Matoran people

The Matoran people are an Aritonesian indigenous ethnic group primarily inhabiting Northern Aritonesia, especially Matoranesia, Aquaria, and Neonia. The Matoran language are part of the Hugurusk language family of the Edgillian languages. They are predominantly from Matoranesia and are the largest ethnic majority in that country.

History
Ethnically, the origin of the Matoran people arose from Lhikenic people who migrated from Baja California to the modern-day Oza Islands. They had partial influence and ethnicity from Salishan, Na-Dene, Mesoamerican, and Inuit languages. At the height of the Matoran Empire, which originated in Fir, the population of the empire rose to several hundred thousand. However, after the Vicnoran conquest of the Arito subcontinent, the Matoran people were forced to move out.

The Matoran people are known for their craftsmanship, agriculture, understanding of astronomy and mathematics, art, and mining. The Matoran Empire was known to have raided other cities, towns, tribes, clans, etc. and were semi-nomadic. Slavery and human sacrifice were also rooted into the culture of Matoranesia at its peak in the 11th - 15th century. Raids extended as far north as Novaustria and parts of Alaska and south as the Oza Islands and California. The Matoran Empire had traveled as far east as Japan with the Tlasinam expedition in 1307 AD.

Religion and mythology
The Matoran ethnic religion, officially known as Kwak'ikwuq (rendered in romanized Matoran as kwək'ikwıq) is polytheist and worshipped many different gods. They were typically animists and considered every animal they hunted or killed a sacrifice to the gods. Shamans, known as kənıkwui, were tasked with healing sick, drive out evil spirits, and forsee the future. The leader of any Matoran nomadic group, tribe, clan, or village is known as a kwīk'ātł. Eventually the kwīk'ātł acted as a role similar to mayors during the imperial era. Matoran folk tales are well documented with writings and art being common.

Warfare
Prior to contact by the Japanese, the Matoran people were known for being skilled and hostile warriors who would fight any group of people apart from their few allies, such as the Khaltajazecs and some Panto indigenous people. They were known for fierce battles against fleets of Matoran ships, as small as canoes and as large as warships raiding small coastal towns. Victims of these raids were often subjected to beind traded as slaves. Evidence exists that the Panto indigenous people of northern Aritonesia had these battle skills since the 10th century BCE and eventually taught it to the Matoran around their expansion north in the 8th century. They wore armor made of bone, wood, leather, and animal hides and used spears, bows and arrows, blowguns, and eventually more advanced firearms after the 17th century.