Wechua people

Wechua

Flag of the Wechua people
Total population
~ 11-13 million
Regions with significant populations
Wechua	8,273,911
Alduria	1,232,122
Constancia	811,053
Natopia	481,199
Languages
Wechu, the Common Tongue.
Religion
the Faith of Inti, the Melusinian Faith.

The Wechua people may refer to any or all speakers of the Wechua languages, which originated among the indigenous people of central Keltia, mainly the area around Mount Lacara. Most Wechua speakers are native to the Wechua Nation, although there are some significant populations living in Alduria, Constancia, and Natopia.

The most common Wechua dialect is Lacara Wechu. The word for a Wechua speaker is runa or nuna ("person"); the plural is runakuna or nunakuna ("people"). Wechus living in the coastal enclave of San Francisco predominantly speak Coastal Wechu.

The ancestors of the Wechua people lived in the region for many centuries before becoming a subject people of the ancient nation of Attera. Over the centuries, as the hardships that followed the collapse of Attera grew, many Wechuas left for Hamland (later became Caputia).

Under Atteran rule, to ensure the Wechua could not rise against them, the Atteran Empire started transporting hundreds of thousands of Wechua to western Keltia, where they were ruled by the Vanderveer Reich and other nations. Western Wechuas have formed a distinctly different version of the old Wechua culture, called Coastal Wechu. In the centuries following the collapse of its Atteran overlords and the succession of other nations that settled the area, the communities of these Coastal Wechu speakers began to migrate to Caputia, settling around the city of San Francisco. Currently, the city of San Francisco is part of the Wechua Nation's small coastal enclave in Keltia, joining the Wechua Nation after the collapse of Caputia due to the White Plague. Smaller groups of these communities in western Keltia have moved out of its insecure and chaotic Green wastes and settled in Alduria, Constancia, and Natopia. Only abandoned ruins remain of the old Coastal Wechu communities outside of the borders of the Wechua Nation.

Culture

Traditionally, Quechua identity is locally oriented and inseparably linked in each case with the established economic system. It is based on agriculture in the lower altitude regions, and on pastoral farming in the higher regions. The typical Wechua community extends over several altitude ranges and thus includes the cultivation of a variety of arable crops and/or livestock. The land is usually owned by the local community (ayllu) and is either cultivated jointly or redistributed annually.

Beginning with the Atteran era and intensifying after the first Wechua state was founded, large landowners and nobles appropriated all or most of the land. Harsh conditions of exploitation repeatedly led to revolts by the farmers, which were forcibly suppressed. The largest and last of these revolts occurred in 1664, which led to widespread early agrarian reforms. The agrarian reforms included the expropriation of many large landowners and redistribution of the land to farmers and some farming cooperatives.

The Wechua culture is extremely community-minded, containing mainly two primary types of joint work. In the case of mink'a, people work together for projects of common interest (such as the construction of communal facilities). Ayni is, in contrast, reciprocal assistance, whereby members of an ayllu help a family to accomplish a large private project, for example, house construction, and in turn, can expect to be similarly helped later with a project of their own.

The Wechua are known for their many traditional handicrafts, which are an important aspect of material culture and serve as a major export and meaningful source of income for families and communities. Many of these products are exported to large markets in the Raspur Pact, such as Alduria, Constancia, and Natopia. This includes a tradition of weaving handed down from ancient times, using cotton, wool (from llamas, alpacas, guanacos, vicunas) and a multitude of natural dyes, and incorporating numerous woven patterns (pallay). Houses are usually constructed using air-dried clay bricks (tika, or in adobe), or branches and clay mortar (“wattle and daub”), with the roofs being covered with straw, reeds, or puna grass (ichu).

See also

• The Wechua Nation.