Kapuhenasa: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 09:04, 18 October 2023

The Kapuhenasa is the indigenous religion of the Loa people and is followed by almost the entirety of Takatta Loa, with around 70% practicing it exclusively and the remaining 30% practicing it in tandem with Islam. Originating from the writings of the Anahuenna of the 1500s and subsequent Books of Ecdysis and the teachings of Saȳd Kamáv Istiklav, a Kiravian Sufi mystic, it developed throughout the late 1700s and 1800s, and came to be called Kapuhenasa first in 1866. His followers were largely local mystics, philosophers and theologians and after his death they adapted his teachings to their local philosophy of “Ecdysis and Imago” as well as the practices of spirit possession. Eventually the Kapuhenasa came to be developed and thought of as its own distinct and organized religion. During the Takatta Loa Civil War the entomantic orders, or ‘’Ilaseuasa’’, attempted to exert influence against the various warlords and eventually the secular republican and Muslim factions that came to prominence near the end of the war. When the First Incarnate appeared and began to organize, the ‘’Ilaseuasa’’ rallied all their forces behind her, with many peasants also joining the cause. The Incarnate managed to turn the tide of the war and unite Takatta Loa yet again, despite unorthodox wartime strategies and significant disadvantage. From 1897 to 1970, the Incarnate and the ‘’Ilaseuasa’’ she founded ruled Takatta Loa as an absolute theocracy, effectively cementing the Kapuhenasa as the religion of the state and the people, alongside Islam.

The Kapuhenasa is monistic and transtheistic spirit possession religion, with the idea of Imago (called ‘’Oala’’ in Insuo Loa) being the transcendent and divine reality behind all mundane creation ( called A’ala in Insuo Loa). It is believed that through mystic practices and contemplation on the non-reality of reality allows one to achieve eternal peace. After death, the spirits of the liberated return to the earth via spirit possession in order to guide the living and proscribe spiritual remedies. The clergy consists of diviners and mediums who serve to interpret the will of the spirits and be their voice, and then the monastics who seek to reach “mystery’s end” and provide philosophical and religious discourses. Although there's often a divide between mediums and monastics, mediums belong to the same ‘’Ilaseuasa’’ as their region and often learn from monastics. The laity practice communal worship and consult mediums for spiritual remedies, and meditate on theology and hymns. As the official state religion of the constitutional theocracy of Takatta Loa, the orders receive significant support from the state.

Etymology

Kapuhenasa comes from the Polynesian concept of kapu or taboo. It refers prohibitions of concepts, behaviors and actions that are impure or unclean in the sense that they degrade mana, the universal divine energy. Breaking a kapu is a grave offense, and the Kapuhenasa evolved out of a religious structure designed to enforce the kapu. The term henasa translates roughly to "gardener", and hence Kapuhenasa means "Gardener/Cultivator of Sacred Law". This is in reference to the idea that the precepts and theology are the laws that bind together creation. By living in accordance with the will of nature, the Imago and causality, one is following divine law.

History

Theology

The theology of the Kapuhenasa is largely derived from indigenous sources, with Islam providing rudimentary elements usually to reinforce the other aspects of theology. The five fundamental elements of the theology include Mystery, Ecdysis, Imago, Divination and Revelation, called A'ala, Iekan, Soai, Iekanekan and Soaiai. These elements are all intrinsically linked to the idea of salvation by 'shedding' the self and eclosing into a transcendent form.

The Loa fundamentally construct the world as being split into dual halves, the world of truth and of illusion, Oala and A'ala.

Structure

Ilaseuasa

The Ilaseuasa, or entomantic orders as they are sometimes called, are the primary religious organizations of the Kapuhenasa. They are monastic orders focused on training diviners in their respective philosophical traditions, as well as providing a communal gathering place and allowing the faithful to learn the theology and precepts. The Ilaseuasa are closer to movements than formal organizations, but a system of monastic ranking based on seniority has emerged since the rise of the Incarnate's and their influence on the religion. In modern times, Ilaseuasa have significant administrative power and complexity with systems of tutelage for diviners, schools that teach theology to layfolk and collection of taxes.

One of the fundamental aspects of the Ilaseuasa is their focus on entomantic divination. Most clergy do not regard divination seriously but instead view it as a rite with which one meditates on scripture. For layfolk and diviners, it has very real and manifest importance. As such, the Books of Ecdysis which include divination manuals are of extreme importance, with the Ilaseuasa maintaining programs to teach diviners how to best interpret divinations based on the scriptures and theological principles.

Clergy

Religious Buildings

Shrine

Entomantic Adyta

Worship

Daily Worship Practices

Divination

Ancestor Veneration

Festivals and Holidays

Liturgy

Anahuenna

The Anahuenna is the principle origin of the native components of theology in the Kapuhenasa. It was compiled in the 1670s as a collection of poems in the tradition of Later Polynesian Philosophy. It consists of 12,800 poems, hymns and epigraphs in dedication to philosophical concepts such as "mystery's end", Ecydsis and Imago, charitable retrogression and a love of nature. The number was developed from the Loa calendar, which is centered around a solar eclipse every 800 years. It is believed a solar year consists of 16 of these eclipse, which is 12,800 calendrical years. This focus on eclipse represents the focus on the moon as being the source of natural law and the driving force of life and causality. As such, when the Polynesians and Loa realized the eclipse was the moon overtaking the sun, through charting the moon's path through the cosmos, they took it as a sign of great fortune. Although it was compiled a few decades after the calendar's creation, it was derived from a vast literary tradition, with many poems dating back centuries. It is divided into 800 books, a division of 12,800 by 16.

Books of Ecdysis

Other Holy Books

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 {{wip}}
-The Kapuhenasa is the governing body of the Loa faith and serves as the overarching judge and arbiter of all religious matters and disputes. However, unlike Occidental Christianity, the Loa faith does not exist as a concept independent of the Kapuhenasa, with most Loa regarding the church and the faith as one and the same, likely due to the fact that any and all schisms in the faith have been reconciliated. As such, the term Kapuhenasa has come to refer to both the church and the liturgy and tenets behind the Loa faith, though Henasa is used to refer to the church while Kapu is used to refer to the tenets.
-The Loa faith is panentheistic, revering a central, feminine manifestation of the energy of the universe named Nagala. She is the summation of the Polynesian concept of ''mana'', the divine energy that permits change, action and existence. Nagala is called the Perfected Mana, as it is believed she is the absolute expression of all mana. She is often likened to the center of the universe, and is said to draw all creation back to her radiant center.
+The Kapuhenasa is the indigenous religion of the Loa people and is followed by almost the entirety of Takatta Loa, with around 70% practicing it exclusively and the remaining 30% practicing it in tandem with Islam. Originating from the writings of the Anahuenna of the 1500s and subsequent Books of Ecdysis and the teachings of Saȳd Kamáv Istiklav, a [[Kiravia|Kiravian]] Sufi mystic, it developed throughout the late 1700s and 1800s, and came to be called Kapuhenasa first in 1866. His followers were largely local mystics, philosophers and theologians and after his death they adapted his teachings to their local philosophy of “Ecdysis and Imago” as well as the practices of spirit possession. Eventually the Kapuhenasa came to be developed and thought of as its own distinct and organized religion. During the [[Takatta Loa Civil War]] the entomantic orders, or ‘’[[List of Ilaseuasa|Ilaseuasa]]’’, attempted to exert influence against the various warlords and eventually the secular republican and Muslim factions that came to prominence near the end of the war. When the First Incarnate appeared and began to organize, the ‘’Ilaseuasa’’ rallied all their forces behind her, with many peasants also joining the cause. The Incarnate managed to turn the tide of the war and unite Takatta Loa yet again, despite unorthodox wartime strategies and significant disadvantage. From 1897 to 1970, the Incarnate and the ‘’Ilaseuasa’’ she founded ruled Takatta Loa as an absolute theocracy, effectively cementing the Kapuhenasa as the religion of the state and the people, alongside Islam.
-The Loa also believe that Nagala 'flows' or 'blossoms' into certain individuals, who then possess her divine perfection and are called Incarnates, referring to how they are viewed as the incarnation of the Goddess on earth. The Incarnates are viewed as infallible, with every action, belief and will of their's possessing the grace of Nagala, and as such are worshipped as the agents of her will on earth. The accounts of their lives and the books of poetry describing Nagala that every Incarnate is expected to write serve as the liturgy of the Kapuhenasa and are called the Anahuenna and Books of Ecdysis specifically.
+The Kapuhenasa is monistic and transtheistic spirit possession religion, with the idea of Imago (called ‘’Oala’’ in [[Insuo Loa]]) being the transcendent and divine reality behind all mundane creation ( called ''A’ala'' in Insuo Loa). It is believed that through mystic practices and contemplation on the non-reality of reality allows one to achieve eternal peace. After death, the spirits of the liberated return to the earth via spirit possession in order to guide the living and proscribe spiritual remedies. The clergy consists of diviners and mediums who serve to interpret the will of the spirits and be their voice, and then the monastics who seek to reach “mystery’s end” and provide philosophical and religious discourses. Although there's often a divide between mediums and monastics, mediums belong to the same ‘’Ilaseuasa’’ as their region and often learn from monastics. The laity practice communal worship and consult mediums for spiritual remedies, and meditate on theology and hymns. As the official state religion of the constitutional theocracy of Takatta Loa, the orders receive significant support from the state.
-Despite this, the Loa do revere a vast pantheon of other gods unrelated to Nagala, who are viewed of as spirits existing separate from this earth but still subject to Nagala's will. The spirit that are seen as aligned with the divine will are permitted to be revered, though their reverence cannot supersede that of Nagala. These gods and goddesses vary tremendously from region to region and are derived from the polytheistic pre-Henasa religions of the Loa people, having been absorbed into the theology.
-The Henasa serves as an extremely influential aspect of Loa society, with [[Takatta Loa]] being described as a pseudo-theocracy due to the significant role the church plays in the bureaucracy, a role almost equal to that of the state. Indeed, prior to the formation of the modern day quasi-confederacy of Takatta Loa, there was a significant effort to unite the lands of the Loa under a theocratic state managed by the Henasa. Despite the severely diminished influence of this movement, the church still exerts tremendous influence in not only Takatta Loa but also other nations with significant Lao populations.
 ==Etymology==
-''Kapuhenasa'' comes from the Polynesian concept of ''kapu'' or taboo. It refers prohibitions of concepts, behaviors and actions that are impure or unclean in the sense that they degrade ''mana'', the universal divine energy. Breaking a ''kapu'' is a grave offense, and the Kapuhenasa evolved out of a religious structure designed to enforce the ''kapu''. The term henasa translates roughly to "gardener", and hence Kapuhenasa means "Gardener/Cultivator of Sacred Law" which corresponds to the function of the Loa religious organization as the arbiters of divine will.
+''Kapuhenasa'' comes from the Polynesian concept of ''kapu'' or taboo. It refers prohibitions of concepts, behaviors and actions that are impure or unclean in the sense that they degrade ''mana'', the universal divine energy. Breaking a ''kapu'' is a grave offense, and the Kapuhenasa evolved out of a religious structure designed to enforce the ''kapu''. The term henasa translates roughly to "gardener", and hence Kapuhenasa means "Gardener/Cultivator of Sacred Law". This is in reference to the idea that the precepts and theology are the laws that bind together creation. By living in accordance with the will of nature, the Imago and causality, one is following divine law.
 ==History==
+==Theology==
+The theology of the Kapuhenasa is largely derived from indigenous sources, with Islam providing rudimentary elements usually to reinforce the other aspects of theology. The five fundamental elements of the theology include Mystery, Ecdysis, Imago, Divination and Revelation, called ''A'ala, Iekan, Soai, Iekanekan'' and ''Soaiai''. These elements are all intrinsically linked to the idea of salvation by 'shedding' the self and eclosing into a transcendent form.
+The Loa fundamentally construct the world as being split into dual halves, the world of truth and of illusion, ''Oala'' and ''A'ala''.
 ==Structure==
-===High Fane===
+===''Ilaseuasa''===
-The central, high authority of the Loa faith. Based in the Temple city of [[Masa'a]], the High Fane (or Nuolo Tapai in Insuo Loa) is the ultimate and final word on all matters regarding scripture, universal worship practices and theology. In addition, the High Fane regulates socio-political matters between each branch of the faith. Every single Ilaseuasa defers to the High Fane on matters of scripture and inter-scion politics, while determining the practices and aspects of worship themselves according to the local customs, and electing their High Priests.
+{{Further|List of Ilaseuasa}}
+The ''Ilaseuasa'', or entomantic orders as they are sometimes called, are the primary religious organizations of the Kapuhenasa. They are monastic orders focused on training diviners in their respective philosophical traditions, as well as providing a communal gathering place and allowing the faithful to learn the theology and precepts. The ''Ilaseuasa'' are closer to movements than formal organizations, but a system of monastic ranking based on seniority has emerged since the rise of the Incarnate's and their influence on the religion. In modern times, ''Ilaseuasa'' have significant administrative power and complexity with systems of tutelage for diviners, schools that teach theology to layfolk and collection of taxes.
-The [[Alihantapa]], or the matriarch of the High Fane is viewed as the direct successor of the First Incarnate. The succession is laid out in the Anahuenna of the First Incarnate, which details how a nun who has spent at least 20 years as a nun and completed a five year pilgrimage to various temples can be considered one of the preeminent nuns of Masa'a, and thus can ascend as Alihantapa provided a council of peers sharing her pilgrimage experience deem her virtuous enough. This council of nuns is often very large, encompassing thousands of women young and old, and since the time of the Fourth Incarnate, many are religious and legal scholars, forcing the nuns to take into account their peers' academic and legal credibility.
-There have been numerous debates regarding the place and influence of the High Fane in society, with the Henasa viewing it as a moral imperative to intervene in all aspects of life, while the state government points to many instances in the Anahuenna where queens and chieftains submit to the Incarnates and retain their status. Regardless, the High Fane holds considerable sway over all aspects of life with Takatta Loa being likened to a pseudo-theocracy due to the integral role that the temples and scions play in the bureaucracy of the government. This debate is currently one of the most significant in modern Loa society, with the Union of Takatta Loa supporting a less influential Henasa and the quasi-confederacy system it currently employs, while the [[Sacred Order of the Golden Flame]] constantly campaigns to ensure the dominance of the High Fane over all secular governments.
-===Scion Churches===
-The Scion Churches (called ''Ilaseuasa'', meaning 'scion', as in a plant graft, in Insuo Loa) are semi-autocephalous churches of the Henasa that preside over all temples and shrines in a particular geo-cultural region. They serve to divide and ease the burden of spiritual and legal guidance over an astonishingly diverse region, and possess a measure of autonomy. They provide services to the community such as legal judgement, education, medical care, infrastructure maintenance and agricultural relief through the temples that they govern.
-The autocephaly of these churches is distinct from the autocephaly of the Christian faiths in that the churches do elect their own high priest and regulate their own internal politics, similar to the Istriyan churches, but ultimately they report to a higher authority, that of the High Fane. The scions are notable in that they are free to decide their own doctrine, deities, festivals and worship practices so long as they adhere to the central Loa theology. Due to the flexible nature of the central theology, it is fairly easy to rework various deities and conceptions into the doctrine, with several scions adding new holy texts (such as the Ahoso Ilaseuasa adopting several parables of Jesus and various Gospels into its Anahuenna).
-The scions are structured similarly to the High Fane in that there is a high priest elected by a council of priests. The high priest serves to direct the efforts of the scion and serves as the final judge and arbiter of the law. In addition, they are responsible for taking in requests for assistance, whether it be infrastructure, medical, educational or otherwise, and then devising an economic plan based on these needs. This economic plan passes through to the priestly council, who are elected by a circuit of temples in an ''[[itisi]]'' that the scion is located in. This council then either approves it or disapproves it, in which case it is then reworked. The temple circuits in turn regulate affairs that are too minor to bother the entire scion about.
-The scions also serve as the absolute authority on political community matters. They maintain a collection of ''[[ansaha]]'', or jury consensus, which serve as one of the three judgments in the Loa legal syste, and reserve the right to hold trials and pass judgement on all criminals in their borders. This of course has lead to tremendous jurisdictional conflict, as each scion has its own specific set of ''ansaha'' and interpretation of the Anahuenna. Since temples are mandated to be affiliated with an Ilaseuasa, it is generally accepted that attending a temple for at least a year puts one under the jurisprudence of that particular scion. However, there is of course still the matter of where exactly a scion ends and another begins, making jurisprudence one of the most contentious internal matters in the Henasa.
-The Ilaseuasa arose during the Loa Golden Age, when the Loa Imperial Domain was at its height. The Henasa found that various teachings were quite diverse across cultural regions, and that all attempts to regulate and enforce a certain doctrine according to that of the Imperial clan's personal beliefs was exhausting and often futile. As such, the Alihantapa during approximately 1306 CE, [[Roasa'ahuani]], decided to split her control, yielding her power over local judgement and practices to prominent temples on the condition that they make annual displays of loyalty to the Hugb Fane, and mandated that all temples follow one of the (at the time) four scion churches. This number has been updated overtime as certain movements have brought the significance of their cultural and religious disparity to the attention of the High Fane
-===Shrine Complexes===
-The shrine complexes are networks of temple shrines devoted to a particular deity. They are governed by a council of Shrine Heads, who often appoint a complex head priest, though not always. The complexes are largely responsible for organizing festivals and ceremonies related to their deity, as well as maintaining any roadside shrines, regulating diviners and maintaining any graveyards or necropoli in the vicinity. They are given a degree of autonomy by the churches, but are unable to regulate the community services the church offers, such as hospitals, schools and census offices. In addition, shrine complexes play a significant role in the bureaucracy, being able to approve or veto proposed laws if they believe the divine disapproves of it in some way, or in other words, what is functionally any charge they can think of.
-===Entomantic Orders===
-===List of Scion Churches===
-There are seven Ilaseuasa in Takatta Loa, and several more overseas. These seven were established at varying dates, as the scio churches have diversified across history, based on certain cultural and religious trends. As such, these scions do not always correspond to the ''damo itis''. Save for the Island Kingdoms, all the client states of Takatta Loa all adhere to a different scion, with Nisoma in particular having four different Ilaseuasa in its borders.
-====Insular Ilaseuasa====
-====Masa Ilaseuasa====
-====Oahakanu Ilaseuasa====
-====Ahoso Ilaseuasa====
-====Raitoana Ilaseuasa====
-====Roima Ilaseuasa====
-====Uinga Ilaseuasa====
+One of the fundamental aspects of the ''Ilaseuasa'' is their focus on entomantic divination. Most clergy do not regard divination seriously but instead view it as a rite with which one meditates on scripture. For layfolk and diviners, it has very real and manifest importance. As such, the Books of Ecdysis which include divination manuals are of extreme importance, with the ''Ilaseuasa'' maintaining programs to teach diviners how to best interpret divinations based on the scriptures and theological principles.
 ==Clergy==
-===Incarnates===
-===Alihantapa===
-===High Priests===
-===Shrine Complex Council===
-===Shrine Keepers===
-===Priests and Head Priests===
-===Kesali'inti===
-===Diviners and Shamans===
 ==Religious Buildings==
 ===Shrine===
-===Temple===
-===Necropoli===
 ===Entomantic Adyta===
 ==Worship==
 ===Daily Worship Practices===
-===Fire Worship===
 ===Divination===
 ===Ancestor Veneration===
@@ Line 65: / Line 29: @@
 ==Liturgy==
 ===Anahuenna===
+The Anahuenna is the principle origin of the native components of theology in the Kapuhenasa. It was compiled in the 1670s as a collection of poems in the tradition of [[Later Polynesian Philosophy]]. It consists of 12,800 poems, hymns and epigraphs in dedication to philosophical concepts such as "mystery's end", Ecydsis and Imago, charitable retrogression and a love of nature. The number was developed from the [[Loa Luni-Ecdysial Calendar|Loa calendar]], which is centered around a solar eclipse every 800 years. It is believed a solar year consists of 16 of these eclipse, which is 12,800 calendrical years. This focus on eclipse represents the focus on the moon as being the source of natural law and the driving force of life and causality. As such, when the Polynesians and Loa realized the eclipse was the moon overtaking the sun, through charting the moon's path through the cosmos, they took it as a sign of great fortune. Although it was compiled a few decades after the calendar's creation, it was derived from a vast literary tradition, with many poems dating back centuries. It is divided into 800 books, a division of 12,800 by 16.
 ===Books of Ecdysis===
 ===Other Holy Books===
-==Theology==
-===Nagala===
-===Seven Celestial Bodies===
-===Queen of Heaven===
-==Religious Law==
 [[Category:Incomplete]]
-[[Category:Loa]]
 [[Category:Religion]]
 [[Category:IXWB]]
-[[Category: Award winning pages]]
+{{Template:Award winning article}}
+[[Category:2022 Award winning pages]]
+[[Category:Takatta Loa]]