Ńaʼay

Connection to names
The Ńaʼay was considered the primary mode of personal expression and identification, personal names were constructed as a verbal reflection of the tattoos. The parts of the tattoo, called Uńaʼay [uˈŋaʔai̯], each correspond to the parts of the name, called Uńuʼu [uˈŋuʔu]. The Uńuʼu can be understood as using the medium of language to express the Uńa’ay, and to some extent, a person's name could be read through their tattoos. It was said that if a person was told the full name of a person in the next village over to go and meet, they could identify them by sight alone. A person had several Uńuʼu which were strung together in sequence to form their full Ūžańuʼu [uːˈʒaŋuʔu] "whole-name". Different parts of the name were used in different contexts, with the full Ūžańuʼu used only in very particular rituals and historical records.

At birth, a person received their Sańuʼu [saˈŋuʔu] "small-name" from their mother. This was a placeholder name used until a person received their first tattoos and was not considered part of the Ūžańuʼu. The Sańuʼu would be picked from a handful of short, generic names used by everyone, though there may have been some regional variation. There were different names for boys and girls and parents would tend not to pick a name they had already used for a previous child. It was somewhat taboo for people other than the parents to refer to a child by their Sańuʼu, people would instead refer to children indirectly using their mother's name.

Wōjama
The main part of the Ńaʼay was a series of maturity-warding tattoos called Wōjama [woːˈdʒama] (“may-(you)-be-wells”) that every person received in accordance with age rituals, and which symbolised wellness and good wishes.

Wōmavanaʼa
The first was a series of mouth tattoos called the Wōmavana’a [woːˈmavan̪aʔa] (“may-(you)-speak-wells”) that a person received at the age of ten. Like all parts of the ńaʼay, the Wōjama varied by region, but were generally composed of straight lines coming from the mouth to the nose. These tattoos were meant to ward off angry spirits that may cause someone to yell or verbally hurt their fellow person.

After receiving the Wōmavanaʼa, a person could be trusted to choose their own Xińuʼu [ʃiˈŋuʔu] ("true-name") which replaced the Sańuʼu, while the mother's name was retained as part of the Ūžańuʼu. The Xińuʼu was the most common part of the name used by others to informally refer to a person. At each coming-of-age ritual associated with the Wōjama, a person had the opportunity to freely change their Xińuʼu. For example, it was common practice for a person to change their Xińuʼu to something related to their particular interests or field of work on their 15th birthday, when they receive their Wōmavuru. Unlike the Sańuʼu, the Xińuʼu was not gendered and could be anything at all, it was not uncommon for people to make up a unique Xińuʼu. If a person did wish to change their Xińuʼu when they had matured, they could choose to name themself after another person, usually an ancestor, so long as that person was no longer living. Doing so was not to be taken lightly, since it meant not only adopting someone's Xińuʼu, but their Mū’oru [muːˈʔoɾu] ("legacy-spirit"), and not living up to the Mū’oru was considered extremely disrespectful. The Xińuʼu was the only part of the name which may not have explicitly represented part of the tattoo, but it was often incorporated into the tattoos on the front of the neck.

Wōmajanēs
The second set of tattoos was a series of feet and ankle tattoos called the Wōmajanēs [woːˈmadʒan̪eːs] (“may-(you)-step-wells”) that one received on their 14th birthday. These were meant to symbolise good luck in one’s travels on solid land.

Wōmavuru
On one’s 15th birthday, a person received the most important series of hand, wrist, and forearm tattoos called the Wōmavuru [woːˈmavuɾu] (“may-(you)-do-good-works”). Many regions are known to have had intricate and detailed tattoos on the forearms and backs of the hands, usually including three solid black bars on the wrists representing the three parts of the self in traditional Xiyeru culture; body, spirit, and blood. The hand tattoos were known to fade, so it was commonplace for these tattoos to be touched up and reworked as time passes. Allowing one's own hand tattoos to become egregiously faded was strongly taboo.

Wōmavawiʼi
The second to last part of the Wōjama was received when one turns 25. These were a series of forehead and eye-area tattoos called the Wōmavawi’i [woːˈmavawiʔi] (“may-(you)-see-wells”). As a person aged they became a more trusted hunter and sailor, this tattoo was meant to ensure that they were well focused and ready on the sea whenever necessary.

Wōmajamoyu
Finally, a set of back and calf tattoos called Wōmajamoyu [woːˈmadʒamoju] (“may-(you)-sleep-wells”), or sometimes Wōmajazava [woːˈmadʒazava] (“may-(you)-die-wells”), was received when one was nearing their death. These were meant to symbolise the connection with nature, the deities, one’s community, and the Āeruwe’a that a person had built up throughout their life.

At this time, a person would also be bestowed with their Mū’ojūńuʼu [muːˈʔodʒuːŋuʔu] ("forever-name") by their family. If a person died unexpectedly, they were still given a Mū’ojūńuʼu after death. The Mū’ojūńuʼu was often longer than the other parts of the name and aimed to honour the connection that a person had forged with the world and the people around them over their whole lifetime. After death, a person was typically referred to by their Mū’ojūńuʼu.

Ugumamavuru
There were various other tattoos that would be given to a person when they performed exceptional acts of bravery or achievement. These were called Ugumamavuru [uˈŋumamavuɾu] (“(many)-very-good-deeds”). The corresponding part of the Ńuʼu was usually of the form [verb]-[noun] meaning "one-who-[verb]s-[noun]". These tattoos could be incorporated into any part of the Wōjama, but were most commonly a separate band on the upper arms or lower thighs.

While the tattoos were updated to reflect a person's continued achievements throughout their life, they would keep a singular name which reflected the particular "discipline" being recognised in the tattoo, though they could have multiple Ugumamavuruńuʼu for different things. For example, someone who had defended their village from several attacks from Īdoskare [iːˈdoskaɾe] (a panther-like creature) would have a tattoo for each encounter, but a single name Fowīdoskare [foˈwiːdoskaɾe] ("one-who-slays-Īdoskare") to reflect this.

Uwe’ańa’ay
Upon becoming a parent, a person was given tattoos called Uwe’ańa’ay [uˈweʔaŋaʔai̯] (“river-markings”) and a corresponding title called a Weʼańuʼu [weˈʔaŋuʔu] "river-name". These symbolised the parent’s connection with the river deity Fadanaweʼa (goddess of parenting, leadership, and rivers). The Uwe’ańa’ay usually took the form of a meandering, space-filling curve which wrapped around the chest or waist.

Every mother was given the title Egiruwe’a [eˈŋiruweʔa], and every father Eńiruwe’a [eˈŋiruweʔa], these literally mean "mother" and "father" and were phonetically identical by the time of Xiri, distinguished only in writing. Important elders were considered parents to the whole village, and have their Eruweʼańuʼu changed to the generic Eruweʼa [eˈɾuweʔa] ("parent"). The spiritual and political head of all Xiyeru peoples holds the title Āeruweʼa [aːˈeɾuweʔa] ("big-parent").

Weruńa’ay
Kinship tattoos called Weruńa’ay [weˈɾuŋaʔai̯] (“peoples’-markings”) symbolised one’s tribe, mother, and region. Due to the Xiyeru’s tendency to travel far from their home village on foot or by boat, it was important that these tattoos relate individually to one’s home village, as it was seen as incredibly rude to one's ancestors to forget one's home. Not only did these tattoos tell others where a person was from and express a sense of pride for their home village, but they also acted to remind the person of their home, so they would never become too homesick during travels. The Weruńaʼay always included a large glyph in the centre of the chest which characteristically represented the community, and was often connected with a representation of the mother's name, usually appearing on the shoulders.

The Weruńaʼay had a corresponding Weruńuʼu [weˈɾuŋuʔu] ("peoples'-name"), a name used by all members of a community to identify themselves, but which was not given to children by default. What constitutes a "community" was essentially defined by the use of Weruńuʼu, it was usually a single village but could also represent smaller or larger groups.