Culture of the Oan Isles: Difference between revisions
no edit summary
(→Totems) |
No edit summary |
||
Line 1:
The '''culture of the Oan Isles''' refers to the customs, traditions, and prevalent aesthetic tastes that pervade people who live in [[the Oan Isles]]. Because the Oan Isles is the ancestral home of the [[Oan people]] who in turn make up by far the largest ethnic group, their customs and tastes dominate the rest of society. Furthermore, [[Mauism]], infuses rituals, customs and symbology into the culture of the Oan Isles due to being the majority religion as well as having being practices in the country for centuries. Before Mauism and [[Thaerism]] were introduced in the Oan Isles, there existed various folk beliefs. These led to the formation of superstitions, myths and legends that persist in the form of beliefs or aesthetic features and customs despite being persecuted starting with [[Ahua the Great]].
==Marriage==
Marriage ([[Oan language|Oan]]: ''mārenatanga'') is a fundamental right of all people guaranteed by the ''Kaupapa Ture Oa'' regardless of sexual orientation, gender or religion. Same-sex marriage is protected by law and same-sex couples do not face discrimination or barriers that heterosexual couples do not. Marital rites in the Oan Isles vary by religion and cultural background, however the law recognises marriages which are concluded in line with Oan marriage law, i.e., a marriage contract is signed by the couple in the presence of a lawfully appointed marriage officer and two witnesses. The marriage officer in turn registers them in the National Marriage Register and issues them with a valid marriage certificate. Marriages completed in foreign countries are recognised by Oan marriage law.
Line 14 ⟶ 15:
A special certificate called a Certification of Totemage is issued by the Department of Home Affairs with a full description of the totem and the relevant relations it represents upon application by a person (or their legal guardians) and groups. Although the certificate is a relatively new contrivance designed to prevent repetition of totems, the totems are ancient and have increased in sophistication and complexity with time. Some families have the totem carved into wooden seal or a large statue outside their home.
==Funereal rites==
Funereal rites vary according to different groups, however Oan people have developed burial rites that combine their folk beliefs and Mauism. Mauism has a strong reverance for the ancestors and thus believes that the physical body should be handled with respect and care. To that end when a person dies, the body is washed and wrapped by the family in white linen or a similar fabric. The body is usually cremated and scattered in a sacred location. These locations are determined by decree of the Rangitanga-a-te-Moana and cannot be violated. They are legally protected cultural heritage sites and various rules exist about the kinds of ceremonies and activities that can be done there or in their vicinity. However, the head is removed from the body and mummified and preserved in a shrine. This allows the family members to continue commuting with the dead even long after they are gone. Modern methods of preservation such as through the use of plastic and modern dehydration have developed that have allowed shrunken heads to be preserved for hundreds of years. Oan people living in foreign countries must often repatriate the bodies of the dead to the Oan Isles as many countries do not allow dismembering or long term preservation of the bodies of the dead for non-scientific or forensic purposes.
For this reason, the Oan Isles lacks cemeteries. Thus, if people who are not of ethnic Oan descent want to perform other rites such as burials, they need to either form groups that administer such services and which acquire land used for that purpose. The practice of burying the dead was highly taboo and was illegal for many years. Thus, many Oan citizens and residsnts of non-Oan ancestry had to bury their loved ones in a foreign country that allowed burials. Because of its proximity, the [[Morstaybishlian West Pacific Territories]] has fulfilled this void. The island of Koroimotu has been a locus of such burials due to relative ease accessing land there because of being the only land border the Oan Isles has. However around 1943, burials were permitted. Burials remain stigmatised in Oan society.
A ceremony is usually held by which the family, friends and acquaintances commemorate the death and life of the deceased. Mauists do not believe that human beings have any say over the souls of people or the afterlife. Thus ceremonies are usually entirely structured for the benefit of the living. They usually consist of people retelling old memories with the deceased, relatives and loved ones sharing words of encouragement, prayers for those left behind and incense and prayers to Atea, Maui and the ancestors for the successful execution of the funereal rites as mentioned in the preceding paragraph.▼
▲
| |||