 12

Whether these new policies will provide a more stable Alucard or reinforce tensions between the Humsoo and their neighbors remains to be seen