Samalosi

United Chiefdom of Samalosi Malo Aufaatasi o Samalosi (Samalosian)
State
Flag Seal
Country	Castadilla
Capital and largest city	Vailoatai
Before Castadilla	Samalosi
Delepasian colony	18 January 1885
Integration	8 May 1908
Autonomy	21 July 1945
Statehood granted	21 January 1997
Government
• Type	Parliamentary elective semi-constitutional monarchy
• Body	Governing Council
• Upper house	High Chiefs' Chamber
• Lower house	Councilors' Chamber
• Paramount Chief	Fepuleai Vanimonimo Filemu Eteuati V
• Minister President	Papani Eli
Population  (2032)
• Total	5,396,813
Demonym	Samalosian
Postal abbreviation	SA
Area codes	568
ISO 3166 code	CS-SA

Samalosi, officially the United Chiefdom of Samalosi (Samalosian: Malo Aufaatasi o Samalosi), is an overseas state of Castadilla located in Peratra. It is the only overseas territory of Castadilla as well as the southernmost state in the country, located to the west of the Okatian Sea. Its closest neighbours are the Caphiric overseas possession of the Escal Isles and the Tierradorian commonwealth of Teschego.

The lands that would become modern day Samalosi were home to one of the few organised indigenous societies on Peratra, which was a rarity on the island due to the sparse amounts of human settlements. Nonetheless, the High Chiefdom of Samalosi would emerge sometime in the early 19th Century as a result of multiple related tribes uniting in response to the arrival of the Qabóri to the north. The Qabóri would not impede onto Samalosian territory, but Delepasian settlers from the Delepasian Confederation would first arrive in 1885 where they would establish a small colonial settlement on what is now modern day Vailoatai. This settlement was mostly cordial with the Samalosian tribes, with colonists learning about what plants would grow best for the nascent colony's farms, and the natives being introduced to modern technology such as running electricity and modern medicine which allowed for the High Chiefdom to experience a major population boom that was further spurred on by the emergence of mixed-race marriages, often with a Samalosian chief's daughter getting married to a prominent colonist, and further colonial settlements.

Relations between the colonists and the indigenous Samalosians would begin to sour with the rise of Delepasian exceptionalism during the latter years of the 19th Century. Under this form of romantic nationalism, what was once an attempt at securing a moderately successful tropical farming industry would become a major aspect of the nascent civilising mission with the idea being that it was of high national importance to "civilise" the tribes. Church missionaries would be sent to introduce Christianity to the natives and to convert them into the faith, often with hostile results that would sometimes lead to multiple conflicts between the natives and the colonists that would ultimately only lead to the Delepasian colony expanding inland and encroaching upon tribal territory much to the chagrin of the Samalosian leadership. The last major Samalosian uprising would happen in 1905 and would result in the collapse of the High Chiefdom with all of its former territory falling under colonial rule. The subsequent attempted dissolution of the Samalosian culture soon led to the integration of the colony into Delepasia in 1908, formally placing the area under the direct rule of the confederal government.

The early years of direct rule would see an even greater influx of migrants of Occidental descent with the promise of a new life away from the more long-established areas of the Occident, particularly those who have been displaced due to the First Great War. The overall wealth of the territory would expand massively during the interwar period as lucrative farms and mines would emerge, and often with the indigenous Samalosi serving as poorly-paid labourers for both sectors. The advent of the Second Great War would see Delepasia, by now the Delepasian Commonwealth under the Estado Social participate in a global conflict for the first time, with the Peratran front being relatively minor save for the brief occupation of the Escal Islands; thousands of indigenous Samalosians would fight under the Delepasian flag during this time, and very few of them were ever given recognition in the years immediately after the Second Great War. After the war ended in 1943, Delepasian troops would withdraw from the Escal Islands as part of the Treaty of Kartika, the territory would be granted further autonomy, and a further influx of wealth would occur after the legalisation of gambling in 1949, making the territory into one of the foremost gambling hubs in the world.

The 1950s would see the implementation of various racial laws that ostensibly intended to give the indigenous Samalosians limited political rights in proportion to their overall wealth on average; the abject poverty that many natives have been under effectively meant that these political rights were sparse. The idea was that through wealth equalisation efforts, the Delepasian government had hoped that the average wealth of the indigenous peoples would rise which would in turn lead to an eventual power-sharing agreement. This was in stark contrast to the nascent Navidadian System, a continuation of the Loa Laws which sought to segregate the Loa from the Delepasians. The Velvet Revolution which began in 1984 would see Samalosi enter into a state of political limbo until late 1993 when it joined the new government in Castadilla; Samalosi would be admitted as the nation's twentieth state in 1997.

Although the initial major sectors for Samalosi was in agriculture and mining, the legalisation of gambling in 1949 would shift the Samalosian economy towards a primarily tourist-based economy with a heavy emphasis on gambling and entertainment. Samalosi is also one of the three areas of the country that is a special economic zone, meaning that the Samalosian economy is one of the most liberal economies in the country which allows for private firms to take a more proactive role in conducting business than they would in areas of Castadilla that are not under a special economic zone.

Etymology

The origins of the name Samalosi comes from the Samalosian language, coming from the term sa malosi. Sa is the indigenous word for "place" or "tribe", possibly indicating a human settlement such as a village. Malosi means "strength" in the context of hard work and discipline. Thus, sa malosi could mean multiple things such as "place of strength", "tribe of discipline", or "village of hard work". Regardless of which translation is the most precise, Samalosi seems to suggest that the natives have seen themselves as a primarily diligent society where hard work is seen as a virtue.

History

Polynesian settlements

Peratra was one of the last places in the world to have been settled by humans, with the earliest Polynesian settlers arriving on the island sometime around 2000 BC on the coasts of modern-day Timbia and Teschego. Due to the extreme mountainous regions, Polynesian settlement outside of Timbia have largely been limited, and is commonly cited as one of the reasons why Samalosi has such a low population by Peratran standards. These newly-arrived Polynesians would diverge from the Polynesian tribes of Teschego and would eventually become the Samalosians, integrating any and all additional Polynesians into the cultural fold as more and more newcomers would migrate and settle in their lands.

The Samalosians would soon develop a complex clan system based on familial relations and communal solidarity, soon culminating into villages that had multiple chiefdoms that were subordinate to high chiefdoms. These high chiefdoms were the main tribal polities of the Samalosian people, and from these new polities would emerge a complex system of diplomacy and commerce. The emphasis on solidarity has played a major factor in ensuring that the tribes would maintain highly cordial relations, which was especially imperative as many high chiefs were typically distant cousins of their neighbouring high chiefs. Asides from trade between fellow Samalosian tribes, trading relations were noted to have been established between the Samalosians and other ethnic tribes such as the A’ulele and the Trukese by the 17th Century.

Contact with Daxia

The arrival of Daxian settlers in the early 17th century was one of the first instances of foreign settlement in Peratra. While Daxia did not impede on the modern-day borders of Teschego, their presence was certainly noticeable. Many of the indigenous peoples of Timbia began crossing the Tula’au o Tina mountains into Teschego, establishing new tribal borders. While the tribes of Timbia and Teschego were considered to be on good terms, the sudden mass influx of Timbians began to cause a majorly negative rift in the way they conducted their business. This surprisingly did not cause a major conflict, but it did result in the A’ulele practically cutting off the Timbians from their business. However, given the distance from modern-day Timbia, the Samalosians had very little demographic effects compared to the A’ulele save for the arrival of the occasional Timbian tribe fleeing from the persecution put against them by the A’ulele. The Timbians would eventually be integrated into Samalosian society, creating new villages and tribes as a result. The exact amount of Timbians that have migrated to Samalosian territory is presently unknown, but genealogical studies conducted in 2005 would reveal that at least one quarter of the Samalosian population were of Timbian ancestry, confirming that the Timbians have managed to coexist and intermarry with the Samalosians. Furthermore, the Daxians and Samalosians would eventually establish a mercantile relationship in the 18th Century, which led to the establishment of Daxian settlements to facilitate trade between the two groups.

High Chiefdom era

Exactly two centuries following the arrival of Daxia in Peratra, political dissidents from Tierrador began to arrive in smaller numbers to Peratra, starting in 1812. While the existence of Peratra had been known for almost 300 years by the Tierradorians, the arrival in Teschego had been purely unintentional. The journal of the Tierradorian sailor Satolo Esutmaí revealed that the settlers main destination was what is now modern-day Castadilla, however violent winds had blown the ships severely off-course. The death of the captain of Esutmaí's ship, Tuuno Taâkanen, had only made the situation worse, as nobody else on the ship knew how to sail a ship of that size. The arrival of Qabóri settlers onto A’ulele territory in 1812 had led to a rise in paranoia amongst the Samalosians. Many of whom had feared that the newcomers would one day make their way down Peratra and settle on their territory. Whether or not those fears were justified is unknown, but those fears were more than enough to result in the high chiefs forming a council to decide on how to handle the sudden influx of foreign peoples. The high chiefs would soon agree that the best way to deal with a possible foreign threat is to establish a new state to unite all the Samalosian tribes, thus forming the High Chiefdom of Samalosi.

The new High Chiefdom was a confederation of multiple Samalosian tribes which functioned under a unique form of democracy now known as "familial democracy". This form of democracy was mainly used to determine the leadership of the nation's clans and was largely based upon meritocracy, meaning that the elected clan leaders were chosen based on their abilities and deeds done for their clan's good name. There was no single head of state for the High Chiefdom, but rather a council of High Chiefs that would serve as the top decision-making body for the Samalosians, effectively making the High Chiefdom a directorial tribal republic. Although ultimately the foreign threat from the north would never materialise, the Samalosian nation still served as one of the few instances of an organised indigenous government in Peratra, and the High Chiefdom's form of government would serve as the basis for modern-day Samalosi's form of government albeit with some changes to make it compatible with modern-day Castadilla.

Delepasian colonisation

Samalosians and Delepasian colonists attending a wedding reception, 1889.

Fepuleai Vanimonimo Filemu Eteuati III, depicted here in 1967, was one of the main leaders of the 1905 Samalosian rebellion.

The High Chiefdom was ultimately unable to keep away foreign settlers forever, however, but the new settlers were not from Tierrador. In 1884, the fairly nascent Delepasian Confederation, which was a loose confederation of Delepasian polities which had formed shortly after the collapse of the Delepasian Kingdom in 1852 and had recovered from the socio-political chaos that had emerged around that time, began to embark on a major ambition. The famed Larianan captain Andrea Crocetti was chosen by the Delepasian government to sail to Australis to find new land for to establish a colony over as well as giving him permission to claim exclusive rights to whichever sector of the new colony's economy of his choosing. Crocetti's voyage would begin in November that year, departing from Los Rumas in a fleet of vessels carrying numerous Larianan and Yonderran families who have volunteered to join the voyage in hopes of a new life. With several stopovers on islands that have already been colonised by other countries, Crocetti's voyage would end on 18 January 1885 when he landed on the eastern shores of Peratra, formally establishing a new colony in the name of the Delepasian Confederation.

In truth, the first arrival of Delepasian settlers was a happy accident in the eyes of the Delepasian government; they actually just wanted to get rid of migrants without turning them away. Crocetti himself, although not a novice in open oceanic navigation, was the tenth foreign captain that the Delepasian government had chosen as the other nine had no interest in leading a seemingly and increasingly suicidal voyage to nowhere. Indeed, the promises that were given to Crocetti were in fact empty promises that, once the voyage had made its way to habitable uncolonised land, now suddenly had to be met. The overall cautiousness of Crocetti, as evidenced by the stopovers he had made throughout the voyage, was a major contributing factor in ensuring that the voyage would wind up becoming an accidental success in the end.

Spotting the arrival of Crocetti, nearby Samalosian tribes would form a delegation to welcome the newcomers, the paranoia that had defined the establishment of the High Chiefdom having worn down a few decades ago, and the natives were more than happy to introduce these strange people to their society. As the new Delepasian settlement was established, so too were formal trading relationships established between the natives and the colonists. Most of these trades were mutually beneficial in nature as the colonists would show the natives how to use certain new technologies such as modernised firearms while the natives would show the colonists which foods would be best suited for agriculture. The nascent agricultural sector would prove to be greatly profitable for both the colony and for Crocetti himself, who had chosen agriculture to claim exclusive rights over which made him insanely wealthy as a result. With the new colony a success, Delepasia would send in additional settlers in mid-1885. During the early years of the colony, relations between the natives and the colonists have often resulted in numerous instances in which prominent members of the Samalosian tribes would marry prominent colonists and vice versa, leading to the original Samistizos, people of mixed Samalosian and Occidental ancestry.

However, the good relations between the two groups would eventually end once the Delepasian government began to pursue Delepasian exceptionalism. Seeing their colonists as purveyors of Occidental civility, the colony would adopt a civilising mission and began to send over Church missionaries to introduce Christianity to the natives and to convert them into the faith. These efforts would be met with intense hostility from the Samalosians which would soon result in several skirmishes that would see the colony expand further inland and encroaching upon Samalosian territory. In 1905, an attempt at a major native rebellion would emerge that would result in complete and utter failure for the tribes. The end of the rebellion would result in the collapse of the High Chiefdom, with all of its former territory coming under the rule of the colony. To ensure that no more rebellions would ever happen, the policy of pelaxianisation was adopted to assimilate the Samalosians into Delepasian culture, and the colony would enter into an integration process that saw it come under direct rule of the Delepasian government by 1908.

Direct Delepasian rule

Samalosian farm labourer, circa 1921.

With the newly-promoted Territory of Samalosi having become an integral part of Delepasia, the government launched a campaign encouraging immigrants to migrate to the new territory with promises of land and bountiful agriculture being the main incentives used. This campaign would become more pertinent as Delepasia received multitudes of Occidental migrants who were displaced as a result of the First Great War. These new migrants would contribute to the overall wealth and prosperity of Samalosi and would go on to run very lucrative farms and mines all the while the native Samalosians were mostly used for poorly-paid labour in both the agricultural and mining sectors. With the beginning of the Second Great War in 1934, Delepasia, which had become the unitary Delepasian Commonwealth as part of the Estado Social just ten years prior, would join in on the side of Urcea, having already been involved in aiding Volonian nationalists. For the Peratran front, not very many conflicts had emerged beyond Delepasian troops occupying the Escal Islands. Throughout the Second Great War, thousands of indigenous Samalosian soldiers would fight and die under the Delepasian flag, often with brave acts of heroism that were often ignored. Nonetheless, the Second Great War would eventually end with the signing of the Treaty of Kartika in 1943, and Delepasian troops would withdraw from the Escal Islands shortly afterward.

Delepasian autonomy

In the early postwar period, natural gas would be discovered, providing Samalosi with another lucrative sector of the economy. The end of the war had also brought along the urge to indulge in some entertainment to unwind after the years of war. This desire would soon result in the legalisation of gambling in 1949, the territory taking advantage of the recent increase in autonomy that it was granted, paving the way for the eventual emergence of one of the most well-known gambling capitals of the world as new casinos and entertainment complexes were established to capitalise on a new market. Many of these new casinos, to avoid paying taxes to a municipal government, were established just outside the city limits of Vailoatai, much to the chagrin of the city's mayor who would often attempt to bring the land that these casinos stood on within the city limits but to no avail as the Delepasian government enjoyed the greater amounts of tax money it was getting from the casinos paying taxes directly to the Delepasian government. All this despite the rest of Delepasia having banned gambling under the basis that such an act was considered to be highly decadent; Samalosi's autonomy had given Delepasia an easy way of making money and thus the gambling legalisation would be upheld.

In 1952, the Delepasian government decided that they needed to do something to address the abject poverty that most of the indigenous Samalosians were under. Under the belief that the natives needed government intervention to ensure their prosperity, a series of racial laws were passed that would determine the amount of political rights the Samalosians would be given based on their overall wealth in relation to the overall wealth of the Occidental-descended citizens. While these laws were ostensibly passed to help the Samalosians, in practice the laws have greatly limited the political rights held by the Samalosians due to the vast majority of them living in abject poverty. The laws have also promised "equalisation measures" to help the indigenous Samalosians which were expected to eventually put the natives in a position where the Delepasian government would enter into a power-sharing agreement with them for their eventual integration into the country's political culture. In truth, these measures were largely ineffective initiatives that simply told the natives to go get a job.

The treatment of the Samalosi, although largely based upon racial laws, were noted to be somewhat better in comparison to the treatment of the Loa. Whether this had to do with the relative cordiality that the Samalosians and the Delepasians had enjoyed in comparison to the hostility that emerged between the Delepasians and the Loa since the fall of the Romany kingdoms in the 18th Century is still uncertain. However, it should be noted that the racial laws towards the Samalosi were designed to assimilate and integrate the populace into Delepasian culture which was in stark contrast to the Loa Laws and the nascent Navidadian System which sought to segregate the Loa to the point of forcibly seceding the Loa-majority lands from Delepasia proper as a means to keep them away from any position of power. Needless to say, the Delepasian Commonwealth saw no irony or hypocrisy in these laws despite the fact that the Loa and the Samolosians were both Polynesian ethnic groups; the Samalosians were categorised as "semi-civilised" given their limited social and political rights while the Loa were given their own category. Nonetheless, the Samalosian people would form a nonviolent movement which called for increased civil rights for the Samalosians.

The end of the Estado Social came with the Velvet Revolution which began in April of 1984 and ended in 1994. Due to its distance from Vallos, Samalosi was largely unaffected by the revolution and subsequent period of social and civil upheaval, but it came at the cost of entering into a state of political limbo during these times. Not very many people had even the faintest of ideas on what was going to happen. Was Samalosi independent? A government-in-exile? A rump state? The uncertainty would soon end in late 1993 with the consolidation of a socialist government in Vallos. The new government, which had changed the nation's name to Castadilla, would invite Samalosi to rejoin the nation with promises of full statehood in the near future once the first constitutional government was sworn in. With that, Samalosi would join Castadilla in early 1996 after a referendum vote.

Modern history

Fepuleai Vanimonimo Filemu Eteuati V, current Paramount Chief of Samalosi since 2031.

As part of Samalosi's transition to statehood, a new state government would be constructed. This new government would organise Samalosi as an internal elective monarchy with governing being primarily done by the indigenous Samalosian people for the first time in over ninety years. The finalisation of the new state government was completed in January of 1997 with the inauguration of the first constitutional government, with Samalosi being admitted as Castadilla's 20th state that same day. Although the new Castadillaan government was socialist, the form of socialism that it adheres to, Velvetine Socialism, has allowed for it to establish certain states as special economic zones, with the newly-admitted state of Samalosi being one of the new special economic zones alongside Portas Gemeas and Santa Maria. In recent years, the state of Samalosi has become one of the most-visited states in Castadilla thanks to its world-renowned entertainment and casino industries which brings in thousands of tourists every year.

Geography

Samalosi is located on the island of Peratra, which is the largest region in the continent of Australis. It is the southernmost state of Castadilla, and the furthest state from Vallos. Samalosi is home to Castadilla's largest mountain range, the Tula’au o Tina mountain range, which it shares with neighbouring Teschego to the north and serves as the main variable in the diversity of climates found throughout the region. The areas of Samalosi with the most human habitation are along the coast which borders the Polynesian Sea, and is where the state's largest cities are located as settlements further inland are generally much smaller due to the not as hospitable terrain in the mountainous areas.

Samalosi's neighbours are the Tierradorian commonwealth of Teschego to its north, making Castadilla the only Vallosi country and the only Sarpedonic country to have a land border with Tierrador, and the Caphiric overseas possession of the Escal Islands to its east. Like most areas of Peratra, the borders of Samalosi are entirely determined by natural geographical features which has allowed for hostilities with neighbouring areas on Peratra to remain very rare until the advent of colonialism to Australis in the 19th Century.

Climate

Thanks to the Tula’au o Tina mountain range, the Samalosian climate is widely diverse and ranges from subtropical climates on the northern coasts to a more moderately temperate climate on the southern coasts. The average highs for the coastal areas are mostly dependent on the overall climate, with the subtropical northern coasts experiencing up to approximately 25 degrees Celsius while the average highs on the southern coasts are approximately 17 degrees Celsius. Average lows for the coastal areas are also relatively mild, but are nowhere near as mild as the average lows in Vallos, with the average lows on the northern coasts being -10 degrees Celsius and on the southern coasts the average lows are -15 degrees Celsius. The lowest averages for both highs and lows can be found further inland in the more mountainous areas as average highs seldom rise above 10 degrees Celsius and average lows can drop to approximately -25 degrees Celsius. Rainfall, although less frequent than the rainfall in Vallos, is still plentiful, but snow fall during the winter months is noted to be much more frequent than in Vallos.

Government

Samalosi is a state of Castadilla, having been admitted as a state in 1997. Like the states of Bahia, Kalantoa, Na'aturie, Portas Gemeas, and Rio Solo, Samalosi is organised as a constituent monarchy within Castadilla, meaning that the state is a monarchy that is subordinate to the Imperial Crown. Samalosi is an elective monarchy like Portas Gemeas, but while the Gemean monarch is elected based on a turn-based system, the Samalosian monarch is elected for life by the High Chiefs' Chamber, the upper house of the bicameral Governing Council, the Samalosian legislature. According to the State Constitution of Samalosi, the Paramount Chief can only be one of the four sacred chiefs, which are the heads of the four most prominent tribes in Samalosian history. The Samalosian lower house is the Councilors' Chamber, elections occur every four years, and the leader of the party that holds the most seats is generally appointed by the Paramount Chief to serve as the state's Minister President.

The current Paramount Chief is Fepuleai Vanimonimo Filemu Eteuati V, head of the Fepuleai tribe, who was elected in 2031 after the death of the previous Paramount Chief, and the current Minister President is Papani Eli, who was first appointed in 2032 after his predecessor announced her retirement from politics.

Like all the other states in Castadilla, Samalosi sends seven delegates to the Congress of the Peerage. The amount of delegates sent to the Congress of the Commons is in proportion to the population of the state in relation to the total population of the country.

Below the state level, Samalosi is also divided into numerous provinces on the second level, parishes on the third level, cantons on the fourth level, and municipalities on the fifth level. These terms have emerged in 1997 after Samalosi was admitted as a state. Prior to 1997, each level of government below the first subnational level used entirely unique terms which are currently used for the autonomous islands; counties, collectivities, grouped settlements, and settlements.

Demographics

As of the 2032 census, the population of Samalosi is estimated to be approximately 5,396,813, making it the fourth-largest state in Castadilla by population, behind Rosaria, Bahia, and Homberia. It is also one of the four states of Castadilla to have a majority-Polynesian population, with the other three majority-Polynesian states being Junu'urinia, Kalanatoa, and Na'aturie. The state's capital, Vailoatai, is also Samalosi's largest city by population.

Self-reported ethnicities in Samalosi (2032)

  Samalosians (56.8%)

  Other (20.8%)

  Delepasians (13.8%)

  Taineans (8.6%)

Samalosi is one of the most diverse states in Castadilla, with almost seventy-eight percent of the population belonging to an ethnic group other than any of the four main ethnic groups of Castadilla. Nationalist discourses have largely been the main driver behind the vast majority of arrivals of Occidental ancestry. The historical autonomy that Samalosi had held did a lot to ensure that the non-Delepasian Occidental population, many of whom the direct descendants of late 19th and early 20th Century immigrants, would be preserved, this being in vast contrast to the Yonderran and other Occidental immigrants who have settled in Vallos that have all but assimilated into the Delepasian culture. Thus, the percentage of Samalosi's population that identifies as Delepasian has always been in the minority even during the years of indigenous pelaxianisation, with current census figures stating that Delepasians make up just under fourteen percent.

The majority of Samalosi's population identify as being of Samalosian ancestry. This figure, currently at nearly fifty-seven percent of the state's population, includes not only full-blooded Samalosians, but also the descendants of mixed Samalosian-Delepasian relationships. These Samastizos have largely embraced the culture and traditions of the indigenous peoples, both out of indigenous pride and out of rebellion against Delepasian exceptionalism when it first became government policy in the early 20th Century. Overall, both the full-blooded Samalosians and the Samastizos have been on the receiving end of various paternalistic policies that were implemented by the colonial government during the mid-20th Century, and the reaction against these policies have been the impetus behind the state's resamalosianisation policies once the Samalosians were granted full civic and political rights immediately after Samalosi was admitted as Castadilla's twentieth state in 1997.

The next-largest group is in fact multiple ethnic groups that simply do not have a significant category of their own. Making up just over twenty percent of Samalosi's population, most of the ethnic groups within this category are non-Delepasian Occidental groups such as Yonderrans, Latins, and the Burgeoisie, but there are noticeable non-Occidental minority groups such as Daxians, and Mutsutorines. The latter two groups have given Samalosi a distinct Audonian influence that is never seen in the rest of Castadilla, with the former creating one of Peratra's largest Daxiatowns which is located next to Vailoatai, the state's capital.

Taineans make up the smallest significant ethnic group in Samalosi, at just under nine percent of the state's population.

Culture

Samalosi culture is largely derived from indigenous Polynesian culture with influences from Daxia and Vallos, though since the late 1990s indigenous Samalosian culture has experienced a renaissance as the new state government has pledged to ensure the preservation and growth of the indigenous culture to combat the years of pelaxianisation that were enforced throughout much of the 20th Century. As such, the once-prevalent Delepasian culture has fallen into decline in Samalosi as part of the state's resamalosianisation policy.

Clan structure

Samalosian high chief and immediate family.

The Samalosian clan structure carries some similarities with the clan structure of Celtic cultures, albeit with many key differences. Celtic and Samalosian clans both have a visible head who represents their extended family as a whole. However, all members of a Samalosian clan are related to the high chief of the extended family, something which is an impossibility for Celtic clans due to their propensity to take in unrelated families as vassals with similar surnames to the chiefly line. Plus, the high chief of a Samalosian clan gets their position through a highly competitive clan-wide election wherein multiple branches of a given clan may put forward a male candidate alongside a persuasive essay on why their chosen candidate should be made the leader of the clan; the sons of the previous high chief have an overall advantage if any of them were made a candidate due to their experience in assisting their father. The winning candidate, who is traditionally older than forty years old, is made the new high chief of the clan and typically holds the title for life. This is in stark contrast to Celtic clan chiefs who typically become chiefs for life through primogeniture.

Lesser chiefs often make up the traditional leadership of Samalosian villages, and the exact power that a lesser chief has is determined by the size of his extended family in a given village. The most powerful of these families are often the largest in the village. Like the high chiefs of the entire clan, the lesser chiefs are elected through the exact same means. The main idea behind these elections is that it makes the chiefdom a meritocratic role wherein the chiefs are chosen based on their quality leadership abilities and adherence to the overall traditions and ideals of the clan system. The only difference between the high chief and a lesser chief, asides from a hierarchical difference, is what role the two roles play. High chiefs are generally suited for major decision-making skills and thus are automatically given the right to run for office in the High Chiefs' Chamber. Lesser chiefs are more suited for local government, and also serve as a sort of spokesman for their high chief.

The main purpose of the clan system is to serve as the main support network for an individual, with all members being expected to represent their families in an honourable manner as well as the expectation to contribute to the overall success of their family. Collectivism is seen as a major component as well, with all family members being expected to share and cooperate with others. All in all, a Samalosian individual is expected to place their kin above all others.

Sports

Like the rest of Castadilla, association football is one of the foremost sports in Samalosi, with the state having two professional football teams that are members of the UFR, and both are members of the league's Southern Division. Contact with various other Occidental cultures in the early 20th Century has introduced baseball to the area, and proximity to Teschego has also made gridiron football and ice hockey into additional popular pastimes in Samalosi, with the latter having four professional sports teams that regularly compete in PHL seasons.

Economy

Samalosi has one of the most liberal economies in Castadilla, being one of the three states under a special economic zone (the other two being Portas Gemeas and Santa Maria). This economic freedom has allowed for Samalosi to become one of the wealthiest states in the country. The largest industry in Samalosi since the late 1940s had been the tourism industry, with a very heavy emphasis on the entertainment and casino industries, which presently makes up at least three quarters of the state's revenues, and a lesser emphasis on the state's natural beauty. The remaining quarter of the state's revenues are dominated by the agricultural sector and the export of natural gas with a small but rapidly growing tech industry taking up the last significant portion of the state's revenues. The agricultural sector is noted to be one of the major producers of many Polynesian fruits and vegetables.

Tourism

Since the legalisation of gambling in 1949, tourism has become Samalosi's largest economic sector with the emergence of a world-renowned entertainment and casino industries. Most of Samalosi's casinos are located just outside of the state's capital of Vailoatai in an area known as Paradise.

Vailoatai Strip

Main article: Vailoatai Strip

The Vailoatai Strip, located in Paradise.

The Starlit Experience, built in 1998, is one of the newest casinos in Samalosi.

The main centre of the state's two biggest industries is the Vailoatai Strip, which is located just outside of the city limits of Vailoatai within the special community of Paradise, with the largest casinos in Samalosi being located in this area.

The oldest continuously-operating hotel in the Vailoatai Strip is the Silverado Hotel and Casino, which opened in 1903 as Hotel Trinidad and has had one of the first consistently-operating casinos in the state since 1949.

The first purpose-built casino in Samalosi was the Toledo Experience which opened in 1952 and operated for just over ten years before it was purchased by the Leviathan Resort in 1964.

Among the most recent casinos to have been built in the past fifty years were, starting in 1990, the Lady Luck Complex, Plaza Caphiria, the Valentinian Fun Palace, the Wheel of Reincarnation, and the Starlit Experience.

Newer casinos typically also have an in-house entertainment theatre that often hosts famous comedians and prominent entertainers.

In recent years, many of these casinos have been owned and operated by holding companies that are owned and operated wealthy Samalosians, but the Silverado and Leviathan remain as the sole two casino hotels to remain under the ownership of the descendants their original Delepasian founders.

Energy

Ever since the advent of nuclear energy as well as the government's policy of energy security, nuclear power has become the primary means of energy production in Samalosi, with the state having ten fully operational nuclear power plants. Although the state exports natural gas, none of it has been used for domestic energy production since the late 2000s, making Samalosi one of the first state in Castadilla to be entirely free of fossil fuel dependence. Like all other power plants in the country, the nuclear power plants of Samalosi are under complete ownership of the national government as private ownership in the energy sector has been forbidden by the Constitution. Wind power is a distant second in terms of energy production in Samalosi, and unlike the wind farms in Vallos, all of the energy generated by wind power in Samalosi is exclusively used domestically to complement the energy generated through nuclear power. Another major aspect of the Samalosian energy sector is that Samalosi is the only state to operate under its own energy grid, owing to its distance from the rest of Castadilla and sheer impracticality to send energy to areas that are several thousand kilometres away.

Technology

The iQue Video System, iQue's third console, was first released in 1999.

In recent years, Samalosi has become Peratra's main technology hubs with the rapid emergence of the nascent technology sector. Owing to its liberal economy, almost all of Castadilla's largest non-government-owned technology companies are headquartered in Samalosi.

Most businesses in the technology sector are generally hardware manufacturers such as major SSD manufacturers Occidental Digital and Techstar, major video card manufacturers Club Sapphire and Viatel, and major computer speaker manufacturers Dignidad Electronics and NuecesTek S.A.. However, there also exists companies headquartered in Samalosi that manufacture software such as Ballysoft and Desigames. Samalosi is also home to the largest video game/game localisation company in Vallos: iQue, which creates localised variants of popular video consoles in collaboration with the original manufacturers for the Vallosi market.

Agriculture

Like in Teschego, Samalosi's agricultural sector is one of the two biggest producers of the world's Polynesian fruits such as mangoes, papayas, pineapples, coconuts, and guavas. Uniquely, Samalosi also exports pre-extracted coconut milk as well as coconut oil. Coconut milk has found its greatest success amongst vegetarians as a non-dairy alternative to milk as well as one of main ingredients in piña coladas, which was originally invented in Samalosi as a localised refreshment for the nascent casino industry that emerged after the legalisation of gambling. Coconut oil has found use for multiple areas ranging from use as a cooking oil to use as an alternative to aloe vera for sunburns; coconut oil has also been used to protect metal from corrosion and as a bug repellant oil for campfires. Agriculture makes up the second-largest sector in the Samalosian economy.

See also

• Gambling in Samalosi
• Silicon Coast