InfiniteDifursity: Rishku
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Of the five species of Kolagian squirrel-people, the Rishku, distinguished by their long snouts and round ears, are the only ones native to Mizar. Slightly over four feet tall, they are shorter than Vizuri and Zaik, but taller than average for Mizarians. Rishku most closely resemble the long-nosed squirrels of the Malay peninsula (Rhinosciurus laticaudatus), but they also have some of the biological characteristics of other species of squirrels from the Oriental region. Unlike their ancestors, which eat mainly ants and other insects, the Rishku have been genetically modified for a more varied diet. Their habit of eating insects has influenced many Mizarian rituals, although the Zaik prefer larger insects such as crickets and grasshoppers. They have their own language, Cirishki, but most of them also speak Cispa.
Rishku live in small towns in the tropical northern regions, far from the center of Zaik civilization. Even so, visitors from the south come frequently to observe and participate in the Rishku kanyici ritual dancing, the local equivalent of the cirikit ritual. The most skilled Rishku are considered by many to be the supreme masters of the art of cirikit, even compared with Zaik. Their squirrel ancestry does seem to give them an advantage in some of the more acrobatic and gymnastic rituals, such as the fairy dance, kanyici klatcikta. But some purists consider the Rishku's free, unconventional interpretations of Mizarian dance traditions as inappropriate to the sacred nature of the dances.
Of the five species of Kolagian squirrel-people, the Rishku, distinguished by their long snouts and round ears, are the only ones native to Mizar. Slightly over four feet tall, they are shorter than Vizuri and Zaik, but taller than average for Mizarians. Rishku most closely resemble the long-nosed squirrels of the Malay peninsula (Rhinosciurus laticaudatus), but they also have some of the biological characteristics of other species of squirrels from the Oriental region. Unlike their ancestors, which eat mainly ants and other insects, the Rishku have been genetically modified for a more varied diet. Their habit of eating insects has influenced many Mizarian rituals, although the Zaik prefer larger insects such as crickets and grasshoppers. They have their own language, Cirishki, but most of them also speak Cispa.