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This afternoon the Minmatar RepublicÆs Tribal Council will convene to discuss the Sebiestor tribeÆs newly proposed and highly controversial motion to place a ban on ceremonial displays of the Khumaak, an ornamental weapon often carried by Minmatar tribal leaders and high-ranking military officers during formal occasions.

The Khumaak (literally "Hand of Maak") is a replica of an ancient Amarrian relic used 125 years ago by a Minmatar slave to kill his master, thereby sparking a revolt on Ezzara VI. This revolt, while precipitating the almost total annihilation of the Starkmanir Minmatar tribe, has in historical retrospect come to be credited as one of the seminal events in the larger Minmatar uprising. The weapon itself is a three-foot rod with a spiked solar disc on the top, the design of the original relic believed to date back to the pre-Reclaiming era of Amarrian prophet Dano Geinok. It isnÆt believed to have been intended as a weapon originally, but as a rod of command for high-ranking members of the Amarrian Conformist clergy.

The Sebiestor tribeÆs motion is calling for the Khumaak to be removed from the list of sanctioned Minmatar state, military and fleet apparel due to its being what the document describes as "an uncomfortable and unnecessary reminder of past bloodshed." While carrying the weapon at ceremonial functions has never been mandatory, numerous high-ranking tribal and military leaders adamantly refuse to leave home without it, the general sentiment among them being that it stands as symbolic of both liberty and the spirit of resistance so interwoven with the Minmatar peopleÆs brutal history.

In the two days since the motion was put forth, prominent Krusual tribal heads have leveled criticism at what they perceive as diplomatic submissiveness. Taino Kwuda, Governor of Houdea and KrusualÆs leading spokesman on Matar has gone on record stating that the motion is "a worrying manifestation of the weak-kneed mentality currently afflicting many of our sisters and brothers in government." The Sebiestor tribe has countered these accusations by stating that now, more than ever, is a time when the empires need to take steps to come together under the banner of peace. Few comments have been heard from the Brutor tribeÆs representatives, but analysts are predicting that should the matter come to a head Brutor is more likely to fall on the KrusualsÆ side, as their tribe views the Khumaak with great reverence.

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