{ About }

!oum!ai is a fiery little esk about the size of a baseball. She is very old, having been transformed from a young Neanderthal between 40 - 130 thousand years ago. Over such a time she has mellowed to a degree, but nevertheless commands the respect of one who has seen much, and will reinforce it with a flurry of bright sparks. She is gruff in speech and rough around the edges, but protective of younger beings and proud of her past.

If you happen upon her, bow low and bring gifts of shiny stones and kindling, and settle in at her wee campfire for a story you've never heard

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There is evidence that showed Neanderthals could have had just as advanced of communities as early homo sapiens- with language, medicine, religion, social hierarchy, and more. As this is a fantasy character, I'm taking advantage of that possibility to flee from the caveman stereotype, and generate my own hypothetical neanderthal (sub)culture.

!oum!ai is a name rooted in ancient but still thriving language traditions in its use of click consonants , (One such language is Xhosa, primarily spoken in South Africa). the ! click consonants are created with the tongue behind the front teeth. It takes some practice but it's worth a try.

In her past life, !oum!ai was a younger member of a small tight-knit nomadic band of women who created amadou tinder (from the very mushrooms which now grow from her neck)and carried this essential resource between communities. Among the communities they served, these women were respected for their courage, perseverance and talent, in braving winter storms to keep the fires alive.

one might liken them to an even more ancient version of the Amazon warrior women of greek legend.

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{ Origin }