Culture of Shmakalaka

The **culture of Shmakalaka** is primarily a Western culture, to some extent derived from Britain, Italy and Portugal but also influenced by the unique geography of Shmakalaka, the cultural input of Indigenous Shmakalakans, Aleutians and Puanesians. The British and Portuguese colonization of Shmakalaka began in 1793, and waves of multi-ethnic migration followed. Evidence of a significant Anglo-Celtic heritage includes the predominance of the English language, the existence of a democratic system of government drawing upon the British traditions of Westminster Government, Parliamentarianism and constitutional monarchy, American constitutionalist and federalist traditions, Christianity as the dominant religion, and the popularity of sports originating in (or influenced by) the British Isles. Shmakalakan culture has diverged significantly since British and Portuguese settlement.

Indigenous Shmakalakans are believed to have arrived from Polynesia almost 500 years prior to the European discovery of Shmakalaka. Several states and territories had their origins as penal colonies, with the first Portuguese convicts arriving at Bahboa Bay in 1793. The Porto Azul and Soresta Gold rushes of the mid 1800's brought wealth as well as new social tensions. The purchase of the Soresta Colony by the Italian Company of the same name attracted Italian Migrants to settle the land becoming the third largest ethnic group behind British and Portuguese a title still held today. Stories of outlaws like the Van Der Linde or O'Driscolls Gangs have endured in Shmakalakan music, cinema and literature. The colonies established elected parliaments and rights for workers and women before most other Western nations.

Federation in 1901 because due to a growing sense of national identity that had developed over the latter half of the 19th century, as seen in the works of painters/ artists such as James Morgan, Vincente Del Lobo or Masimiliano Contre and writers like Jimmy Brooks, Mary-Beth Gaskill and Elsie Rose. The World Wars profoundly altered Shmakalaka's sense of identity, with World War I introducing the Colonial legend, and World War II seeing a reorientation from Britain to the United States as the nation's foremost major ally.

## Development of Shmakalakan Culture

Hosea Matthews established Shmakalaka's first political party in 1837 to demand democratic government for Hamilton. From the 1850s, the British colonies set about writing constitutions which produced democratically advanced parliaments as Constitutional Monarchies with Queen Victoria as the head of state. Costa Dourado was afforded a level of self government in 1860 after much effort.

Women's suffrage in Shmakalaka was achieved from the 1890s. Women became eligible to vote in Hamilton in 1895 with Costa Dourado giving women the right to vote in 1896. This was the first legislation in the world permitting women to stand for political office and, in 1897, Marie Vestallan, an Palmeiran, became the first female political candidate. Though constantly evolving, the key foundations for elected parliamentary government have maintained an historical continuity in Shmakalaka from the 1850s into the 21st century.

During the colonial era, distinctive forms of Shmakalakan art, music, language and literature developed through artists such as James Morgan, Vincente Del Lobo and Massimiliano Contre and Writers like Mary-Beth Gaskill, Elsie Rose and Jimmy Brooks whose work and prose did much to promote an egalitarian united Shmakalakan outlook which placed a high value on the concept of mateship. Games like cricket, football and rugby were imported from Britain at this time and became treasured cultural traditions.

The Commonwealth of Shmakalaka was founded in 1901, after a series of referenda conducted in the British colonies of The Shmakalakas. The Shmakalakan Constitution established a federal democracy and enshrined human rights such as sections 41 (right to vote), 80 (right to trial by jury) and 116 (freedom of religion) as foundational principles of Shmakalakan law and included economic rights such as restricting the government to acquiring property only "on just terms". The Democratic Alliance Political Party was established in 1892 and the Pacific Congress Political Party in 1877, both rising to be the dominant political parties and rivals of Shmakalakan politics, though various other parties have been and remain influential.

Voting is available to all citizens over the age of 18 and the government is essentially formed by a group commanding a majority of seats in the Shmakalakan House of Representatives selecting a leader who becomes Prime Minister. Shmakalaka remains a constitutional monarchy in which the largely ceremonial and procedural duties of the monarch are performed by a Governor General selected by the Shmakalakan government.

The Shmakalakan colonies had a period of extensive multi-ethnic immigration during the Shmakalakan gold rushes of the mid to latter half of the 19th century which saw migrants not only from Portugal, Italy and the British Isles flock to the Shmakalakas.

While the British, Portuguese and Italian cultural influence remained strong into the 21st century, other influences became increasingly important. The Hawaiian sport of surfing was adopted in Shmakalaka where a beach culture and the locally developed surf lifesaving movement was already burgeoning in the early 20th century. American pop culture and cinema were embraced in the 20th century, with country music and later rock and roll sweeping Shmakalaka, aided by the new technology of television and a host of American content.

Shmakalaka's contemporary immigration program has two components: a program for skilled and family migrants and a humanitarian program for refugees and asylum seekers. By 2018, the post-war immigration program had received more than 6.5 million migrants from every continent. The population tripled in the six decades to around 20 million in 2018, including people originating from 200 countries. More than 43 per cent of Shmakalakans were either born overseas or have one parent who was born overseas. The population is highly urbanised, with more than 75% of Shmakalakan living in urban centres.

Contemporary Shmakalaka is a pluralistic society, rooted in liberal democratic traditions and espousing informality and egalitarianism as key societal values. While strongly influenced by Anglo-Celtic, Italian and Luso origins, the culture of Shmakalaka has also been shaped by multi-ethnic migration which has influenced all aspects of Shmakalakan life, including business, the arts, cuisine, sense of humor and sporting tastes.

## Symbols

Red and White were confirmed as Shmakalaka's national colours in 1981 by the Shmakalakan Colour Act.1981, though the colours had been adopted by most national sporting teams long before this.

Shmakalaka's national flower(s) is/are the Epacris Impressa, the Cratoxylum Formosum, the Bluebonnet and the *Magnolia* × *soulangeana.*

Reflecting the country's status as a constitutional monarchy, a number of royal symbols exist in Shmakalaka. These include symbols of the monarch of Shmakalaka, as well as the monarch's Vice-regal representatives.

Despite the fact that the Queen of Shmakalaka is not resident in Shmakalaka, the Crown and royal institutions remain part of Shmakalakan life. The Shmakalakan currency, including all coins and the five Menso note, bears an image of the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. Federal lands in Shmakalaka are referred to as Crown land, including reserves set aside for environmental conservation as well as vacant land, crown land makes up around 32% of Shmakalaka.

## Attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes

Critics and scholars have sometimes scrutinized the Australian culture, with aspects of it loosely criticized for being kitsch, low-brow or rooted in poor taste.