Takatta Loa

Takatta Loa, officially known as the Republic of Takatta Loa, is a nation approximately 254,350 miles in area and located on the subcontinent Vallos, which is located on Sarpedon. Takatta Loa is predominantly wet, tropical rainforest, with a seasonal monsoon. The environment makes for an exceptionally biodiverse region, with many of the indigenous plants and animals being found only elsewhere on Vallos and nowhere else in the world. It shares a border with its northern neighbors of Almadaria and Rumahoki.

Modern day Takatta Loa is a constitutional theocracy, with the Order of Natano being the official rulers of the republic, but holding mostly ceremonial powers and very limited legislative powers. The four legislative Houses, divided broadly into Open (elected officials) and Closed (hereditary or very limited electorate), hold the powers of government. In particular, the Open Houses are the primary legislative, administrative and security focused bodies while the Closed Houses form the national budget and oversee healthcare and education. All four of the legislative houses are involved in the legislative voting process, however.

The Empire of Takatta Loa was a proxy colony of Kiravia from the late 1600s to 1875, until it collapsed due to the abdication of Empress Raikanao'oko, having ruled over much of southern Vallos at the time. Throughout the late 1700s and 1800s, the Empire underwent an intense process of "Loafication" wherein the mainland populations were forced to adopt Loa writing, language and culture. However, this period also resulted in significant religious development of the indigenous Kapuhenasa, which led to the development of organized and advanced entomantic orders. Modern Takatta Loa was officially founded in 1897 by Incarnate Toato Ani of the Order of Natano following the collapse of the Empire and the resulting Takatta Civil War. At the time, it was functionally an absolute theocracy with the Order regulating all aspects of life to conform to its political theology, and it also resulted in the freedom of Takatta Loa from Kiravian influence. Bolstered by sudden economic freedom, the Order sought to advance the economy beyond the previous plantations that served to enrich Kiravia. Although economic diversification was successful, significant political oppression resulted in the October Rebellion of 1952 which nearly overthrew the Order. After the death of Incarnate Ngatono in 1967, his successor Incarnate Sunuata began to negotiate with significant revolutionaries, royalty and the other influential entomantic orders. In 1970, the state was offically converted into the modern Republic of Takatta Loa and the Order of Natano relegated to largely ceremonial functions.

Takatta Loa boasts a diverse and still developing economic market. One of the largest industries in the nation is shipping, with Takatta Loa having some of the most robust shipping yards in the world. Further, agriculture still forms a significant portion of income, although it has been largely modernized. In particular, Takatta Loa is the largest producer of ginger and coconut in the world, bringing in around 1.5 and 26 billion taler respectively, and is a very significant producer of the cola used in Imperial Cola, as well as having the oldest bottling plant located outside of Paulastra. The nation also produces 84% of the world's supply of Copium, which is mostly exported to other countries with a marginal amount remaining in Takatta Loa. There is additionally a very large tourism industry in Takatta Loa, bringing in an estimated 50 billion taler a year. There is an especially large focus on Cartadania, with Cartadanians recieving free tourist visas and the travel company LoaMajeste aggressively lobbying and advertising in Cartadania for travel to Takatta Loa. Especially, the island of Jennasura has been developed specifically to attract tourist, to the detriment of the indigenous non-Loa polynesians. Currently, there is much development going into the production and research of pharmaceuticals, with Rehanji Pharmaceuticals being founded and based in Takatta Loa. However, not all economic advancement has been distributed evenly, with the region of Akanatoa receiving significantly less attention than others. This has resulted in a large drug and arms trade occurring out of Akanatoa. The Hoa'akara Cartel in particular has demonstrated separatist tendencies, resulting in the Akanatoa War.

Etymology
'Takatta Loa' came from a Loa corruption and misunderstanding of the Polynesian phrase Uana o Tagata, or Land of Mankind. The Loa thought Tagata, or Takat, referred to the land and not people, and so called it Takat ta Loa, or Land Conquered by the Loa. They notably use the a possession unlike the Polynesians, distinguishing it as a foreign land that they themselves ruled over, not an inalienable land belonging to no-one as Uana o Tagata implied. This reflected the Loa perception of both themselves and their land as being the result of war and conquest. Jomiria'ari is an Arabic word referring to a republic. It taken from Muslim sources by the Loa as they had no concept of a republic before contact with Occidental civilizations.

Polynesian Settlement
The earliest definitive evidence of Polynesian habitation in Vallos dates back to around 1500 BCE, with remnants of distinctly Polynesian house posts being found on the island of Kakurana. The obscure indigenous people of Vallos left little evidence of their housing structures, leaving behind only pottery and arrowheads and axheads, so the emergence of Polynesian post holes in the archeological record is often used to track the advancement of Polynesian culture. As the ancient Polynesians advanced across southern Vallos, native Vallosi arrowheads and axe heads disappeared while Vallosi pottery styles remain and in some cases persist to this day, indicating that the cultural knowledge of indigenous Vallosi women survived in contrast to that of men. Although much of southern Vallos, especially along the rivers, practiced settled agriculture, examinations of middens show a significant amount of foraged game in the diet, suggesting a division of labor along gender lines with women farming and men hunting.

These historical developments align well with the "Vallosi Saga" theory, which states that the Polynesians were met with violence and repelled from Vallos, with later "invasions" of Polynesians supplanting the indigenous Vallosi. Both genetic testing and archeological evidence show that Vallosi women were often integrated and assimilated, with up to 60% of Loa having a significant Vallosi contribution to their mitochondrial DNA, in contrast to Vallosi men who left a very small genetic footprint. An exception is that of the Loa Islands, with many individuals having no Vallosi contribution. Archeological evidence suggests Kakurana and its neighboring islands were uninhabited, and that perhaps the voyages of the Saga theory took place between what would become the Loa Islands and the Vallosi mainland.

The above-mentioned "Vallosi Saga" project collected oral traditions from across Takatta Loa and southern Vallos and examined for examples of cultural continuity indicating potential historical value. The project led to the aforementioned conclusions of invasion, repellation and later return and supplantation. However, multiple differences were noted between the arrival stories of the Loa and Loa influenced cultures vs the non Loa stories, cementing some of the earliest examples of distinction between the Loa and other Polynesian groups. The typical arrival story tends to have a chieftain or chieftains who sets off on a voyage, often meeting mythological sea creatures along the way, until he arrives in Vallos. There, he encounters settled agriculture and in many stories integrates into a village typically through some great feat of heroism. However, eventually the chieftain and his crew are driven back into the sea where many of them die on the voyage back to the home islands. The chieftain swears vengeance and returns with an army to conquer the Vallosi. This aligns with the Saga theory and although names and details differ across traditions and cultures, this broad archetype remains the same. However, the Loa arrival story differs dramatically in that the Loa apparently are a later Polynesian arrival to Vallos. As such, they arrive on the island of Kakurana and encounter fellow Polynesians. Most notably, the Loa arrived under the guidance of a queen. Whether or not this is the origin of Loa pseudo-matriarchal society or whether Loa society later informed their own origin story is still the cause of much historical debate. Regardless, the Loa story concludes with the queen killing the native king after pretending to become his consort and supplanting his village. All Loa influenced cultures also tend to modify their own arrival stories, with the chieftain dying just after making it home and his queen setting off to avenge him. Experts tend to dismiss these stories as being directly influenced by the Loa and by 19th century attempts to enforce 'Loafication' on the mainland cultures, to evident success.

Polynesian Establishment
The period of Polynesian settlement lasted from 1500 to 500 BCE and generally ends with the last significant emergence of Polynesian archeological records in a region, which usually also entailed Polynesian supplantation of the native population. By the 5rd century BCE, wet rice agriculture had become standard across all riverine cultures, resulting in significant increase of Polynesian populations. Although there is no mention or evidence of cultivation of crops besides coconut, ginger and taro in the Polynesian records, the very quick adoption of wet rice agriculture indicates that the new invaders were familiar enough with agriculture to understand the value of rice, as well as the survival of Vallosi women's culture and work.

Polynesian began to diverge at this time into two very broad cultural distinctions, that of settled riverine agriculturalists and nomadic highland groups of either shifting agriculturalists or hunter gatherers. Both oral records and archeological evidence suggests that Polynesians waged significant warfare as their population moved into the highlands, likely from the last remnants of the southern Vallosi. One battle site yielded a total of 3,500 abandoned arrowheads, almost certainly from the same conflict, as well as large amounts of ash concentrated in one area, presumed to be a large Vallosi village. By 200 BCE, the last of the Vallosi are thought to have been supplanted, although small groups are known to have survived until the 1200s, though there remains no evidence of indigenous Vallosi survival. This also marks the beginning of the Polynesian Iron Age, thought to have originated via trade with the Occident.

The presumed reasons for this expansion into areas previously undesired by the new settlers are unclear though Loa scholars have reconstructed a theory of "Highland Transition"' based on riverine archeological sites in mainland Takatta Loa and examination of oral traditions. Evidence suggests that after settling into the lowlands and establishing wet rice agriculture, the Polynesians experienced an unprecedented population boom. The Transition theory suggests that these later Polynesians preserved a cultural response derived from island habitation of voyaging away to settle new lands. However, with Vallos being far larger than any island and with many of these populations being landlocked, the so called "voyagers" led expeditions to lands unsettled by the Polynesians, the highlands. However, the theory also suggests that these voyages were far less successful at establishing larger settlements and so many voyagers attempted to return home. Previous systems of agricultural management were unprepared to accommodate the large population, and so a widespread collapse of populations forced many to flee into the highlands due to famine or war. This incidentally resulted in a fulfilling of the settlement archetype laid out in oral traditions of centuries past, and potentially cementing the story tradition as a fundamental aspect of Polynesian culture even among landlocked groups that had never seen the sea.

Polynesian Iron Age
Lasting from about 200 BCE to 1000 CE, the Polynesian Iron Age is marked by significant growth and development of Polynesian culture including the establishment of large confederacies and literacy. By 200 CE, evidence of population recovery and successful establishment of highland Polynesians began to emerge. Further, oral traditions begin to gain more reliability and a more accurate picture of Polynesian life at this time can be constructed.

Urban culture advanced significantly during this time and in what would become Takatta Loa, three prominent cities emerged; Disadako, Arai'ia and Husnande (Husunanude in Old Insuo Loa). Each founded around 300 BCE, they were some of the largest economic centers in southern Vallos at the time. Nearly 70,000 people lived in Arai'ia at the time. Although no written records exist during this time, oral traditions record that each city tended to have around three to five kings who vied for power and control. Archeological excavations in the site of Arai'ia and in modern day Disa'adakuo have revealed palaces with many jade and turquoise regalia. These palatial cultures seem to have been the primary administrative centers of the city, but there were often many contemporaneous palaces in a single city, indicating perhaps joint rulership. In addition, separate palaces were associated with specific luxury goods, such as jade materials or a predominant focus on earrings. These have been used to define the extent of a palace’s influence as such artifacts are found in small shrine-like buildings elsewhere in a region, indicating perhaps an extension of the clan spirits and thus the palace’s power. They can also be used to define the length of time a particular palace ruled.

Palatial Kingdoms Era
The Palatial Era is an overlapping period with the Iron Age starting around roughly 400 CE and ending around 1000 CE. It is heavily associated with the rise of palace cultures and especially with multiple palaces within a city or region competing for power. This period also saw the rise of the first states in Takatta, that of the riverine mainland city states. All of these states arose prior to the development of writing and literacy in Takatta Loa, and two of the palatial states disappeared from the archeological record prior to the establishment of literacy. Aside from these palaces, referred to as Disa'adakuo P3 and Arai'ia P1, four palaces dominated the landscape of the Ahoso river basin; Aiaka in Disa'adakuo, Keikono in Arai'ia, Nagala in Husnande and Ranafaia in Disa'adakuo. It is unlikely that these are the actual names, as they are reconstructed from modern Loa readings of the characters used in their later times.

These palaces were, at any given time, six of a few dozen or so, and were simply the ones who exerted the most influence. Later writings confirm this, indicating that they received tribute from subordinate palaces. The income from the vassal palaces varied depending on region, but typically consisted of crops or slaves, as well as cowrie shells. Certain palaces, especially Aiaka from 750 CE to 830 CE, amassed such prestige and influence that goods from across the entirety of Takatta Loa, including feathers from the Loa Islands, have been found in the palatial tombs, which were built very far from the site of modern day Disa’adakuo. However, their control was marginal beyond receiving taxes and despite the large armies they often claimed to have, there is very little evidence of warfare during this time. Instead, palaces seemed to have risen and fallen into and from prominence organically as the families that constituted the palaces naturally grew into influence and disintegrated.

The control of the palaces rarely extended to the internal politics of any subordinate palaces, and this would end up being the reason for the collapse of the palatial cultures and the beginning of the Takatta Loa medieval age. From 700 to 900 CE, there were a series of incredible innovations that would lead to both the enrichment and development of mainland cultures, and the collapse of the palaces. The first major development was the genesis of the Loa scripts, which had since the 400s been slowly developing from pre-literate glyphs to a fully-fledged writing system. The speed of this development is remarkable but is generally assumed to have been influenced by the Latin script, as Caphiric artifacts have been found in the region around this time. However, the Loa scripts, tentatively called the Rongorongo scripts by emerging researchers, are thought to have not been derived from any occidental script but rather been a deliberate attempt to create a script from existing glyphs. One theory is that the palaces or one palaces in particular, created the script in order to control the language of trade in the region and prevent Caphiric scripts from taking root and potentially allowing power to shift into a merchant class. The fact that palaces would allow merchants to be educated in the (perhaps deliberately) convoluted logographic system for free suggests that this may be the case, as well as the bizarre and recurring phenomenon where the rulers of a palace boast in a stele or wall panel about how they “commanded the voice ... [and] bound the spirits [with it]”. This is thought to be a poetic interpretation of controlling trade through developing a system of keeping track of goods, as the Polynesians interpreted spirits as controlling fortunes.

Despite its potential outside influence, literacy became an extremely influential aspect of palatial society at the time, with people very quickly realizing its use in poetry and general communication. Spiritual aspects as seen above became associated with writing, and since the palaces controlled literacy, this allowed them extensive control over the religious landscape of their domains.

The Polynesians at this time followed the pre-Kapuhenasa spirituality, which was an animistic faith centered on the control of good spirits and banishment of malevolent spirits. Literacy dramatically shaped the religious layout and understanding of humanity’s connection with the spiritual world. Notably, we can examine the early Polynesian writings and see that people held a very close and intertwined relationship with the natural world, viewing themselves as being a part of a greater nature. However, the discourse began to gradually shift in favour of a view of mankind as dominating nature. This coincided with the establishment of more advanced agricultural concepts such as dams, levees and a wider emphasis on livestock cultivation. This led to population booms and what is widely called the Palatial Golden Age. Art, architecture and poetry flourished during the 800s to late 900s when Aiaka, Keikono and Nagala were at their most powerful. They managed to centralize most administration in their palatial grounds and kept a delicate balance of power between each other. During this time, their palaces were the centers of southern Vallosi wealth and laid the groundwork for the coming medieval age.

Palatial Collapse and Ko'ngairauo Wars
In 950, the mainland of Takatta went through a 4 year drought in which no monsoons occurred. The records indicate that the palaces did everything they could to maintain peace, up to and including human sacrifice. However, the fact that the palaces hoarded rice for themselves whilst refusing to distribute it to the common people led to significant unrest. In 953, the Caphirian Undecimvirate supported the uprising of several generals of the palatial kingdoms, who had previously been assigned to guard against Caphirian intrusion. These uprisings, collectively called the Ko’ngairauo Wars, occurred for nearly half a century due to terrain difficulties meaning Caphirian forces couldn’t assist much as well as the generals provoking even more hatred due to their brutal warfare strategies, meaning that the palaces had significant support from the population despite previous mismanagement of supplies. The end of the drought also prolonged the conflict due to a quick rebuilding of grain and food supplies. The first palace to fall was Keikono of Arai’ia in 977, whose territory was seized by General Oaiakara’atana. He stayed out of the conflicts surrounding the rest of the Ahoso Basin, and instead focused on conquering parts of southeast Vallos, which consisted of relatively underdeveloped tribes and chiefdoms and as such unification was quickly achieved through negotiations, Caphirian force and treaties in 989. General Ngasiikai rebelled against Aiaka in Disa'adakuo but never managed to conquer his overlords. Thus, the borders of the Undecimvirates were largely to the east of the region, with the western regions being held largely by independent Polynesian kingdoms, with the three border kingdoms of Suryulwaiwana, Aiaka and Keong managing to repell the advances of the Undecimvirate for the following two hundred years. This marked the beginning of the tumultuous Early Medieval Age of Takatta Loa which was characterized by failed attempts at Christian conversion, cultural exchange between the Occident and Polynesia, population decline and the movement of wealth from southern Vallos.

Geography
The geography of Takatta Loa is very diverse with much of the country being the Ahoso River Basin and the surrounding mountains. This is where most of the population resides, with around 70% of the population living in and around the Ahoso Basin. The northern part of the nation consists of the Sena'akono River system and the surrounding mountains, and the Romanani Rainforest to the northeast. The eastern regions consist of Akanatoa and the Ikoara Lake, with the former being one of the least populated regions.

Government and Politics
Takatta Loa is a constitutional theocracy with a semi-bicameral legislature. The divine spirit Natano is the official head of state according to the constitution, although he speaks through his human representative in the mundane realm. This means that in practice the Incarnate of the Order of Natano is the head of state, although they have largely ceremonial powers and little impact on government, with the powers of government lying in the Four Houses. The upper house is divided into the Houses of Orders and Queens, with 14 and 12 members respectively for a combined total of 26 members of the two upper houses. The lower house is divided into the Houses of Commons and Chieftains, with 500 legislators in each, for a combined total of 1,000 legislators. The upper and lower houses have divided legislative, taxation and budget setting duties, as well as divided duties for appointing the higher government officials. The actual administration of the government is done by the Ten Ministries system, whose High Ministers are elected from among and by the employees of the ministries and whose supporting cabinet of coordinators are appointed by the legislature. Government officials are selected via an internship and examination system, and are then typically promoted from within.

Constitution
The constitution of Takatta Loa began to be drafted in 1968 and was officially inaugurated in 129945/1/18/9/7 (February 13th, 1970). Its primary author was Heauaka ueueKasaia, widely regarded as the founder of the modern day Republic and one of the Fathers and Mothers of the Nation, a selection of influential people who are honored on Constitution Day, which takes place February 13th, as helping to create Takatta Loa. It is composed of articles and unlike most constitutions it articulates the entirety of the law of Takatta Loa. As such, it is the largest constitution in the world. However, it is divided into two parts; mutable articles, which are the general laws and legislation, and the immutable laws which serve as the traditional constitution.

A notable aspect of the immutable articles is that there is no process for repealing legislation. A process does exist, but it was prevented from entering the immutable articles due to disputes and lack of a unanimous consensus, so it was decided the constitution would be finalized in 1970 but amended once an agreeable compromise was reached. As of 2030, there has still been no agreeable compromise due entirely to the actions of Nuosi, a legislator who has been in office since the founding of the republic due to a loophole in the constitution allowing incumbent legislators to remain in power if nobody runs against them. She has never had any contestants and so remains in the legislature at 100 years old as of 2030. She has been the sole 'Against' vote for the admission of the legislature repellation process into the immutable articles for over 25 years despite every other function of government and almost the entire nation disagreeing with her decision. She has largely protested due to the refusal to return the island of Usomi to the Ancestral Loa, as she is the special chair representative of the Ancestral Loa. Negotiations have been underway since the founding of the republic, and a solution is estimated to be reached soon.

Immutable articles

 * 1) The Saintly Spirit Natano is the foremost guide to Mystery’s End, and through his Incarnate he rules as the eternal ruler of all Takatta Loa, then, now and forevermore.
 * 2) The Four Houses will have the supreme powers of government, with the ministries as their subordinates.
 * 3) The two lower Houses of Commons and Chieftains will have the power to propose new articles, approve the cabinet of High Ministers and regulate the policies of the ministries. The two upper Houses of Katu and Orders will have the power to propose the cabinet of ministers, receive taxes and set the budget.
 * 4) The Twelve Katu hold all land in Takatta Loa, and may not sell it to any foreign power or non royal party. They must receive tax and retain only 2% for themselves, with the rest returning to the state.
 * 5) The Fourteen Orders hold final and absolute authority on all religious matters, but they must not make it impossible to express a faith that is otherwise acceptable by the constitution. All foreign religions, that being religions aside from Islam or the Kapuhenasa, are to be regulated by the Orders and must receive permission to construct a religious building in the designated territory of an Order. The Orders are to levy taxes themselves, and are to keep 2% in lieu of tithes.
 * 6) The Houses of Commons and Chieftains will be composed of the members of a district, who will be elected by 5 electors representing no more than 50,000 people each. The House of Commons will receive votes from all citizens of age while the House of Chieftains will receive votes from all members of the military and their spouses.
 * 7) Military service of a minimum of 3 years is obligatory.
 * 8) Participation in the government as far as one can achieve is obligatory.
 * 9) Obedience of all articles of the constitution is obligatory.
 * 10) Understanding of the immutable articles of the constitution is obligatory.
 * 11) Understanding of and fluency in Insuo Loa is obligatory. Insuo Loa as spoken by the Loa of Ninao or Disa’adakuo is the only official language.
 * 12) Protection of holiest nature and enrichment of the landscape is obligatory on behalf of the government and all citizens.
 * 13) Citizenship is granted by birth from two Loa citizens but can be revoked due to failure to adhere to all matters of the constitution.
 * 14) Citizenship can be regained by demonstrating sufficient remorse, serving any criminal sentence and passing a citizenship test.
 * 15) Marriage can only occur between two citizens of legal age.
 * 16) Criticism of Natano by a citizen is forbidden. This overrides all other articles.
 * 17) All citizens regardless of gender, culture, religion, creed or manner of being will have the freedom from state or private discrimination, separation or exclusion.
 * 18) All citizens will have freedom from slavery and corvee labour.
 * 19) All citizens will have freedom from censure and restrictions on speech.
 * 20) All citizens will have the freedom of faith in one god.
 * 21) All citizens will have the freedom of internal and external travel.
 * 22) All citizens will have the right to trial before sentencing.
 * 23) All citizens will have the right to rent property from a Katu.
 * 24) All citizens will have the right to cultivate land.
 * 25) All citizens will have the right to own a boat and fish for sustenance in national waters.
 * 26) All Muslim citizens will have the rights that the pillars of their faith demand.
 * 27) All Kapuhenasa citizens will have the rights that the Liturgy demands.
 * 28) The immutable articles cannot be overridden, overturned or modified in any way, except by another immutable article. New immutable articles can only be added by suggestion of Natano or a Katu, and must be unanimously supported by every member of the legislature.

Lower Houses
The two Lower Houses of Commons and Chieftains consist of approximately 1,000 legislators from 500 districts, which are further divided into 18 regions. The regions exist for administrative purposes and have no impact on the legislature. The legislators represent approximately 250,000 people each and outnumber the Upper Houses by around 39 to one. The House of Commons is elected from among every citizen of Takatta Loa and serves to represent civilian interests. The House of Chieftains is elected from among every active duty military member and their spouse and serves to represent military interests. The primary function of the Lower Houses is to propose and pass legislation. Any Loa citizen can propose a law, and provided it gains enough signatures on a petition, their representative is obligated to deliver it to the legislature. The legislator must also propose laws to their people in the same manner in order to be able to propose it to the broader legislature. Although the Upper Houses also vote on legislation, their votes are in theory small enough to be insignificant. However, several members of the Upper Houses have gained enough sway in political parties that they can have an outsized impact on legislation. The Lower Houses must also approve the budget as designed by the Upper Houses. They can choose to reject this and thus force a resetting, but this is relatively rare.

Elector System
There are 2,500 electoral villages of Takatta Loa, which serve to elect the legislators of the Lower Houses. Each district elects two electors, one of whom must be active duty or reserve military. These two electors are then assigned into two groups of five respectively, usually from the nearest village. These constitute an electoral distruct. These groups of five must select one candidate from among however many there are to serve as legislator, with the military members electing a Chieftain and civilians electing a Commons member. Elections of electors occur in the third ecdysial month of the year, which is usually sometime in the summer, while the electors decide on the legislator within one lunar month. ELectors can only hold their seat for three ecdysial years. A legislator can only hold their seat for one term of three lunar years, but if there are no contestants then they retain their seat. This has happened to only four legislators in history, but one has maintained her seat for 40 consecutive years. Each district is part of a group of five, and each represents roughly 50,000 people. A single district elects an elector and then the electors elect a candidate from among their districts. Usually, candidates campaign in the districts to gain votes on a petition, which is meant to influence the decision of the electors but it is still ultimately their choice who they elect.

Subdivisions
Takatta Loa's subdivisions consist of Electoral Districts and Villages, Crownlands and Parishes. Only Electoral Districts and Villages are connected, with districts being composed of villages. Crownlands are Parishes are two separate territorial classifications that are based on the direct land owned by the Twelve Katu, while the Parishes consist of the land owned by the 14 Orders. These are often deeply unconnected and byzantine, with exclaves and enclaves being extremely common due to both constant royal land trade and Orders being untied to geography and instead to individual temple philosophical alignment.

Ethnicity


Takatta Loa officially recognizes only three ethnic groups, the Loa, the Ancestral Loa (Uise-Loa) and None-Loa Polynesians. However, the Loa, who make up 99% of the population of the nation, tend to recognize themselves as being divided into five groups; Isi, Ahoso, Masa, Safa and Highland Loa. The Isi Loa, also called Insular Loa, are regarded as the 'pure' Loa, as they and their islands are the ones whom the Loa culture and ethnicity originated from. As such, their dialect of Insuo Loa has the least amount of mainland influence, and their culture largely lacks many integral aspects of mainland Loa culture. Although they make up the vast majority of the Loa Islands, the majority of Isi Loa reside outside of the islands in the many former "civilized settlements" that served as the centers of nationalization and Loafication, as well as in Disa'adakuo. The Isi Loa are notably genetically distinct from not only the other Loa, but most human populations despite relatively close linguistic similarities to the Polynesians. This is attributed to a genetic bottleneck in the past resulting in unique characteristics such as variegated blond, brown, and black hair that usually fades to dark brown or black by adulthood, incapability to metabolize milk or alcohol, missing wisdom teeth, immunity to malaria, general similarity of appearance and most crucially a universally AB- blood type, the rarest in the world. This has led to debates on whether or not the Loa are actually Homo sapiens or are another human species. This has also been influenced by the unique cultural aspects of the Isi Loa, such as the fact that they are the only matriarchal society and a seeming lack of cannibalism or incest taboo, though the latter is a Kiravian and Occidental misconception as they misunderstood the concept of moiety, and in the Kiravian case the Loa understanding of moiety. These debates have been settled due to genetic testing revealing that although unique, the Isi Loa are entirely human.

The Ahoso Loa consist of the Loa located in the central and eastern Ahoso Basin and the nearby Kaona Lake region, as well as the coastal regions surrounding the Uahaaua Bay. The peripheral Ahoso regions experienced migrations of the riverine Polynesians following the Loa invasions of the 1700s, resulting in the regions being assimilated into the riverine culture. When Loafication began, the four governors assigned to this vast region of Takatta Loa decided to experiment to see if they could create a 'uniform' culture according to racist theories of culture, resulting in cultural continuity across this region despite the deep differences and considering the riverine migration. As such, the Ahoso currently comprise nearly 35% of the population and demonstrate remarkable continuity despite some levels of diversity such as in cuisine. The Ahoso dialect is consistent across regions and ideas and practices regarding family, dress, superstitions and property.

The Masa Loa are the Loa found in the eastern Masa Mountains and the tributaries of the Iuemakele River. These Loa largely descend from the medieval kingdom of Paoala, which ruled much of the Masa mountains and engaged in significant amounts of piracy before the Loa invasion. Due to their geographical proximity to the Loa Islands, the Masa Loa have the most Isi influence of the mainland groups due to a somewhat longer history under Loa occupation. However, there are significant independent cultural features of the Masa such as their intense focus on pork and yam cultivation, as most of the Masa territory is mountainous. Further, the Masa are often stereotyped as aggressive warriors due to their history as pirates and use of soldiers originating from Masa cultures as enforcers of the Loa Empire.

The Safa Loa are the second largest ethnic group and are a religio-ethnic group, being overwhelmingly Muslim. In 1740, a vassal king to the Loa Empire embraced Islam and restylized his kingdom as the Safa Kingdom (lit, 'Pure Kingdom'), with Islam becoming especially entrenched in the region. The governor assigned to the kingdom during Loafication made many concessions, such as allowing the people to keep Islamic dress, follow Islamic dietary rules and maintain Arabic as a second language, all privileges that other groups did not have with the Loa going so far as to render certain crops and animals extinct so the indigenous people would be forced to follow the acceptable diet. This resulted in the formation of the Safa Loa, who are largely defined by how their adherence to Islam interacted with their culture and Loafication as opposed to other Loa Muslims who consider themselves Muslim but of their respective cultures.

The Highland Loa are a new phenomenon, originating with the various Loa groups that were ranked as 'Peripheral' groups by the standards of Loafication and so were not given a standardized Loa education nor extremely strict adherence to Loa cultural acceptability. These Loa were often the descendants of non-Loa Polynesians who escaped Loafication but assimilated into the national culture due to economic pressures. During the latter half of the 20th Century, regional radio and television shows as well as internal migration led to the various highland people, who already shared a semi peripheral status and culture, to borrow cultural elements, dialectal slang and identity between each other, gradually creating a shared sense of 'Highlandedness'. This especially gained traction with the poor, rural youths who traveled to big cities for work and found the most kinship with other highland folk. In 2021, Takatta Loa officially recognized Highland Loa as their own cultural group.

The Non-Loa Polynesians, who often prefer to be called simply Polynesians or (Tagata) as it doesn't place the Loa as the standard, make up less than 1% of the population. They consist of the Polynesians that escaped Loafication, and persist to this day as distinct cultural and ethnic groups. They have linguistic and ethnic distinctions from the Loa and actively maintain these distinctions. They are also subject to discrimination, being mistaken for immigrants due to the idea that Takatta Loa is a 'Loa country' and often being subject to ignorance, communal neglect and general disdain for their otherness.

Languages
The national language of Takatta Loa is known as Insuo Loa, and is spoken as a native language by almost every citizen of Takatta Loa, although several dialects do exist. However, there are several smaller languages spoken throughout the nation. These tend to be the descendents of the Pre-Loa Polynesian languages spoken by the modern day Non-Loa Polynesians, as well as the language spoken by the Ancestral Loa, who still speak it as a mother tongue. Coscivian is also widely taught in Loa schools, and most Loa have a rudimentary knowledge of Coscivian. It is the largest second language with around 40 million Loa reporting proficiency in Coscivian. However, most Loa don't use it in everyday life, mostly when communicating in business settings with Kiravian or Paulastran nationals, or when consuming Coscivian media. As such, few Loa can hold a conversation in Coscivian with the majority of Loa who claim proficiency having a limited knowledge learned from social media and schooling. Arabic is the third largest second language in Takatta Loa, spoken primarily by Loa Muslims, with around 25 million people speaking Arabic as a second language. There has also been a movement to revive the pre-Loa mainland languages, to limited success. It has mostly gained traction among the Safa Loa and the Highland groups. Old Safa has been adopted as a second language by around 40,000 people and a third language by 160,000 people since revival efforts began in 1995. There are around 1,000 people with Old Safa as a native language. Paiyatulu, a formerly extinct language in the northern highlands, has been the most successful, being adopted by 600,000 people and has been acknowledged as a regional language in the Kanu’aua Region, the first instance of an officially recognized regional language in Takatta Loa. There has also been an effort to revitalize the Polynesian scripts that were in use until around 1830, though this has seen limited success. Only Paiyatulu has implemented a non Loa script due to the presence of multiple phonemes not found in the Loa script

Religion
Religion in Takatta Loa is divided between the indigenous Kapuhenasa and Shi'ite Islam. 70% of the population follows the Kapuhenasa, the state religion, while 28% follow Islam. This large Muslim minority is largely due to historical tolerance between the indigenous faith and Islam, with the Kapuhenasa being in part descended from the teachings of a Kiravian Sufi saint. The other 2% of religions consist largely of Antecedent and Consensus Movements, a new religious movement from the 50s and 70s, and a blend of Catholicism, indigenous Polynesian faiths and agnosticism. Atheism and polytheism are technically illegal in Takatta Loa but this has never been harshly enforced.

Education
Education in Takatta Loa is available in either public or religious schools, both of which follow the state mandated 13 year program, starting at age 5. Students go through 5 years of primary education followed by 8 years of secondary education and then students can choose whether to pursue a trade or higher education or neither. Classes for primary education in public schools include Mathematics, Literacy, Cultural studies, Physical Education and Secular Sciences. Secondary school includes more advanced studies of the above, as well as Takatta Loa History, World history, Religious studies and Loa cultural studies as mandated courses, with electives including such things as Music theory, Medicine, Muslim studies, Arabic language, Forestry, etc. Secondary school is aimed at providing a more complete education as well as providing training for trade schools or university via electives. Although it takes inspiration from non-Loa countries for its educational system, it was designed by Loa nationalists to instill loyalty in Takatts Loa and to produce highly educated and specialized students to promote the growth of the nation during its post-colonial days. It also has roots in the Loafication era, with many aspects of the genocidal "rural education schools" being adapted to a national level. This has attracted particular criticism as being a relic of the past, efforts to completely replace it with a new system have largely faltered, but the education system has expanded its course catalog and altered its curriculum to be less nationalistic.

Higher education in Takatta loa tends to consist of smaller private trade schools or colleges, but the majority of university and trade students attend Heauaka University in Disa'adakuo, which is the only state supported higher education facility. However, it is massive in scale and support with around 2.5 million students attending it and employing 90,000 professors and other educational faculty. There are around 400 private universities and trade schools with a combined 2.9 million students.

School Year
The school year follows the Loa luni-ecdysial calendar, which measures time along both a lunar calendar and an "ecdysial" calendar that measures the silkworm seasons. There are 304 school days, with 41 holidays and 20 non holiday free days. The start of the school year is November 24th, which continues for the first ecdysial season until the 65th day until the 5 day long break at the end of the season. This continues until the fifth and last season, which is followed by the Loa 15 day New Years celebration. Other major holidays include the three Eid holidays celebrated by Loa Muslims, Eid al-Fitr, Eid al-Adha and Eid al-Gadhir, as well as the 12 lunar holidays, the 2 secular holidays of Peace Day and Constitution Day, and the four Loa religious holidays of Aiasin-sekkin, Huehuekaso-sekkin, Akaru'a-sekkin and Toua-sekkin. Takatta Loa organizes a school year based on a pentester, with the school year being divided into the five ecdysial cycles.

This system applies to primary, secondary and higher education. Furthermore, primary and secondary mandate a seven hour school day with a two hour break in the middle, from noon to 9 pm. This means that on average, a Loa student would experience around 38,304 hours of school from grade 1 to grade 13. However, due to the fact that the lunar calendar is 11 days shorter than the ecdysial calendar, and that both the Muslim holidays and the lunar holidays fall on different days every year, the actual number tends to be larger due to the fact that inevitably some holidays will overlap, meaning that the Loa student can expect to have less than the expected 61 free days every few years.

Culture and Society
Loa culture is eclectic and highly influenced by its Polynesian roots as well as its distant historical rule by Caphiria and the more modern impact of Kiravia and Kiravian Islam. Although there is generally accepted to be a single Loa culture, in truth there are multiple Loa ethnicities as a result of the nationalization period of the 1800s that resulted in the universality of Insuo Loa and adoption of Loa culture alongside erasure of indigenous Polynesian cultures. This dynamic continues to influence Loa society today, with emphasis on regional identities increasing in modern times.

Insuo Loa
Insuo Loa is the official and national language of Takatta Loa, spoken by 99.9% of the population as their first language. It is a Polynesian language, considered its own distinct branch descended from the Polynesian Strait Branch unlike the mainland Polynesians who constitute the Vallosian Branch. It developed in the Loa Islands from around 800 CE to 1500 CE and is written in the Loa Script, developed in the 1700s by the Imperial Regime in response to the mainland scripts. It drew influence primarily from the script used in the Anahuenna and from Arabic. It is a semi logo-syllabic script, with around 100 logographic characters representing particles, articles, pronouns and determiners, and approximately 59 syllabic characters, although there are 15 variants that are modified from three syllables to account for sounds that are viewed as "variants" on other sounds, such as the velar nasal being represented as a variant of the alveolar nasal and the glottal fricative being a variant on the fricative labial. These are not allophones however, as Insuo Loa has no allophones. Each syllabic further has a special form for how it joins to its nearby syllables, similar to Arabic. This means that there are around 309 characters, syllabics and their variants.

Its phonology has similarities to other Polynesian languages and to Proto-Polynesian but with two exceptions being the uvular trill and palatal fricative. Further, it lost the glide and gained an additional alveolar plosive. It could also be interpreted as keeping its l/r distinction with both the alveolar lateral and the uvular trill being present, but this is contested by linguistic scholars. It also allows for several end consonants which are extremely uncommon in Polynesian languages. This is attributed to the relative isolation of the Loa leading to significant divergences in language phonology and morphology.

Cuisine
The Loa have developed a significant culinary tradition based on four primary ingredients; fish, taro, rice and flatbreads. The oldest of the ingredients is fish, or general seafood. Examinations of middens in the Loa islands and Vallos show that fish and shellfish made up a significant diet of native Polynesians. Taro was brought over by the Polynesians and serves as a significant source of food for the early Polynesians, and remains so. Rice appeared in the 5th century BCE and led to significant changes in settlement patterns and diet, with growing inclusion of other domesticated plants and animals, but fish and taro still remained a significant part of the diet. Flatbreads are a very recent addition, but with the development of the extremely popular tacos they have become an integral part of the cuisine.

Kapuhenasa
The Kapuhenasa is the majority religion in Takatta Loa, with around 70% of the population professing it to be their only religion. However, around 87% of the population says that they engage in Kapuhenasa practices, with around half of all Muslims engaging with the Kapuhenasa in a religious sense. It developed throughout the late 1700s and 1800s, and came to be called Kapuhenasa first in 1866. It originated from the teachings of Saȳd Kamáv Istiklav, a Kiravian Sufi mystic. His followers consisted largely of indigenous philosophers and shamans, and so they adapted Sufi ideas to their native religion and philosophical tradition, creating the syncretic and highly eclectic Kapuhenasa.

It is a monistic and transtheistic, pseudo-polytheistic religion although followers of the Kapuhenasa view it as monotheistic and the state of Takatta Loa recognizes it as monotheistic. It views creation as being a cycle of reincarnation into a mundane world of illusions and deceit. Only through the practices of the religion can one break the cycle and achieve eternity as a divine spirit, which is often referred to as "dwelling in the splendors of Mystery’s End". The aforementioned 'Mystery' is the mundane world, while the Lord Beyond (‘’Oala’’) is the state of eternity that the Loa aspire towards. However, the Loa seldom worship ‘’Oala’’ itself, instead choosing to worship the Eternal Spirits, those who have achieved unity with divinity and return to the earthly world to assist the faithful. These spirits, called Lualoa, are the predominant element of the Kapuhenasa, with spirit possession being a very common practice to achieve clarity, banish spiritual disease and promote health.

Religious practices are largely communal, with the Loa meeting in boat roofed buildings to sing hymns in praise of divinity and be communally possessed by the spirit of the shrine to receive spiritual peace and sanctity. There are also home shrines, usually of a particularly devout ancestor, which receives prayer and worship. Finally, there are the medicine spirits, which are prescribed by diviners and shamans to assist believers who are plagued by some spiritual ailment. However, these are the practices largely associated with laity. The clergy, consisting of diviners, shamans and truth seekers all tend to practice a form of worship that more closely follows the liturgy of the Kapuhenasa. Lay followers also recite from and strive to embody the precepts, but to a less rigorous and contemplative degree.

The liturgy consists of the Anahuenna (Book of Poems) and the Anareano (Books of Ecdysis). The former consists of hymns in praise of “Mystery’s End” and was written long before the Kapuhenasa as a religion came to be, and before the Loa Empire conquered mainland Takatta Loa. As such, it is largely valued for the general beauty of its poetry and for its philosophical value as the only surviving example of the “Imago” philosophical tradition. The Anareano is a large collection of poems, theological and philosophical discourses and parables composed by notable Loa shamans, philosophers and holymen in regards to the questions of truth, transformation and liminality. It is notably focused on “ecdysis”, a term used by the Loa for general change and philosophically as a transformation of the self from mundane matter to supramundane divinity. Hence, they are called the Books of Ecdysis.

Islam
Islam is the largest minority religion at around 28% of the population of Takatta Loa, with the vast majority of Muslims following Zaydism with a strong emphasis on Sufism and other mystical traditions. Despite the immense differences between the Kapuhenasa and Islam, there is very rarely any religious discrimination, dispute or violence. A large part of this is due to the mutual mystical practices of the two faiths, with the Kapuhenasa in particular being descended from a Sufi mystic named Saȳd Kamáv Istiklav, although the Kapuhenasa disavows any connection to Islam, viewing the two faiths as having arrived at the same conclusion of faith and mystery. Islam in Takatta Loa arrived during the 18th century with the arrival of Haśem Xosséın and Saȳd Kamáv Istiklav, approximately 1701 and 1718 respectively. Haśem spread Islam in a more traditional way and had an immense impact in the upper Masa riverlands, with the descendants of those converts becoming the Safa Loa.

Islam is the distinguishing feature of the Safa Loa, who derive their name from the Arabic word for ‘purity’. However, they only comprise 79% of all Muslims, with the other 21% being from other Muslim converts, both recent and historical. During the turmoil of Loafication, the people who would become the Safa were given special leeway and were not pressured to abandon the elements of their culture tied to faith, which were privileges other Muslim groups were not given. Many Muslims outside of the Safa were pressured to convert to the Kapuhenasa, while many deliberately migrated to the lands of the Safa and ended up assimilating into the Safa. As such, despite Islam originally being widely dispersed, it has become concentrated in the lands the Safa inhabit. In the modern day, the Muslims in Takatta Loa experience steady growth equivalent to non-Muslims and enjoy peaceful interactions with the majority population and many accommodations for their faith are made such as calls to prayer being broadcast in Muslim majority areas, the option to be tried by Sharia law and a state funded Muslim news station.

Arts and Literature
Takatta Loa has a rich literary tradition, with history of literacy dating back roughly 1,300 years. As such, the primary mode of artistic expression throughout the ages has been through poetry and novels. Literature in Takatta Loa is generally divided into time periods; Palatial literature dating to the Palatial Era of Polynesian civilization from around 700 to 1000 CE, Early Medieval literature dating to 1000-1200 CE, Middle and Late Medieval literature dating to 1200-1500 CE, Pre-Conquest literature dating to 1500-1700 CE, Early Imperial literature dating 1700-1830 CE, Late Imperial and Imperial Collapse literature dating to 1830-1900 and finally modern literature dating to after the 1900s. Early Polynesian works tend to by mythological epics with an intense focus on relationships with nature. Few of these works survive in the modern day, being lost during the medieval age. The Medieval Ages themselves show a more sophisticated development of literature, with a focus on historical or fictional novels. The Tale of Karama E is the most widely known example of early medieval novels, focused on the sexual exploits of Karama E who was a swordsmith that lived on the border of the free Polynesian states and the Undecimvirates. The fall of the Undecimvirates is a major aspect of the later works, often focusing on the heros or villains of the period and various retellings of battles and wars that emerged during the time. The Epic of Ngarata is an 800,000 word epic focused on the fall of the city of Ngarata. The primary hallmarks of late Polynesian and Loa literature tend to be lamentations and focus on both inner experience and outward alienation. Loa civilization is founded on the Loa Imperial Conquest and the nationalization period of Loafication, both of which resulted in the deaths of millions and the near genocide of the mainland Polynesians through either war or more commonly assimilation into a national identity. As such, much of contemporary and early modern Loa literature is commonly described as 'mournful' or 'bitter' by Occidentals due to themes of loss and tragedy being very common, often used as an allegory for how deeply these historical events still penetrate Loa culture by exploring how violence manifests in daily life. Although humorous works are fairly common, they are often tinged with this sense of bitterness and are often satirical criticizations of current or past events, such as the famous Haunted Herald by Seranda'a. Loa religion and culture also deeply values inner experience, believing it is only through a unique personal experience that one can know the divine. As such, many works are often contemplative and meant as meditative works. Prominent examples include Descent into Non-Reality by Kalaroai, or the Books of Ecdysis. The former focuses on the author's detachment from her earthly body and her role as a royal attendant, and explores the many attempts she made to "escape [her] skin", often to bloody means.

Agriculture
Agricultural products constitute around 11% of Takatta Loa's GDP, and 4% of its workforce. Measuring the prevalence of agriculture as a means of economic activity is difficult due to the fact that cultivation is considered a moral good in Takatta Loa. As such, 53% of Loa report that they maintain a garden or pots of vegetables, with 90% of Loa reporting that they or somebody in their household cultivates plants. Further, 75% of those Loa report receiving profit from these crops, but the vast majority of these reports are ignored when discussing GDP, as they typically consist of selling excess fruit for very cheap prices to neighbors, or even for non monetary value that is still considered profit. As such, the Ministry of Agriculture estimates the above value to be the most accurate assessment.

Of the crops grown in Takatta Loa, spices are the largest profit sector with up to 40 percent of all agricultural exports being spices. Takatta Loa itself is a large consumer of spices with up to 30% of all spices produced in Takatta Loa being consumed domestically. With the exception of exotic Occidental spices like mint, thyme and bay leaves, Takatta Loa imports no spice products. It is estimated around 20% of cultivated land in Takatta Loa is dedicated to spices, with 40% being devoted to wet rice agro-forestry, 10% to coconut plantations, 5% to sugar cane and the other 20% to other crops. The variety of spices that are exported by Takatta Loa include ginger, nutmeg, mace, Copium seeds, white pepper, red pepper, chilis, cinnamon and cumin.

Coconut is the other main export of Takatta Loa, largely to Cartadania, Urcea and other Occidental countries, although there is a very large domestic demand for coconuts with 25% of all coconuts remaining in Takatta Loa. The Loa utilize coconut in most aspects of daily cuisine, and it has been named the national fruit for its significance in Loa culture and cuisine. An origin myth common among the Loa is that the rivers of Ahoso and the Masa were formed by everflowing celestial coconuts falling to the earth and cracking open in the mountains, hence why the waters of Takatta Loa are so sweet. It is extremely common to see coconut stands on the highways and in tram stations, with the trees growing wild in Takatta Loa and completely unrestricted to harvest. Even still, there are many coconut plantations in Takatta Loa, although due to the intense push for sustainable agriculture in the 2000s, many of these plantations also include other tree species that provide valuable crops. 26 billion taler is brought in from edible coconut products, and an additional 200 million from inedible coconut products.

Other prominent crops include sugar, cola for Imperial Cola, chocolate and seaweed. Sugar used to be the primary export of Takatta Loa in the 19th and 20th century but this has declined significantly since the 1940s due to general decline in interest and a political and social move to diversify agriculture and move past the colonial agriculture system. Since then, only around 12% of sugar produced in Takatta Loa is exported, with the rest remaining to feed the large domestic demand. Cola is almost never consumed in Takatta Loa, and is used exclusively for Imperial Cola, which is equally unpopular but with a few prominent bottling plants located inside the nation, Cola naturally is grown in order to limit import costs. Chocolate is also unpopular in Takatta Loa, and is largely farmed for export. Around 5 billion taler in chocolate beans are exported, while Takatta Loa manufactures and sells around 4 billion taler of processed chocolate, cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Seaweed is consumed largely domestically due to the weak international interest in Loa seaweed and the strong domestic interest. Around 1 billion taler in seaweed is consumed each year.