The Kadanë are a small people, seldom much over 5 feet in height, neither slender nor stocky. They have olive complexions, straight hair either brown or black in color, oval eyes, full lips and broad noses. Their language is of the agglutinating variety; they call it Vogu. Their religion is polytheistic, and heavily influences Kadanë society.
The Kadanë were originally pastoralists. Their settlements were small and primarily served the needs of the tribal herdspeople. When they began their migration, around 300 A.D., our reckoning, they took their herds into Asia Minor. The conditions in the region remained unsettled for some time, however, and the Kadanë eventually moved into present-day France, near Brittany, and settled among the Dunnek. From the Dunnek, the Kadanë learned the arts of agriculture, and most Kadanë tribes lived a settled existence there.
They remained among the Dunnek for over two hundred years, but the on-going conflict between Udank and Ranamemi for the lands of Central and Eastern Europe had repercussions to the north, the Dunnek grew less hospitable as their own situation grew more difficult, and the Kadanë again moved on. This time, they crossed first into the British Isles, where they learned the art of shipfaring, then on to Greenland for a time, and eventually into Nova Scotia, around 750 A.D. The native Saambu of the northern regions of Tihzanthi resisted their presence, and so they moved south into emptier regions (the Saambu of Tihzanthi prefer the cooler latitudes of the continent, and the Southern Saambu tribes had only sparcely settled the northern landmass, preferring the islands of the Carribean and the Central American isthmus).
Not all the Kadanë took part in these migrations; several tribes related ethnically and linguistically to the Kadanë remain in the Middle East, and small pockets of ethnic Kadanë can be found all along the migration route. However, the bulk of the population crossed from Europe to North America, over a period lasting perhaps 75 years.
Once in Tihzanthi, the tribes spread quickly. The climate of Zyem is more moderate than that of our Earth, and the southern deserts are less severe, so movement to the west coast was easier. Within 300 years, the Kadanë had filled the continent, as far as the Isthmus of Panama. There, jungles, disease and the resistance of the Saambu kept them to the north. (These same factors kept the Thisbo people in the South American continent, and it was another 500 years before these two met.)
At first, the Kadanë tribes were widely separated. The arts of agriculture were not forgotten, but some tribes reverted to herding. Ships and sailing were largely forgotten, except for some coastal craft in the east. Over the next 200 years, the Kadanë came into closer contact with each other, and were eventually united into the Kadanë Empire. This Empire flourished only 64 years, ending in 1295 A.D., but it's impact on the Kadanë remains to this day. For example, the Kadanë reckon their calendar from the legendary date of its founding.
The Kadanë tribes fell into disunion again, and had a difficult time recovering from the devastation of the civil war that brought down the Empire. This is perhaps one reason that they remained unaware of their southern neighbors the Thisbo for so long.
The history of the post-Empire times is one of continual strife between petty kingdoms and tribal chieftains, but by the mid- 1600's several stable nation-states had arisen, which remain to this day. The most prominent is Hihowisen, centered in the Mississippi Valley, with its capitol, Fimo, located at the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri rivers. The fact that the capitol of the old Empire was nearby and that Wawatranu, Mountain Temple, is only a few score miles to the east have helped assure the preeminence of Fimo and Hihowisen.
By the 1700's, Kadanë society in general throughout Tihzanthi was settled and prosperous, and they turned their attention to exploring the land to the south. They had only the sketchiest picture of the territory beyond the Yucatan Penninsula, and were amazed to discover an entire continent, inhabited by an unfamiliar ethnic group, the Thisbo. (Doubtless the Thisbo were equally surprised, for both groups had lived in isolation for centuries.) They called the newly-discovered continent Thisbona.
The Thisbo considered themselves superior to the Kadanë, and attempted in a rather desultory fashion to assert their power over them. This culminated in the Tobacco War of 1783, in which the Thisbo invaded Kadanë territory near the Mississippi Delta and established agricultural colonies (primarily tobacco plantations). They were defeated and driven out by the Kadanë after a brief but fierce struggle. The Treaty of 1785 established the boundaries of Kadanë and Thisbo influence, and the Thisbo turned back to their own affairs. Today, relations are friendly, and there is considerable trade and tourist traffic between the two peoples, but the governments of the respective continents have few formal ties.
But more surprises were in store. In 1871, the Kadanë and Thisbo were visited by explorers from the RanaThisbo nation of Dambawowe, in North Africa, and the Old World discovered the New. The Old World was just beginning an Industrial Revolution, initiated by Ranamemi inventiveness, and the Kadanë (and Thisbo, to a lesser extent) entered fully into the new age. Tihzanthi has abundant natural resources, many of which had not been exploited. The Kadanë exported raw materials and imported Ranamemi machinery and technology, and in a short time had built up a substantial industrial base.
Since that time, the Kadanë have pursued a policy of engagement with the rest of the world. They have regular diplomatic contacts with all the world's governments, and trade extensively in raw materials and manufactured goods. Kadanë textiles and leather goods are highly regarded worldwide. They have so far managed to stay out of military conflicts in the Old World (although we should note that in general, there is much less conflict on Zyem than Earth, especially over the last 200 years).
The Kadanë people are grouped politically into 7 nations, the most prominent of which is Hihowisen, in the middle of Tihzanthi. These 7 nations have formed a loose coalition called the Kadanë Union. The nations of the Union retain their national sovreignity and freedom of action within their borders, but the Union regulates commerce and legislation across their borders and acts as a common representative to the rest of the world.
Most of the nations of the Union are representative democracies (except for tiny Tranupln, which is a hereditary tribal oligarchy). They differ in how directly their citizens participate in the government: in Hihowisen, most elected posts are filled by direct popular election, while in others, citizens vote to elect representatives to tribal or regional councils, which are in themselves powerless but which vote to fill positions of authority. All the nations of the Union provide services and regulate their citizens and commercial interests to some degree (falling somewhere between the Ranamemi nation, which might best be termed "libertarian" in its approach to its citizenry, and the Thisbo nations, all of which are totalitarian dictatorships with centralized economies).
The Kadanë people are just beginning to assert themselves on the world stage. Although today they are minor players in the economies and politics of the world, there is every reason to believe that their stable economy, abundant natural resources, prosperous and educated citizenry and the cohesion of their society will lead them to a position of much greater influence in the world at large in the coming decades.
© 1997 - 2003, Terrence Donnelly