Wadiwaya

Wadiwaya, formally known as the Great Parasol of Wadiwaya, is a nation located in central Kora. 
The nation is led by a theocracy, headed by Ayuyuwana of the Palm Blooms, the chief goddess of Wadi-Wadi, who is subject to continuous rebirths since her original appearance thousands of years ago in mythological times. 
== Etymology ==
The name 'Wadiwaya' translates to 'the thousand gods' (lit. Wadi referring to the deities of Wadi-Wadi and waya meaning 'many' or 'thousand). The term Wadi, while translatable to 'god', does not necessarily only refer to the high deities of the Wadi-Wadi tradition, instead also encompassing various spirits, mythological creatures, holy figures said to have ascended to godhood, etc. While the word waya is commonly translated as 'thousand' in this context, it is more accurate to translate it as 'many', referring to an unspecified large amount of something.
== Natural Geography ==
Wadiwaya is located on the continent of Kora, south of the Horati Basin and the Bearded Mountains in a great rainforest that covers most of the western coasts of the Bay of Ama-Siwene. The city of Wadiwaya itself is located in a small bay closed off by a sandshoal, creating a small natural harbour.
== Politics ==
=== Catia ===
Catia describes Wadiwayan religious edicts, and is also the hand by which the Great Parasol enacts its will upon its vassals and tributaries. Catia is largely concerned with upholding tradition, customs, and the sanctity of sacred spaces—most prominently with regards to nature. A preeminent historical example of the enactment of catia, is the restoration of the sacred Hiksa and Ama jungles. 
=== The Ayuyuwana and the Wiparadya ===
Religious life and politics within Wadiwaya are highly entwined with eachother, with the administration drawing its legitimacy from the unbroken line of reincarnations manifest in the Ayuyuwana; she, in all her forms, is believed to have been the first and only queen of Wadiwaya, continually reincarnating to govern over Wadiwaya as a microcosm of Wadiwayan cosmology. Whilst Wadiwayans hold great reverence for Ayuyuwana, she is not believed to be a supreme deity, as the idea of a supreme deity that rules all of reality contradicts Wadiwayan theology. Instead, it is believed that the cosmos and nature are instead an ecology of sorts, where spirits, deities, humans, animals, and plants all play their part to uphold the natural order.
This reciprocity manifests within the political sphere as the tributary system, mandating all of the Lesser Parasols to send emissaries to the capital and give their respects at a great wiparadya every month; Wiparadya meaning 'to pay respects' (lit. wi- 'towards; between; both,' and paradya 'to lay procumbent.' At the wiparadya, emissaries from all across the Bay of Ama-Siwene offer tribute of honey, flowers, and gold alongside religious idols and manuscripts for the continued mandate of the Ayuyuwana. 
== Culture ==
=== Architectural Tradition ===
Perhaps one of the most distinct aspects of Wadiwayan culture and design is the concept of Harihari (lit. 'to bedazzle;to overwhelm'), denoting Wadiwayan culture's predilection towards vivid colours, motifs, and designs. This tradition is derived from an ancient custom of decorating the sails of fishing boats with beautiful designs as a way to announce yourself, and thereby pay respects, to the wadi of the ocean. Likewise; this belief persists in harihari's contemporary manifestation.
=== Clothing Customs ===
Wadiwaya has a longstanding textile tradition, dating atleast a thousand years before the arrival of the People of the Comet. Wadiwayan textiles are rich in colour and variety, with depictions of natural phenomena generally being favoured. The Wadiwayan love for clothes and fashion is a reflection of entwined ideals of beauty and sanctity—aesthetic value being a reflection of one's power and closeness to the divine. The name of the Wadiwayan capital Lailan-Lambut, loosely meaning 'place of the hairpin,' references the headdress by which the goddess Ayuyuwana was born wearing and how she took out her hairpin to split the primeval, cosmic blue into sea and sky.
Religion naturally plays a big part in clothing. Catia, or religious law, encourages the wearing of syasyana, a kind of sarong wrapped around the waist and worn by people of all genders and dipping ones hands and feet into a vermillion-like dye called diya. Diya symbolises respect for the natural world and the cosmos—reminding the wearer, in a very real way, that all that is touched and all that is walked upon is sacred.
Category:Rozakkora
Category:Abexilas
Category:Wadiwaya