Icthana

Icthana is the language of a small tribe from the countryside in the east. Only a few children have survived from their entire village and these have been taken to a camp where they are pitted against the other illegitimate children of the king to see if any will arise who can defeat the son of Queen Matja in battle. It is a language that is rooted in the stories that the farmers tell their children about their origins and their role in perpetuating their way of life, through watching how the elements interact with the seeds that they plant.   Excerpt followed by Translation to English: "Icthana vu macapolis la el bu mafasi. Ta wu da la Morqueo fa nisi la et sumalaki. Fasa lu triafava (su ma gael) la tri za nabaku fala esti. Zu lava es fa riki paga, su laman saba esti. Fa rukalami zae sama tuye la vaba usa makai. Tuyabase fahaga za désuet za giba. La fusa va famazuli kaba esti. Masa tra uli, la fuzi kuba."   "At the beginning of our people, a conflict arose. One was given, Morqueo who was the head of our warriors. He made moral triumphs by the truth of his hand and his strength of his straight, strong back was known by all. His enemy was the one who steals, who saw his worth in ruin. His pattern of life was to take from others to make his own use of their possessions. Consummate destruction was the war that was their battlefield. Life itself was hungry for its resolution. The bread would rise, the loser would be the coals that heated it. (From “The Epic of Barad-Fagazu)."     “Tell me the story again big brother!” “At the beginning of….” Began Tsulok. “No, not like that..with the other words,” said Barad. “So not in Fightspeak?” Said Tsulok. “Yes…I mean no…do it in the real words and teach me,” said Barad. “Ok little one..Icthana vu macapolis la el bu mafasi,” said Tsulok. “Macapolis means people…what means ‘Icthana’?” Asked Barad. Tsulok ran his hand along the dirt floor of the hut and grabbed a piece of straw from the edge making a little mound with the dirt and then sticking the straw into the dust until it disappeared. “You see little brother, the straw?” Said Tsulok. “No, but it is under the dirt.” Said Barad. “When do you know that the straw will become food?” Asked Tsulok. “When it comes out of the dirt.” “That is Icthana: The moment that the wheat breaks out of the ground, it is no longer dead like it was when you planted it, but is on its way to bring food back to you.” “So do we have Icthana Big Brother?” Asked Barad. “Not yet, but we do have ‘Mafasi’.” “That means a fight!” “Yes, we have it every day.” “But not me yet. I am too small.” “You will fight soon little one,” said Tsulok. “Tell me the rest about Morqueo and Gi.” Barad’s eyes lit up as his big brother recited the legendary words. “Ta wu da la Morqueo fa nisi la et sumalaki. Fasa lu triafava su ma gael la tri za nabaku fala esti…” continued Tsulok. “Morqueo had a strong back didn’t he big brother?” Asked Barad. “Yes, that is why he was given to the people to bare them all in war, with truth in his hand and with his strong back to bare them up.” Big Brother lifted his little brother up onto his shoulders and spun him around. Little Brother laughed in glee, “And what about the bad Gi? Tell me, tell me!” “Fa rukalami zae sama tuye la vaba usa makai…” “Rukalami sounds funny!” “It means to weave a rug.” “Why would a bad guy weave a rug?” Asked little brother. “Well its not that he wants to make a rug, the story is explaining how he made his way by stealing from others, he wove his rug with threads that he stole from other rugs.” “If he tried to take a thread from my rug, I would stomp on his foot!” Said little brother. “That is what Morqueo would do,” said Big Brother. “Make things right by stomping on his foot and tying up Gi?” Asked Little brother. “You can tie him up, but after that, every thread in his stolen rug must be restored, there is a lot of untying of knots that must be done. “Where is this rug big brother?” “It is not a real rug little one, don’t you worry though, when you fight, you will understand.” “When you fight the next time will you get a string Big Brother?” “I will not get a string, but I may stop a bad fighter from surviving and one day hurting you, do you understand?” “Like Bakar?” Whispered Little Brother. “Yes, exactly like Bakar. Now come and lie down, get some sleep.” “You are kind of stinky Big Brother!” “So are you little one, now go to sleep, you are safe with me.”