The seemingly endless, sun-blessed desert is the home of the Oumaji tribe.
Tribe description
Oumaji is the fourth tribe in Polytopia. It is a free regular tribe, and it starts with the Ridingtechnology and a Rider.
Oumaji is typically considered to be a lower-mid-tier tribe comparable to Ai-Mo and Quetzali due to its relatively slow initial economic development. Its starting technology, Riding, is not an economy technology, nor does it lead to one. While starting with Riding allows it to quickly explore and capture many villages, Oumaji often cannot easily upgrade its newly-captured cities. This is exacerbated by the fact that utilizing crops, which constitute a large portion of Oumaji's resources, requires the tier two technology Farming, which may take some time to research. Low-level cities raise technology costs while not providing much income. Therefore, Oumaji is usually outmatched by tribes that start with an economy technology, such as Bardur, as those tribes can more quickly upgrade cities and have a greater income in the early-game.
Oumaji has 0.2x forest, 0.2x wild animal, and 0.5x mountain. Oumaji also has a water modifier in the game's source code that is currently not translated into the world generation.
0.2x
0.2x
0.5x
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Lore[]
The Oumaji are desert nomads famous for their Shebron husbandry and skill in the saddle. Known for their penchant for lightning-fast raids and guerilla tactics, the Oumaji are a formidable foe.
2019 Tribe Day: While most cacti are inedible, the Sajaa is an exception. While not as iconic as their Shebron, it is full of water and nutrients, and what makes the Oumaji way of life possible in the desert.
The 2020 and 2021 (first blurb) Oumaji Tribe Moon poster
2020 Tribe Moon: The Mausoleum at Ojibake is the final resting place of Mubehasi the Undefeated, the legendary leader of the Oumaji hordes and unifier of the Seven Oumaji Clans. The tower holds the records of their mighty reign and ensures that the memory of Mubehasi lives on in the hearts of all Oumaji!
2021 Tribe Moon: The Oumaji refer to any large grouping of people as a "hamu", which can also be applied to anywhere people congregate. Town Hall? "Hamu". Battlefield? "Hamu". The entire Square? That's right, "Hamu". It was the Battle of the Limdor Dunes that decided the proper number of people for a hamu - at least 5.
The 2021 Oumaji Tribe Moon (second blurb) poster
2021 Tribe Moon (second blurb): The lands of the Oumaji are home to the Onjimu Riders, an order of Shebron-back town criers who inform the townsfolk of the news through poetry! Now a crucial part of Oumaji culture, poetic delivery of the news has become a competitive sport, with rules, competitions, and even creative regional styles!
The 2022 Oumaji Tribe Moon poster
2022 Tribe Moon: Other tribes may have been blessed with fertile land, abundant resources, or a warrior culture, but the Oumaji have something the others do not - speed. The legendary Shebron can quickly dash over dunes, hills, and plains, and are why the Oumaji excel at hit-and-run raids.
Oumaji Tribe Moon 2023 - The Battle of Polytopia
The 2023 Oumaji Tribe Moon video
2023 Tribe Moon: A lifetime of wandering the desert awaits the Oumaji. What are they searching for? What do they hope to find? How will they know when they find it? Maybe the desert has a deeper meaning beyond what the average Oumaji can see, and maybe they can find the meaning in their dreams...
The 2024 Oumaji Tribe Moon poster
2024 Tribe Moon: An oasis in the Suui Desert is a rare find, and herds of Shebron often congregate around these watering holes looking for a drink. The annual "Sia Lu" ceremony needs an ample selection of healthy mounts to choose from, so the Oumaji send scouts to these oases hoping to find Shebrons fit to ride.
Webshop[]
The best way to savor a cup of Oulu is at a temperature of 187°F. It is made of "things" the Oumaji find in the desert, unclear what exactly, but it tastes a bit like hot air. The Oumaji usually enjoy it among friends after a late dinner prepared over an open fire.[1]
To survive a trip through the vast Oumaji desert you would most definitely need a trusted companion. A beautiful striped Shebra can carry you many tiles without complaining, and provide a nice shade to rest in while having a snack along the way.[2]
Most people don't know that the Shebrons are vain animals. If you need to find an oasis in the desert, the Shebron will be your best companion since it's always looking for a lake so it can admire itself in its reflection. If your Shebron seems low for any reason, you can use a fake mirror to cheer it up.[3]
The Cacti is the most difficult plant to harvest if one is not equipped with this special Cacti blade. In fact, the poisonous thorns will most likely kill anyone who tries. With the Cacti blade, you have a chance to get hold of the special Cacti pulp, said to heal wounds and the disease of the yellow mountains.[4]
Inspiration[]
Oumaji is based on North Africa.[5] Adobe buildings and headscarves were common in these cultures, and the Oumaji biome resembles the open deserts which are characteristic of much of North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Their palm oasis forests are also important geographical features in these regions. Moreover, their Eye of God somewhat resembles the waterfalls of Wadi El Rayan. The Khondor skin is distinctly Egyptian, invoking images of the Sphinx, and cats which were revered in Egyptian culture.
Their lore also contains hints of Middle-Eastern influence. For example, the unification of the Seven Oumaji Clans is reminiscent of the Biblical Twelve Tribes of Israel. Furthermore, the Oumaji word "hamu", which does not distinguish anything over the size of 5, is echoed in the languages of Ancient Mesopotamia, where the Akkadian word "ālu" meant any place where a group of people lived together, regardless of its size or population. [6]
Design[]
Fruit: Sajaa (cacti)
Animal: Shebron (zebra, also spelled as Shebra)
Field: Desert sand
Forest: Palm oasis
Mountain: Sandy mountains with flat tops
City: Clay adobe structures with small wooden embellishments
This ancient order of Khondor Honor Guards has been around for ages, and they're here to return the Oumaji to a more "civilized" time.
Khondor skin description
The splash screen for the Khondor skin in the Tribe Selection menu.
The Khondor skin was added in the third skin pack for Polytopia. They have grey jackal heads with a yellow stripe and wear the normal headscarf.
The Oumaji animal, the Shebron, is replaced with a large black cat known as the Sphelix.[7]
The city buildings are all marble white with gold accents.
The monuments are also replaced with this color scheme.
Warriors and Riders use golden sceptres as weapons instead of clubs.
Swordsmen and Giants use curved khopesh swords instead of the default double-edged ones.
Defenders use a rounded shield with a black outline and truncated edges.
Resources[]
City Buildings[]
Monuments[]
Trivia[]
In one early iteration of the the Khondor skin, they were called "Khehimu", and their description read, "This ancient order of Honor Guards has been around since the time of the warring Oumaji clans. Their Sphelix mounts strike both fear and awe in the hearts of all who oppose them!"
The Khondor skin is referred to as "Sfinx" in game files. This is likely a misspelling of "sphinx", a mythical creature whose Egyptian origin may have influenced the Khondor and whose name inspired that of Khondor's animal.
Trivia[]
The "leader" of the Oumaji tribe is named "Yelake".
History[]
The original version of the Oumaji head
Before Zebasi was released, Oumaji had the acacia trees that Zebasi now has.
The Oumaji headscarf was changed in version 2.0.58 because the original version appeared 'poorly wrapped'.[8]
References[]
↑Oumaji Mug. Polytopia Shop of Souvenirs. (Note: The old webshop on Threadless is now unpublished.)
↑Oumaji Tee. Polytopia Shop of Souvenirs. (Note: The old webshop on Threadless is now unpublished.)
↑Version 2.0.58 release notes: Upon closer inspection, we realized that the Oumaji were wrapping their headscarves in the worst possible way, so we decided to take a trip to the Square to give them proper instruction on how to wrap their scarf around their cube heads for better sun and sand protection.
