Association of the Servants of Akua: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox organization
| name = Association of the Servants of Akua
| full_name = The Association of the Servants of Akua
| native_name = Foreningen'Aku-tjenere
| map =
| map_caption =
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| motto = "We friends come together."
| formation = 10/14/1935
| founder =
Håkan Ny'thudr'zhan, <br/>
Ny'Marlè Baudelaire, <br/>
Oftse Ny'Jerokic
| type = Religious Organization
|
| purpose = Akuan shrines maintenance and historical recording
|
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| website = www.ASA.org
}}
The '''Association of the Servants of Akua''' is a non-governmental organization, dedicated to providing financial, material, legal assistance and act as a arbiter for retrieval for Akuan artifacts. The Association works with various local NGOs, regional bodies, governments and in cases of [[Akuan Democracy]] or Akuan states, local Akuan shrine authorities. The ASA, acts not only as a global registry and maintenance for Akuan shrines, but acts a registry for families and individuals. The use of local shrine archives, census data and so forth, the ASA provides a service of assisting Akuanists separated during the [[Great War]] or during any other number of historical events with finding their ancestors and origin point. The Association partners with [[Akuan District|Akuan Districts]] across the Urth, to provide scholarships and provide intern opportunities to further research into Akuan history, theology and so forth. The ASA holds and maintenances the second and third largest libraries relating to [[Akuanism]] on Urth, only behind the [[Grand Shrine of Lilith]] which the ASA is a part owner of. The Association maintains a strict apolitical policy towards issues, both theological and politic. Taking no stance in various on-going debates within the Akuan faith, both regional and global. Taking a firm stance in neutrality in the various reform debates, cultural/secular vs religious and so forth. Despite it's stance, it has been criticized for it's perceived alignment towards the Akuan royal houses of [[Bjørn dynasty|Bjørn]] and Ny'thudr'zhan towards select debates, though the Association rigorously disputes these claims.
Funding for the ASA, primary comes from donations from [[Akuan District|Akuan Districts]], governmental bodies, and the [[Bjørn Trust]]. The [[Bjørn Trust]] being the largest contributor to the Association, responsible for 41% of the Association budget, as well provides lion share for the funding of scholarships and research funding provided by the ASA.
== Purpose ==
The original purpose of the ASA as stated in 1935, was to act as a global registry of Akuan shrines and provide financial assistance towards shrine upkeep. However throughout the decades the ASA greatly expanded their scope in duties and purpose. The first major upgrade in duties performed by the ASA happened in 1945. The upgrade being the collection and copying of Akuan stories, myths and related religious text or performance; taking on the traditional duties of the [[Grand Shrine of Lilith]] by doing so. Later on in 1952, the ASA began to copy over record books kept by the Brewmasters in shrines and various census data held by governments to establish a genealogy record for Akuanists separated through the [[Akuan Atrocities]] and other related historical events. During which time the ASA, with assistance from the [[Bjørn Trust]] to begin to fund research into Akuan history and customs as well start the first scholarship program targeted towards [[Akuan District|Akuan Districts]]. The 1970s begin the first attempt of the ASA to establish several historical archives, as previously the collected data went towards [[Vakrestrender]] and [[Aikthudr'zhur]] capitals respectfully. The first and largest archive to be built was in Highdrilian, with the Valkyr archive built shortly after. In 2002, the ASA begin to purchase Akuan artifacts stolen or otherwise acquired from private persons and museums. Due to the ASA strictness of apolitical policy, the ASA doesn't provide funding for lobbying groups in respective governments for the return of artifacts, and only acts as either the buyer or the arbiter of artifact returns.
=== Scholarship & Grant Funding ===
The ASA is the single most largest scholarship and grant funder for studies into Akuan related subjects. Scholarships usually target those in [[Akuan District|Akuan Districts]] or Akuan majority countries. The scholarships and grant funding vary in requirements in a number of factors, however all scholarships and grant funding always require the recipient to be of Akuan background or religiously, and the subject being relates to [[Akuanism]]. Subjects including but not limited to, history of [[Akuanism]] (in a specific region or country), political science via [[Akuan Democracy]], business degrees through a [[Akuan Finance]] lenses, tradecraft and so forth. The scholarship program provided through the ASA has came into various debate, for it's requirement of the subject being in Akuan in origin despite the plethora of related subjects. Debates mostly centering around the lack of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_technology,_engineering,_and_mathematics STEM] degrees scholarships offered. Despite the criticism, many agencies praise the focus on trade skills the scholarship program provides. The plethora of scholarships for trade skills is a result of [[Akuanism]], having dozens of universally recognized spirits connected to trade skills such as plumping or carpentry to give a example. In addition to trade skills, degrees and certifications for mariner or other seafaring jobs have historically been a big focus of scholarship funding. The combination of the trade skills and mariner focus had a measurable impact on the world economy, though it mainly result of number of Akuanists working in the maritime industry.
Grant Funding has been a topic of serious debate and controversy since it's first started. While it is still the largest provider of research grants for Akuanist topics. The structure of the grant, is broken up on continent rather than how scholarships are provided from a general pool and by state. The result is larger continents, such as [[Aurora]] and [[Gondwana]] having to fight over pool that's the same size as [[Novaris]]. Additionally grants are evenly handed out to each continent pool, rather based on population. Another issue is grants in [[Borea]], are heavily focused around [[Grand Shrine of Lilith]] with almost 92% of grants given out in [[Borea]] are centered around the grand shrine.
=== Registry and Maintenance of Shrines ===
The ASA primary purpose is to act as a registry and assist in maintaining shrines. It is heavily expressed and stated that the ASA does not enforce doctrine or assist in enforcing doctrine for Akuan Shrine authorities for Akuan countries. Maintenance originally only was to provide finance aid towards the shrines, however after 1960 the ASA started to also provide material and skilled labor for shrines. The need for materials and skilled labor, is a result that shrines require specialized craft and materials prepared in traditional Akuan methods. The registry of shrines was formally held in the archives in [[Aikthudr'zhur]], holding the location, name and the inhabitant of the shrine. Original method of registering was to request local Akuan community leaders, such as brewmasters to fill out a form and mail it to the ASA offices. This method was of course, highly ineffective as forms was lost in transition and frequently issue arose that it was filled out in a different form of [[Nys'tat'en]] all together resulting in the shrine being unreadable for scholars at the archives. Another issue was storage, not just in controlling the environment to prevent the paper from rotting but it quickly became unorganized due to the sheer volume sent to the archives monthly and this issue only multiplied with disorganization. As such in 1940, to combat the issues rising the ASA organized volunteer achieves on a regional level to organize the local shrines in the registry and then sent a more completed list in Aikkian [[Nys'tat'en]]. Then the regional archives would send the translated registry list of shrines to the main achieves in [[Aikthudr'zhur]]. The new method greatly helped with organization, and only was recently changed in 2007 when the shrine archives was digitalized and streamlined. The new method relied on regional archives to digitized the records, and then the records could be translated in Valkyr [[Nys'tat'en]] instead of just Aikkian [[Nys'tat'en]]. Valkyr Nys'tat'en being more widely understood through Valkyr media than Aikkian Nys'tat'en which was more regional form in Nys'tat'en of [[Novaris]].
{| class="wikitable"
|+Registry of Shrines
| |||