Hey! So Ainslie kindly pointed me to the Ipachi people as a replacement ethnic group for the 'Polynesian' people I currently have in my nation. I would like the Ipachi people to be a part of my nation's narrative, so I'll try my best to answer the following questions and see what you guys think.
How did the Ipachi get to your nation, and when?
The Ipachi people left what is now modern day Ainslie by boat in search of better land. The Ipachi Townsiders are descended from those Ipachi who sailed south. They arrived on the uninhabited Christmas Island (which was nameless back then) and named it Island Kenaris. They settled around the coast, as the inland was still heavily forested.
It is unknown when the Ipachi Townsiders got here, but they were here 'long before' the British arrived on 25 December 1798. Old records of the Island's history was destroyed during the Great Christmas Island War, and Ipachi oral tradition regarding their history is also vague and not helpful in determining when they arrived. For example, their stories tell that their ancestors 'left Anslie when the northern and western Gods thundered with mercilessness', or 'they arrived on the island when Kenaris was still a young girl'.
What are your Ipachi like?
Ipachi Townsiders live the simplest on the island. They are known for being humble and kind. They are also extremely hospitable people. Tourists or (friendly) soldiers stumbling onto their tribes and villages would be cared for well. They were also peaceful and welcoming of the immigration of the British, Spanish, Japanese and other ethnic peoples, even though it meant they became a minority on the island they founded.
Ipachi Townsiders may be physically daunting, as they are taller and darker than most ethnic groups, and also naturally stronger due to their tribal lifestyle. Their language also sounds more brash than the European and Asian languages. As Noah, the younger Grand Prince of Townside once said: "They sound like they're constantly scolding me!" While Ipachi Townsiders are friendly and happy people, and they do smile a lot, their resting faces often take the form of frowning, which give off the opposite impression.
They don't mind any stereotyping though. They just care about their precious, fertile land, which they use for traditional and sustainable agriculture, and their traditional boats and seas, which they use for fishing and protecting Townside's coasts and territorial waters.
How did these Ipachi develop, and integrate into your society?
In modern Townside, the majority of farms are owned by Ipachi people, which they regard as a 'common heritage of Townside'. The majority of locally grown Townside produce is labelled 'Ipachi made'. The same goes with Townside's fishing industry. Many modern Ipachi Townsiders go into the shipbuilding industry.
Historically, the Ipachi Townsiders were not killed off by the British because their skill at agriculture, fishing and navigation made them assets to the British when they founded the young colony of Christmas Island. This allowed them to coexist peacefully. The British built their urban cities away from traditional Ipachi land, while the Ipachi stayed in their tribes. They often cooperated to make their ends meet. Future immigrants of other Europeans and Asians witnessed the same Ipachi hospitality. This made their integration into Townside's society seamless and easy.
There are currently 155,000 Ipachi Townsiders today (5.4% of the national population). However, only 31,600 of them speak the Ipachi language as a first language, and only 23,000 still follow the Kenaris mythology. Most of them now speak English as a first language, and are either Christian or Buddhist in faith.
They are still mostly rural, living in about 7 different tribes. Recently, they started to construct a village (Village Kenaris) at about equal distances from the 7 tribes, to act as a sort of 'Ipachi capital', putting them on the map like the urban centres of Fleming, Jenner, Nightingale, Faraday, Livingstone and Townside. There are also many younger, modern Ipachi Townsiders who travel, live or study in the cities. Many still maintain links to their tribes and the village. Ipachi culture is strongest in their village and tribes, but is only present in rudimentary form in the cities.
What are the status of the Ipachi today?
The Ipachi people do not have any special status in the modern society of Townside. They are on equal footing with the other ethnic groups of Townside.
The Federation of Social Justice Warriors (an umbrella federation for a collective of extreme far-left organisations) often campaign for the rulers of Townside to end their 'racism' and 'bigotry' by recognising the Ipachi Townsiders as 'indigenous people' or 'first peoples'. They base their argument on the fact that the Ipachi Townsiders are the oldest ethnic group on the island, and also that Townside needs to end its 'white supremacist' attitude.
However, the Ipachi Townsiders themselves, always humble, often disagrees with the Social Justice Federation. The Ipachi Townsiders often argue that they are not native to the island, and therefore they cannot claim ownership or preferential status over the island.
