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'''Mauism''' is a monotheistic/pantheist religion which originates from and is the majority religion of [[Polynesian Union|Polynesia]] based on the teachings of [[Ahua the Great]] and forms a branch of [[Thaerism]]. It is practiced by small communities of Oan expatriates and descendants living in [[Great Morstaybishlia|Morstaybishlian]] and other [[Aurora|Auroran]] countries.
Mauism
== History ==
===Background===
The Oan Isles and surrounding island nations largely practiced the worship of the ancestors, several gods and nature spirits. Their beliefs were varied and diverse depending on their needs and circumstances. From 700 to 900 CE, missionaries of Thaerism from Aurora landed on the Polynesian Islands and spread their religious beliefs. Many people converted to Thaerism but they disagreed on some of its tenets and continued to practice syncretism with their native religions. Several scholars held their own interpretations. The Purist school believed in sticking to Thaerism and disavowing other Deities and religions. The Moderate school called for a combination of Thaerism and folk beliefs. The Traditionalists believed that folk beliefs held precedence over imported ideals.
Around 1000 CE, the islands of the West and South
===Thaerist Expansion ===
Ahua the Great took over from his father Manupatea in 983. The Kingdom of Tokamotu was notoriously well-trained and had great ships. According to legend, Ahua the Great saw a vision of Maui in the form of a Spix Macaw which gave him the power to unite the West Cerenerian Island people, gave his bloodline the right to rule forever and taught him about the universe. Historians and critics claim this was a ploy to secure legitimacy for his imperialistic and genocidal tendencies while others claim he was a messianic figure who brought Thaerism to the Oan Isles. The prevailing opinion in academic circles is that he was a bit of both.
Ahua the Great used this to claim the divine right to rule. He brought together the teachings of folk religions and the Thaerist purists in a way that appealed to moderates and undecided people. People rallied around him and established a cult of personality. Many joined his forces and ascribed to his teachings. He eventually defeated most South West Pacific tribes and united them as the Oan Isles (named for Heaven, the divine realm of the Almighty Atea). The word for the Creator deity, Atea, is derived from the proto-Yasteruon word Thaer or Daer which was used in Aurora as the name for the Creator deity. ▼
▲Ahua the Great used this to claim the divine right to rule. He brought together the teachings of folk religions and the Thaerist purists in a way that appealed to moderates and undecided people. People rallied around him and established a cult of personality. Many joined his forces and ascribed to his teachings. He eventually defeated most South West
===Mauist Schism===
Ahua the Great proceeded to persecute traditional folk religions. The incredible victories of his armies in battle and the speed with which he spread his rule was used as evidence to support the argument that Thaerism was right and that folk religions were wrong. Thus, many practitioners and adherents of folk religions fled to the Strathepolic Islands. Nevertheless, native folk believes stubbornly clung to life in the form of rituals, superstition and folklore.
Many Thaerist writers made the argument that folk practices were also aligned with Thaerism. They buttressed these claims by teaching that Ahua the Great had in fact been visited by Maui, the folk god of the wind and seas in the incarnation of a Spix Macaw. They began to spread legends about him as a type of Messianic figure rather than as someone who simply brought this religion to the Oan Isles. Many claimed to sea visions of him. None was more visible and zealous than Priest Pohinga.
Although Ahua the Great is often cited as the formal founder of Mauism, Priest Pohinga was probably the most instrumental figure. He formalized the teachings of this "Reformed Thaerism" (as it was called in its early days). His movement encompasses hundreds of temples and shrines and gathered the support of common people and nobles. He began his ministry in 1245. This included publishing letters to various temples and shrines. He and his followers were persecuted terribly. He often fled the Oan Isles for safety elsewhere. For instance in 1247 he fled to the Strathepole Islands for a year. His ministry came to a horrific end when he was brutally executed in 1258 CE.
His teachings lived on and gained the support of a considerable class of nobles, priests and members of the royal court such that in 1312 CE, an assembly of over 1,000 prominent persons was held on Manaakitangamotu to call for the acceptance of the teachings of Pouhinga as doctrine. This resulted in a civil war between the Mauists and the Thaerists. In 1321, the Mauists won. They forced the Thaerist Rangitanga-a-te-Moana, Ihone II to abdicate in favour of his infant son, Ihone III who would be raised as a Mauist. A Mauist Regent, Prince Repahe, reigned and declared Mauism as the official religion and sought recognition from mainland Thaerists.
There were differing opinions to the extent that two conflicting bulls were issued that remain contested to this day. Traditional Thaerism was persecuted and pushed out in favour of Mauism. The rise of Mauism led to missionaries from the Oan Isles going to the Strathepole Archipelago to proliferate its message. The people in these islands having cultivated unique identities such as the Jūs of Jusdelva and the Kohatuans of the Kohatu Isles and East Gemica) received Mauism enthusiastically because it preserved their folk beliefs and rituals.
Prominent scholars arose who built on the beliefs that Ahua established. Ahua was venerated for bringing Thaerism to the Polynesian people and for the favour that Maui bestowed on him. Ahua's line has remained unbroken for a thousand years. People continue to see his descendant - the modern Emperor of Polynesia - as the head of the Mauist religion and spiritual Incarnation of Ahua the Great. Scholars such as Tamatea Waitangi, Aotearoa Marama and others shaped the modern religion. Each one supported a different school of thought or sect. Today, there are many sects and the Mauist religion is highly diverse.
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