Zikwa

In the stories passed down among the Kimeti about creation, a frequent motif is that the Motherfather in the shape of a crane laid an egg which hatched many creatures which became the first Kimeti. Aside from the Kimeti there were four others: the Acha, the Totoma, the Zikwa, and the Kiokote.

The Zikwa were a close-knit, loving bunch who valued family and friendship. When they left the swamp (so the stories go), they went underground, into dark places, where they could be closer together and rely on one another for warmth and comfort, away from distractions. Underground, it is said, they could be their own suns.

Of all the First Children, the Zikwa is the only race sometimes omitted from the stories--even very well-versed Kimeti are sometimes ignorant of their story. Perhaps it is the sheer ridiculousness of the idea of creatures like the Kimeti living underground, away from the sun--and perhaps it is the fact that Matope is largely on water, and so caves of any size are extraordinarily rare places.