Vesnayese people

The Vesnayese people are an ethnocultural group indigenous to a western Hatarian region roughly corresponding to the modern borders of Vesnay.

Characteristics
As with most ethnic groupings, the Vesnayese are defined less by any biological variable and more so a shared cultural identity, although a relatively ubiquitous phenotype can be asserted across the population. The Vesnayese identity was first formed with the separation of Vesnayan from the wider East Urhanic regional vernacular around the late first millennium CE, but would be further clarified with the start of the around the 17th and 18th centuries and the birth of Vesnayan nationalism. This would culminate with the Vesnayan revolution of 1849, whereupon the Vesnayan revolutionary humanists incumbent would define the Vesnayese identity against the perceived superstition and despotism regnant across the rest of the continent through the reforms (and purges) of the Rational Revision - coalescing the idea of Vesnayan nationhood as one distinctly humanist, secular, and thereby enlightened.

The Vesnayan nation would be instrumental in giving form to the Vesnayese cultural identity. Loyalty to the revolution codified through the rituals of the Cult of the Progression is a must; dedication to humanist, democratic and patriotic ideals through societal contribution, primarily through national service and participation in the intellectual-political environment of the nation, is an important marker for the cultural identity. Additionally, fluency in the Vesnayan language is a vital prerequisite.

Centered in Vesnay, diasporas of Vesnayese people outside the nation are relatively uncommon. The majority of foreign-born Vesnayese live in neighboring countries like Arsytia and Kursica, generally being descendants of older Vesnayese communities existing outside the nation, or more recently, Vesnayese families migrating for work or education. However, there exist small Vesnayese communities in Sundemarck and Raiftsmark, claiming ancestry from refugees (often political) who fled the nation after the bloody events of the Rational Revision. The of these "lost" communities is an ongoing endeavor, as more and more members of such communities seek better opportunities and living standards in Vesnay - all Vesnayese people are priotized for citizenship through an express line for approvals.

Phenotype
The typical phenotype associated with the Vesnayese is similar to those found in local eastern Hatarian and northern Serican regions, a mixture of the characteristics recognizable from native Urhanic Hatarians and the nomadic Khalkhans of Serica. The stereotypical Vesnayan person has fair skin, with variably light or dark hair and eyes. In descending order of frequency, brown, blonde, and black hair are most common in Vesnayan populations. Eye coloration ranges from green and blue to brown and black, with relatively high incidences of epicanthic folds in comparison with Hatarian averages.