Humble Beginnings: by Joy Olson

 

Humble Beginnings:

The Development of Amia

By: Joy Olson

 

 

Long before Amia was a global powerhouse of trade and commerce; before it was an empire; before a thriving society, Amia was just fourteen people who wanted a better life. People who could no longer accept being in service to a terrible master. They wanted freedom. They wanted to live their own life, and they would soon discover how difficult the road is from a small colony to global powerhouse.

 When the original fourteen members of Amia decided to flee from their master, they traveled to continental Europe near what is modern day Great Britain and established a colony named Amia. They decided on the name Amia because it means beloved. The fourteen members consisted of nine women and five men, all in their late teens to early twenties. Due to the imbalance of males’ vs females, the women became the natural leaders of the colony as well as the home. Unlike many other communities during that time, the men of Amia were completely content to support the women in their new role. As time went on and Amia grew into a society consisting of several families, the need for a more structured government became apparent. The nine women who founded Amia decided to elect one women who would act as the Head of the Council. The Council would then consist of the other eight women plus the Head. When one member died, she was replaced by a blood relative to one of the nine women. No outsiders were allowed to hold any seat on the Council. The Council made all laws and decisions regarding Amia. They were also in charge of putting other women into positions of power to help run everyday life.

Life in Amia was challenging and creating a society that would withstand the test of time was almost impossible, but the Amians had the Guardian Spirit on their side. The Guardian Spirit was the official religion in Amia for a very long time. They believed she protected and provided for them by bringing the rain for their crops. She also brought forth new life and took away spent life. The Guardian Spirit helped the people of Amia to understand the world around them and gave them a sense of purpose and belonging in the world.

There were many natural advantages to the region in which they had started to build Amia. Fresh water streams were abundant throughout the land and they flowed with several different kinds of fish. Amians learned to navigate the waters and bring in massive amounts of fish. In addition to fresh fish, the people of Amia gathered berries and fresh fruit that were also native to the region. After some time, Amians learned to cultivate the land and grow crops. They grew wheat, beans, and potatoes as their main sources of food. Many dense forests surrounded Amia and allowed the hunting of fresh meat to be bountiful. Amians were very careful to store everything they could not eat immediately. They dried and smoked meat, sundried fruit, and preserved anything they could to use during the winter. Whatever was not saved or eaten was traded in the thriving market place in the heart of Amia. As Amia grew into a society, trade also developed. Soon a marketplace was opened to facilitate that trade. Farmers, business owners, and families all traded their goods and services at the market. Word spread and soon people from neighboring regions and societies would travel long distances just to do trade with Amia. The need for a trade network was soon discovered but did not come into existence for several hundred years.

Amia went from fourteen people in search of a better life, to a complex society with a bustling marketplace of trade in a relatively short amount of time. The Council and the Amians were content to stay within their region and not extend their authority, however this complacent outlook could not last forever. While life in Amia was simple and good, change was on the horizon.