Culture of the Oan Isles: Difference between revisions
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In traditional Oan funereal rites, à 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.
==Tatoos==
Permanent body markings called tattoos are important parts of the cultural expression of Oan people. Traditional Oan body markings are called ''moko''. They involve specific rules are distinct from a esthetically similar markings used by people of non-Oan descent called '' kirituhi''. Moko is created by using a sharp stelle to cause coagulation on the surface of the skin to create designs. The process is intense and time consuming. Furthermore, it is usually very painful. Thus, with the development of modern anesthesia, Moko is performed almost entirely by cosmetic surgeons. Cosmetic surgeons or Moko tattooists must receive a certification from the Department of Health before they can be permitted to perform such procedures. This certificate was developed with the Department of Cultural Heritage which regulates the designs, forms and symbols that can be used on ta Moko. Surgeons who fail to meet the cultural criteria will usually be banned and those who perform bad Moko can be sued for medical malpractice.
Kirituhi on the other hand can be performed by any registered tattoo artists. Kirituhi is considered an aesthetic concept that uses Moko style designs. It is usually produced using modern inking techniques. In the Oan Isles there are symbols reserved exclusively for Moko. People of non-Oan descent are forbidden from getting Moko by law. However, in ''Smith v Department of Cultural Heritage'', the Supreme Court of the Oan Isles ruled that ethnicity testing was discriminatory and arbitrarily prohibited people with real but unverified claims to Oan ethnicity from accessing their cultural heritage. This was an issue especially for descendants of Oans who migrated to foreign nations over several generations. Thus, Moko procedures are performed without inspecting the ethnic heritage of a person. However designs which make use of totemic symbols reserved for tribes, clans or families of which they individual has no claim are forbidden and surgeons must verify the claims beforehand. A system called the National Online Totem Registry was developed by [[Cafe Net]] to assist in this verification process.
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