vanhe

Vanhe is a small ethnolinguistic community and the language they speak, centered in the highland basin of northern Elaria. In this article, Vanhe refers to both the people and their language, which are traditionally inseparable in social life. The name is believed to derive from a local watercourse, the Vanha River, whose name possibly means mist or shadow in the Vanhe tongue.

Geography and demographics: The Vanhe homeland is a rugged highland region with terraced agriculture and evergreen forests. The population is estimated at 15,000 to 20,000, concentrated in a network of valley communities, with smaller settlements along the river valleys.

Language: Vanhe is a distinct, agglutinative language with a subject–object–verb order and extensive nominal case marking. It has vowel harmony and a rich system of demonstratives and evidentials. The language is endangered, with language transmission increasingly occurring in the home and community contexts, while schools teach Vanhe as a second language in some areas.

Culture and economy: Vanhe communities are organized around kin-based clans and local councils. Traditional life emphasizes subsistence farming, animal husbandry, weaving, and craft production. Music and dance are integral to ceremonies, with distinctive mask-making and weaving patterns.

History and status: Archaeological and linguistic data place Vanhe speakers in the region for several centuries. In the modern era, the community has experienced state integration and cultural revival initiatives, aiming to preserve language and traditional practices within a federal framework.

See also: Vanha River; Elaria languages.