Indigeno-Calderan

The Indigeno-Calderans, also known as Volins from their own language, are an ethnic group native to Austro-Caldera.

The Volin language is part of the Iroquoian language group.

Name
The name Indigeno-Calderan is a newer word that cropped up around the 18th century, as English speakers moved away from calling the natives Austro-Calderan (now what any citizen of Caldera are called).

The name Volin is a direct loanword from the Volin language, with a slight variation in pronunciation.

Origins
Anthropologists believe that the Volin people migrated from Eastern Crona and were pushed west by a harsh winter. They found Caldera, and praised it to be a gift from the sea.

Home
The Volins moved into Caldera and took it as paradise, calling it Nuyak, which means "Beautiful land" in Volin. They mostly settled along the shore, and established fishing as the primary source of food.

Agriculture
Alongside fishing, many Volins also brought rice, which could not be grown well in the harsh climate of east Crona, but was sewn extraordinarily well in the new tropical climate of Caldera.

17th century: Eldmoran contact
When the Eldmorans first came to Caldera, they were in shock of the lack of government and the structures they've built, like temples and huts. As Joeseph Seuber said in a well documented speech to newcoming Eldmoran migrants:

"The Ceuldes (old word for Indigeno-Calderan) are a people of peace. They know not the wonders of civilization, yet they live in houses and live uncollected. I'm glad they accept us as rulers, as I'm not sure if one could stage an offense of them with a conscience."

Because the Volin people had escaped all other tribes, they also escaped warfare, and this lack of combat experience over hundreds of years turned the Volin people into a peaceful people that the new Eldmoran refugees did not want to interfere with.

Volins also accepted German rule, believing that it was better to let the new people do what they want to, while they themselves could focus on other needs.

18th century
During the 18th century, the Volins started to detest the German rulers after seeing how they were taking up space in areas that were once open for just temples, like in Little Caldera city. Without a recent history of warfare, the Volin people had no basis on which how to handle the new threat, so while many tried to negotiate for the protection of land, others simply accepted the change, or prayed to the Sea God to wash away the plague.

19th century
The Volkspartei began to see a growing issue with the natives being a higher population than the Germans, so the Volkspartei enacted two programs, both of which failed.

Acculturation
The first program was to simply convert the Volins to German speaking Christians by providing incentives such as free tools, materials, and food. This program failed due to the fact that Volins were still independent of the government, and could provide themselves with shelter and food without government oversight.

Removal era
The second program was to remove the Volins from the land, by giving them financial incentives to settle in a new country like Sabnaki, but this failed as well, when the Volins were not interested in money. Soon though, the Volkspartei realized that they didn't need to remove the Volins.

Native Conscription
The Second Great War made the Volkspartei realize that they needed a military, and this created the new ideology of "native conscription". Under the belief that the Volins were perfect cannon-fodder in international conflicts, the Volkspartei began spreading military propaganda in Volin schools, and passed a law that requires all Volins to be in the military for 4 years after graduating from standard education.

This ideology is frowned upon by progressive Volins, but many Volins argue that the military service is reminiscent of the Volin past before migrating to Caldera, and it is the duty of Volins to fight to conquer land for their people.

Volinism
Volin culture is widely defined by their religion of Volinism. It's observed in their art, their music, and their wood sculptures prior to German influence. Volinism is polytheistic and has a wide pantheon of gods.

Mashk, God of Sea
The primary god, the God of the Sea, also called Mashk, is the one who granted the Volin people Caldera. Mashk created the continents, by lowering the sea to the point where humans had an area to live on. Mashk is a loving god, who tries his best to nurture humans by providing them with fish and water, but he is not the only god to help the humans.

Bron, God of Sky
The secondary god, Bron, or the God of the Sky, is also friendly to the humans and created the planet, by flipping his domain of the sky upside down and shaking it, so that water poured out, and aquatic life could form. Volins believe that Bron is visible, and when he's awake, he's the sun. When Bron is sleeping, he is the moon. Bron brought light to the humans through his child, fire.

Martir, Trickster God
Martir is the first of the gods not to be friendly to the humans. Believing that the other gods are foolish, Martir tries to injure humans by creating hostile wildlife like hawks, snakes, and bears. A story goes that Martir is the reason that fire burns. While Bron was sculpting fire, much like a Volin would carve a wood sculpture, Martir snuck up on him and pushed fire to the humans before Bron was finished sanding down the sharp parts, creating a fire that provide light, but burns anyone who tries to touch it.

Sirkup, Goddess of Nature
Sirkup is a goddess who is indifferent to humans, and simply prefers her projects to be separate and protected. She grants the humans small gifts, such as apples, but also creates retaliatory punishments, like thorns on roses for when humans try to destroy her beauty.

Marriage
The Volin people have never had a hard connection to monogamy, and so the closest form of "marriage" that the Volins participate in are when two Volins have a child, they raise the child together until around age 8, then they go separate ways.

Ethnobotany
Volin people have a high belief in ethnobotany, agreeing that there is a magic in certain plants from Sirkup that can be used to cure any illness, it's just a matter of time until humans discover the most efficient cures for everything.

Gender roles
Volin people have an emphasis on gender roles, but aren't very socially strict. Typically, men are the ones who fish, as they must confront the God of the Sea to show their strength in order to reel in the mightiest of his gifts. Because of this, women typically farm by growing rice, which is seen as a beneficial relationship between the Goddess of Nature and humans, as the Goddess gets her creation praised, and humans get to feed. Despite these gender roles, men and women participate in both professions, as sometimes a woman may want to prove her strength, or a man may want to assist the Goddess of Nature.

Slavery
Before the Volin expedition to Caldera in the first century, the ancestors of Volins used slaves that they conquered from warfare with other tribes in order to expand their influence.

This ancient and faded out practice is reflected in some of Volinism's mythology, where Martir enslaved Liton, the son of Mashk, after beating him in a fishing contest that Martir had cheated in, by attaching fish to his rope before he pulled them in. Martir ordered Liton to kill Mashk's fish. Mashk, without knowing why Liton was doing what he was, killed Liton in order to protect his creation and humans. When Martir revealed what he had done, this angered Mashk so much that he summoned a tsunami to punish Martir, but Martir turned into a water snake and swam away. It's said that when Mashk grieves for his lost son, hurricanes occur.

Another example of slavery being used in storytelling is when Penic, the God of Autumn, is enslaved by Martir after Penic accidentally falls into a hole that Martir dug. Martir orders Penic to never move out of the way for the Goddess Pelushk, making winter never come. This causes issues for the pantheon, who have differing issues, like Dirtir's inability to grow anything, Swairtir's inability to hibernate, Brushk's inability to graze, and other problems.