Panmuan people

Panmuan

Панмүолчууд (Panmuolçuud)
Total population
Abt. 46 million
Regions with significant populations
New Verham	18.219 million
Tukarali	14.855 million
Aldegar	13.179 million
Languages
Panmuan
Religion
Daenism, Zamanism, Hosianism
Related ethnic groups
other Jelbo-Tukaric peoples

The Panmuans (native name Panmuolçuud), occasionally known as Mu-Tze, are a Jelbo-Tukaric group of peoples who live in the mountainous areas of Tukarali, Kalistan, and Aldegar. Originally one of the numerous Jelbo-Tukaric tribes of North Seleya, the Panmuans became dominant on the continent as a result of the Panmuan Khanate. The other Jelbo-Tukaric tribes were gradually assimilated into the Panmuan ethnicity, so that today all Jelbo-Tukarics in Seleya are Panmuan.

History

Throughout most of their history, the Panmuans have lived in pastoral nomadic tribes in the mountains. In 418, the Panmuan tribes were unified by a strong khan named Bat-Erdene, who then proceeded to conquer most of the continent of Seleya. The Mu-Tze Khanate lasted until 719, leaving a significant influence on most Seleyan nations.

The advent of modernization has done much to urbanize and westernize the Panmuans, although many of them retain their traditions and pastoral lifestyle. Also, in spite of the efforts of several colonial and post-colonial governments to eliminate pre-modern identities, by, among others, banning clan names and the introduction of Western-style family names, imposing mandatory education and military service, and creating a literary version for the Panmuan languages, many Panmuans still identify with their tribes and clans.

In Aldegar the Panmuans occupied an important role in the central government. The last Aldegarian dynasty before the First Republic, the Shahnazid Dynasty, was founded by Shahnaz Mirza Abbas, a Yazdean general of modest Panmuan origins. Currently, Panmuans form around 10% of the population of Aldegar, and are frequently involved in politics.

Language

The Panmuans speak several closely related Jelbo-Tukaric languages called the Panmuanic languages, which include standard Panmuan (Panmuol Khele), the literary dialect of the Panmuans. Typically for its language group, Panmuan has developed vowel harmony and a complex syllabic structure that allows clusters of up to three consonants. It is a typical agglutinative language that relies on suffix chains in the verbal and nominal domains. While there is a basic word order, subject–object–predicate, ordering among noun phrases is relatively free, unlike the case with the other Jelbo-Tukaric languages, so grammatical roles are indicated by a system of about eight grammatical cases. There are five voices. Verbs are marked for voice, aspect, tense, and epistemic modality/evidentiality. In sentence linking, a special role is played by converbs.

Religion

Traditionally the Panmuans have practiced various tribal shamanic religions. During the Middle Ages the Aldegarian religions, Yazdism, Zamanism, and especially Daenism were adopted by the Panmuans, often in addition to their native beliefs. Later the Panmuans were exposed to Hosianism, especially since the modern era. Today the Panmuans in Aldegar largely adhere to Daenism.