Eshyosha

The Ariddian “province” of Eshyosha came into being as the culminating point of a long and intense series of protests by Limean Wymgani against the West Ariddian government’s policies of “land development”, which the former saw as causing catastrophic ecological damage. Although the Wymgani were joined in their protests by non-Indigenous West Ariddians, the ecological disaster was felt all the more painfully by an Indigenous people whose bonds to the land and belief in harmony with all living things made the situation intolerable.

Finally, 393 West Ariddians, most of them Wymgani, had had enough. They gathered upon a large ship owned collectively by a Wymgani community, and declared it to be the seat of the legitimate Limean authorities, re-igniting the tension of the island’s secession from Ariddia many years previously. The ship was named Eshyosha, a Wymgani term which translates loosely as “Endurance”.

The “Eshyoshans” sailed out of West Ariddian territorial waters, and were promptly intercepted by a rather tense Ariddian navy patrol. The Eshyoshan crew had already decided to apply for Ariddian citizenship, which was granted them almost immediately on the basis that any person fleeing Limea is automatically considered an Ariddian national by default as per Ariddian immigration laws. They also requested, however, to be granted special status as a semi-autonomous province within the PDSRA, until such time as Limea were re-integrated into Ariddia. That second request, from an Ariddian perspective, was far more problematic.

Ariddia is an extremely centralised State, with all 19 Isles being run from Rêvane with little or no provincial autonomy. Only the special province of Gnatanamo was granted a tiny amount of symbolic autonomy. Furthermore, to grant the request would risk compromising diplomatic relations with West Ariddia. After many discussions and negotiations, however, it was decided that Eshyosha would be officially integrated into the PDSRA as a “special province”, with a very limited form of autonomy. The decision was undoubtedly based in great part on the fact that most of the Eshyoshans were Wymgani, and that Wymgani in Ariddia have the right to manage their own affairs in their own traditional way to a considerable extent. Ariddia made no move to officially recognise Eshyosha as the "legitimate seat of the Limean authorities in exile", however, and the Eshyoshans did not push the issue.

The Eshyosha’s departure from West Ariddia is inscribed within the wider context of a Wymgani exodus from the capitalist, secessionist State. While many Limean Wymgani have chosen to remain and fight, through protests and elections, for a change of government, many others have crossed over to Ariddia throughout the years since secession.

Eshyosha now sails within Ariddian territorial waters, stopping often at Ariddian ports, hoisting its own flag. Eshyoshans are Ariddian citizens, and consider themselves to be exiles from their land in Limea. They have vowed not to settle on terra firma until they can do so as Ariddian citizens in Limea. Thus Eshyosha is perhaps the only nomadic province in the world.

Flag

The flag of Eshyosha has an unusual shape; its designer, Ael Wyil, has explained that “we do not feel bound by the conventions of other peoples when choosing our flag. Especially as we make no claim to sovereign nationhood. The shape of our flag enables it to remain unfurled even when there is little wind. It is therefore a practical choice as well as an aesthetic one”.

The dark green and deep blue represent the importance of the land and ocean to the Eshyoshans, while the dark red is both symbolic of communism and of the living blood of Eshyoshans atop that land and sea. The brown circle hints at the colour of Wymgani skin, but it is also another reference to land. Its positioning on the flag bridges land, ocean and people, bringing them together. The circle, representing unity, is slightly off-centre, to emphasise that the Eshyoshans do not see humanity as being at the centre of all existence, but merely a part of a greater whole, in accordance with traditional Wymgani philosophy and ethics. Some have noted that the circle leans more to the green of the land than to the blue of the sea, and suggest that this symbolises the Eshyoshans’ yearning for their land. The colours, Wyil explains, are dark so as to emphasise solemnity.