Historical recursion (sometimes cycle time) is a worldview shared by the Sarikote and the Akiat, Ser, and Satikkean diasporas, which holds our actions as sacred reenactments of the same things humans have always done. Time is not linear, but cyclical, and repetition is thought of as the breath of the world itself.
Storytelling
Recursion is a framing device in pan-diaspora storytelling. Stories never walk alone, and even stories that are told by themselves can include lengthy allusions to historical or future events. These allusions serve as mnemonic devices for the storyteller, while also reinforcing their significance for the audience. They are also invitations for children and outsiders to learn more about the history of the diasporas. It is normal for listeners to interject and ask questions about allusions they don’t understand, and for storytellers to pause and explain them with another story. This can sometimes lead to recursive “stories-inside-of-stories” that their oral traditions are infamous for.
Art
Circles, arcs, and knotwork are used as visual shorthand for recursion. These are shared between the diasporas, but endless knotwork is unique to the Ser diaspora.
Reckoner Skies
To the Akiat diaspora, water is synonymous with power and thus intrinsically linked to history. Water determines what kind of life you can live in the high Asthaom desert. It’s at the center of every power struggle, every movement of the world-wheel; wars have been fought and men have been killed for water. It’s no surprise that Old Mora’s disasters are physically and spiritually tied to Asthaom’s water cycle. Disasters must recur to bring life-giving water, just as wars must be fought to continue “business as usual” in the desert.
Distinctions
Outsiders sometimes equate historical recursion with fate or predestination, but the diasporas don’t give it predicative power. Historical recursion is more like pattern recognition. Recursion is predicative in the sense that our history creates our future, but it is not deterministic. Cycle time is also absent of dualisms like fate vs. free will. There is no difference between an action that is inevitable and an action that is freely chosen, and asking which is which is like asking how to hear colors.
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