The Ilaiyenai were humanoid natives of the Ilaiyen Archipelago on planet Sigma Niobe II.
During or prior to the 13th century, the Ilaiyenai were visited by beings from another world, who freely shared their knowledge and advanced abilities with this isolated culture. The two engaged in trade, but the Ilaiyenai, content with their simple life, asked only for the means to preserve it. To that end, the Ilaiyenai were given nanite technology, enabling them to keep their islands in their natural state, cure illness and heal serious injuries, and defend themselves against outsiders.
The healing properties of the Ilaiyenai became the stuff of legend, spreading around the globe and beyond, to the United Federation of Planets, the Redheri Trade Consortium, and the Coalescence. In 2368, all three of these off-world groups were told the true basis of those legends by Damala, the Matriarch of the Ilaiyenai. (TOS short story: "As Others See Us")