Eelakin Islands
| Eelakin Islands | |
|---|---|
| World | First of the Sun |
| Universe | Cosmere |
The Eelakin Islands are the homeland of the Eelakin people on First of the Sun,[1] a planet in the Drominad System.[2]
Geography
The Eelakin often refer to the islands as the "homeisles", and to its residents as "homeislers". There are likely a number of islands, as Sixth of the Dusk mentions that the Eelakin Islands superficially resemble the Pantheon archipelago. It takes approximately three weeks rowing to travel from the homeisles to the Pantheon. The Eelakin have extensive contact with the mainland, but the distance from the islands to the continent is not known.[1]
Flora and Fauna
Unlike the wild Pantheon, the Eelakin Islands have been "tamed". The Eelakin Islands lack the dangerous predators and plant life of the Pantheon. However, Vathi is able to immediately identify Sak as a mainlander bird, likely indicating that the Eelakin Islands and the Pantheon once had similar ecosystems, and that some species may still live in both island chains.[1]
History and Culture
The Eelakin originally lived as wayfinders and trappers. After the islands were tamed, the lack of natural dangers eventually allowed for cultural and technological advancements in homeisler society. Civilization on the homeisles now stands in stark contrast to the solitary, austere life of the trappers who still live in the Pantheon.[1]
Homeislers and trappers are both ethnically Eelakin, but have numerous misconceptions about each other; Dusk feels like an outsider when he visits the homeisles, and he does not understand their social conventions. Homeislers no longer use "traditional" names that refer to the day and order of birth, instead using names that originated on the mainland. Homeislers have become increasingly educated, and Dusk believes that they have lost their reverence for Aviar.[1]
In recent years, the Eelakin Islands have had increasing contact with the mainland, and several large companies such as the Northern Interests Trading Company are actively attempting to find and capture more Aviar in the Pantheon in order to satisfy mainlander demand. This process has been accelerated by technology gained through Eelakin contact with the spacefaring Ones Above.[1]
Eelakin society may be patriarchal, as Vathi believes that the (possibly apocryphal) story of Yaalani the Brave is repeated often to young Eelakin girls as a way to reinforce the traditional role of women in their society.[1]