Shortly before starting the Kiyagi language, I was fascinated by the story of Gowongo Mohawk, who was a Native American actress and playwright from the early 20th century. Born to a medicine man of the Seneca nation, Gowongo would attend boarding school and then the University of Ohio. She would gain a foothold in theatre alongside Louis Pomeroy and at the Windsor Theatre. Gowongo would write the play Wep-ton-no-mah, The Indian Mail Carrier, which is about a Native American mail-carrier who rescues his beloved and seeks to avenge his father. She starred in her own play as the male titular character.

What I found most interesting in an I’m-sold way is the etymology of her name. Apparently, Gowongo is Seneca for “I fear no one.”

You do not normally see name etymologies that have a 1st person element. As such, I wanted to use such a technique for a character among the Kiyagi.

Unique Name

“I loom over all”

pa+shlud+eriya+uwo

shlad+eriya+uwo

Shladeriyauwo

I already established that I will use the perfect-imperfect binary system for the verbs, however I will reserve the non-toned vowel harmonized verbs for the names. I ended up giving nuance to such a change, however I cannot change it at this point.

The name in sentence form would be:

Pàshlá:d eriya uwo.

[I loom over all]

I picked “to loom” as a naming element, because I intend for the Kiyagi nation to prioritize the sky–especially since Bluesky is the direct inspiration. I have a system that creates names, words, and overall aesthetics like this, but I want to focus on the character of Shladeriyauwo here.

Character

Originally the son of a ploughman, the imposing Shladeriyauwo wrote poetry about democracy and egalitarianism. Not wanting to live a ploughman’s life, he ran away and joined an army. He strongly believed in fate, that he would rise the ranks to loom over all, so he threw himself into battle. What ultimately gained him his prestigious titles were rooted in his successful dragoon strategy that saved so many lives.

Upon ascending to a high rank in government, Shladeriyauwo would adopt his new name meaning “I loom over all” based on his life in the military. After seizing control over a dysfunctional government, he managed to secure many important alliances with reluctant allying nations and created many institutions.

Shladeriyauwo’s major flaw is his willingness to use his imposing stature to intimidate all those who slighted him–at least how HE THINKS slighted him.

This is the very first Kiyagi character I created.

Expanded Reading

Other Sources

  • “Gowongo Mohawk.” Wikipedia.
  • “Miss Majestic Palm; Her Play, Her Ponies, and Her Apache Bulldogs”. Evening News. March 10, 1894. p. 1.
  • Mohawk, Gowongo (1893). Wep-ton-no-mah, The Indian Mail Carrier.
  • Otis, Melissa (2017). “From Iroquoia to Broadway: The Careers of Carrie A. Mohawk and Esther Deer”. Iroquoia. 3: 43.
  • Rebhorn, Matthew (January 25, 2012). Pioneer performances: staging the frontier. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 6.