Federated Islands of the Hierohanau

== Federated Islands of the Hierohanau ==
The Federated Islands of the Hierohanau (Kî Hierohanau: Henua o te Hierohanau, Lit. Translation: Land of the Hierohanau), or simply Hierohanau, is an Archipelagic State situated in the South Atlantic, nominally considered part of the African Continent. Settled by Eastern Polynesians from Rapa Nui (Easter Island), the state was founded on WD169. It is the southern most permanently inhabited archipelago and nation in the World. It is the second Polynesian nation, after Kuiauati in the Indian Ocean. Its Capital is Moyai, on Moyaimotu in the State of Moyaimotu.
== History ==
=== Settlement and Early History ===
Hierohanau Oral History suggests the first settlement of the Island occured circa 1300 CE by settlers from Rapa Nui. The cause of the migration is unknown, though some anthropologists have suspected that it was exploration utilising the Antarctic winds that blow eastwards that led a fleet of settlers to the islands. Hierohanau legend suggests that it was a fleet searching for the dawn that led them to these islands, hence their endonym: the Hierohanau: "People of the light beyond the dawn", though this still remains a contested topic among scholars. 
Archaeological evidence from the state of Taoraha in the west of the island group suggests that the settlers utilised stone houses similar in structure to dolmens, each able to house a family. Some archaeologists have argued that it was due to a lack of trees, and a need to preserve these wood sources in the west for boat repair and fuel for fire. This housing style sees a gradual introduction of spruce and pine wood as one moves further east due to the increased abundance of trees. 
=== 'Toru Kaiga' ===
Around 1500 CE, the Islands developed somewhat of a feudal system in a period called the 'Toru Kaiga' ('Three States'), with each 'Kaiga' somewhat corresponding to the three modern day states barring the island of Rongomotu in the modern day state of Moyaimotu, considered a neutral religious island and home to the 'Tapupua' and its priest. Despite the development of this feudal system, this was a period of peace due to a delicate balance of power between the Kaiga, as well as a cultural golden age for the Hierohanau. It was indeed in this period that saw the creation and development of a distinct Hierohanau identity seperate from their Rapa Nui roots.
=== European Contact ===
The first cases of european contact occured with AEnglish sailors. This was quickly followed by American fishermen, both nations formally laying claim to the two rocks of Puapuamotu (Wythe Island) and Puakamotu (Seacole Peak), which although uninhabited was considered by the Hierohanau to be within their sphere of influence as whaling stations. Saxon fishermen also arrived soon after and started trading with the Kaiga of Hahae. In reaction, the Kaiga of Taoraha and the Kaiga of Moyaimotu also started trading with the Americans and AEnglish respectively, introducing advanced, european style warfare as well as the concept of the state and writing.
=== The 'A'u' ===
The increasing tensions as a result of this European influence led to the first large scale conflict in the archipelago's history in the period known as the "A'u" ('Birthing Pains'). Historians are unsure as to what initiated the conflict, though a general consensus was over trade rights and competing colonial influence, with Hierohanau nationalists stressing AEnglish influence. Either way, the conflict picked up and led to a lengthy period of bloodshed between all three of the Kaiga. It was during this period that Hierohanau nationalism started to take off, with the writings of the then Tapupua priest Vai Tiare o Vaitiare, who argued that the root cause of the conflict was the "Ambition and Evil of the Atua Hiva [foreigners, though explicitly European in connotation]". It was in this bloodshed that a shared Hierohanau Nationhood was born (hence the name of 'Birthing Pains'), and with the rulers of all three Kaiga dead, their heirs and what was left of the populace (about 60% of the pre-A'u population) declared the birth of the Federated Islands of the Hierohanau on WD169.
=== Annexation under Eumenid Kingdom ===
After a brief spell of independence, the lack of a formal military and increasing debts led the islands to approach the Eumenid Kingdom for protection, which was accepted under the promise of development of cocoa farms thorught the archipelago. This was accepted, knowing that the climate was too cold to farm it anyway, and on WD211 the Eumenid Kingdom formally annexed the Federated Islands of the Hierohanau under promise to retain its system of rule, governance and autonomy.
== Politics ==
=== Domestic Politics ===
The politics of the Federated Islands of the Hierohanau takes place in a framework of a federal assembly-independent representative democratic republic, however in practice often follows the traditions of the Toru Kaiga system. The President is also the Head of State and the Head of Government, however is often also the Tapupua priest of Rongomotu, serving as the neutral representative of all three states. These three states follow somewhat the boundaries of the historic Toru Kaiga, and although their monarchs hold no official power, these monarchs also often hold governorship positions for each of the states, and the lack of a term limit also enables this 'pseudo' feudal systems to be maintained, which is also tied to heavy nationalistic pride keeping them in power in votes every 30WDs. As such, although these feudal systems remain in place and hold no offical capacity nor power, they still have significant influence over the politics of the archipelago. Its first president was Falter o Vaitiare, nephew of the influential writer Vai Tiare o Vaitiare, who is often informally considered "the president before the birth" in respect to his influence on Hierohanau nationhood. 
=== International Policy ===
The Federated Islands of the Hierohanau's foreign policy sticks along a doctrine of decolonialisation and self-determination for all colonial subjects, influenced heavily by its own anti-colonial history. It also preaches territorial integrity and protection of the homeland. From the state's inception it has held close relations with Kuiauati, being Polynesian island nations and all.
Category:List of Nations (Season Three)
Category:Season Three