Ayaupian Totec
The Ayaupian Totec, also referred simply as Totec, is a wooden or stone ornate and paint sculpture that serves, in Ayaupia, as an emblem for a group of people gathered in a geographical location, such as tribes, towns/cities, institutions/corporations, societies, but also animals, plants and materials. It can also be used by an individual as a way of being represented by a powerful symbol. The symbolism of Totecs are precisely codified, repeating colour and shapes attributed to caracteristics of the said group. Usually carved in wood, their use is at every level of the society: each province has a totec as its official emblem, each trade guild uses a totec head for their nouns, cities and towns have their own ones, while some celebrities decided to get their personal totecs.
Since 1990, it is listed as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Its reknown can be found up to the social medias, films, art and works of literature.
Tribal Totec
The Totec Oparapratalicat (tribal totem) is among the first to have rose in the country. In the early ages of the Proto-Ayaupian civilization, individuals who have gathered into tribes, localised in small settlements, had to identify themselves as a group to distinguish themselves from the piyetoret (meaning the "lands beyond") and set their identity when interacting with other tribes. In relation to the Vatoral spirituality and philosophy, these totecs quickly began to be erected along the walls of fortified towns and villages. A merchant or traveler will immediatly identify which tribes is living behind the walls. One of the aim was to facilitate trades and relationships between tribes, but also to assert dominance on their territory.
The symbolism expresses every detail a bystander would need to know about a tribe: the land size and the influence, the species, the physical appearance and features, the mental and psychologic state, the nature of relations between the tribe's chief and foreign rulers, the element inhabitants identify to. The totec was used during wars by each side, during meetings of rulers, by priests in their temple. Totecs have multiple implications: religious, politic and cultural. Until this day, totecs stand in front of Provincial Assemblies and some government buildings.
Institutional and Professional Totec
Army, police, firefighters, the health system, the jail system, mail office, transportations, national football team, all have a totec as an emblem, named Totec Acopratalootat They use a different symbolism, with added drawings, which are more explicit and direct. The institutions got attributed official totecs in the 50's. Craftsmanship and workplaces are also symbolised by totem, which appear, for instance, on their uniforms, or playslips. This can include: fishermen, miners, farmers, dock workers, airplane pilots, train drivers, garbage collectors, nurseries and doctors, and so on...
