Sinduvats

Sinduvats are a traditionally agrarian ethnic community located in the central river basins of Taravon, a fictional nation. They are defined by a distinct language, Sinduvi, and a set of customs governing kinship, marriage, agriculture, and ritual life. The community forms a network of rural villages and small market towns that historically depended on riverine farming, weaving, and seasonal trade.

Name and language: The term Sinduvat is derived from the Sindu River and the common suffix -vat meaning “people” in Sinduvi. The endonym reflects a long-standing identification with the riverine landscape that shapes daily life and collective memory.

History: Anthropologists describe Sinduvats as forming autonomous village confederations by the late medieval period. They adapted to alternating river floods and droughts, developed irrigation networks, and established trade links with neighboring groups. In the colonial era, Taravon's administrators mapped Sinduvat settlements and incorporated them into regional markets, while maintaining local chieftaincies.

Culture and society: Sinduvats practice patrilineal kinship with a strong emphasis on extended families and communal labor. Key crafts include handloom weaving, pottery, and boat building. The annual harvest festival, dedicated to agricultural spirits, features processions, music, and shared meals. Religious life blends ancestor veneration with local deities linked to rivers and fields.

Language and economy: Sinduvi is spoken across generations, with increasing use of Taravon's national language in schools. The economy remains rural-agrarian, supplemented by small-scale crafts and regional markets. Emigration to urban centers has produced diasporic Sinduvat communities in recent decades.

Scholarly note: Researchers treat Sinduvats as an example of how rural communities adapt to broader state structures while preserving language and crafts.