Living far in the northern part of the world, the Shumi Tribe is not widely known throughout the nations of the world, and for the most part, the members of the Shumi Tribe welcome the seclusion that their location provides. Living so far away from any Human settlements allows the Shumis to separate themselves from the wars and politics of the Human nations. If it wasn't for the fact that the Shumi Tribe lives in the middle of the richest deposit of known minerals in the world, none of the Human nations would care about them either. As it is, the Shumi Tribe settled on an incredible rich deposit of nearly every mineral type known on the planet. Within the area that the Shumi Tribe controls, there are incredibly rich deposits of gold, jewels, metals, and many rare and magical stones. Soon after establishing their settlement in the area, the Shumi Tribe discovered this wealth and for centuries they excavated a huge underground chamber to serve as both the base of their mining operations and the home of their tribe.
Initially, the Human nations were jealous of insane amounts of wealth that the Shumi Tribe controlled, and there was always talks of war to take these resources away from the Shumis, but whenever one nation began to move in the direction of conquest, the other nations would band together to ensure the survival of the tribe. For centuries, nations have vied for influence with the Shumi Tribe, but all were treated equally and the Shumis refused to take sides in any conflict and prevented any nation from stopping their trades with any other nation.
Since the last threat to the Shumi Tribe ended decades ago, the Shumis have made amazing advances in technology. The mining process has dramatically improved and even though their underground village is also the site for most mining operations, the air is as clean as on the surface and the water is among the cleanest on the planet. With advances in technology easing the workload of the Shumi Tribe, the artistic natures of Shumis have been revived and sculptors, musicians, and artists now stand beside the traditional miners of the Shumi Tribe. Led by the Elders, the Shumi Tribe has never enjoyed so much prosperity.
Unfortunately, with prosperity comes greed, and while normally good-natured, the Shumis can be afflicted with greed just as much as any Human. Some Shumis, especially those actively involved in trade with the Human nations, travel across the planet as traders and merchants, mostly representing the Shumi Tribe or one of the trade guilds from the Shumi Tribe, but some of these Shumis fall in love with the power that they possess as a result of their wealth. Many Shumis take it for granted, but on average, each member of the Shumi Tribe is ten times wealthier then the average citizen from the Galbadia Republic or one of the independent nations like Dollet or Balamb. Upon realizing the power that their wealth can purchase, some Shumis leave the tribe to remain in the Human nations. The most famous example of a Shumi leaving the tribe is Norg, the master of Balamb Garden and the employer of Martine, the master of Galbadia Garden. Norg became so corrupt by the money that he made through the Gardens that he was even willing to sell out the students of Balamb Garden and its headmaster to avoid becoming the enemy of the Sorceress Edea. Norg was eventually forced to complete his evolution, which all Shumis must endure, but not before he launched an unsuccessful coup against the headmaster of Balamb Garden, Cid Kramer.