Culture
Language
Language is an important part of the lives of the people. It is a means of the cultivation of the mind, the intellect, knowledge, learning, creative faculties and acceptable ways of behaving. The language of the natives was Oney. In the native culture precise articulation is appreciated much less than speaking between the lines or being understood without words; therefore the language is used quite differently. With the advent of the Hafians, the language of the people of all the Hafians started combining into a hybrid form and a new form of language viz PeePee emerged. As a part of PeePee and the combination of many cultures, many new words were made way into the culture such as “shopping” (part of American culture), “oui” (as a part optimistic French culture), etc.
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Food
The culinary culture of Fugo Island reflects its evolution as a city- right from the tastes and preferences of the indigenous groups, to the Hafians who came down during WWI, bringing their culinary experiences with them. A typical meal in a Fugo Island home is served in a plate; eaten with utensils. It is served with a beverage made of rice, apricots and lemongrass. A traditional meal consists of two to three dishes, one usually being seafood; dessert is primarily fruits served in bowls of cold milk and brown sugar.
A traditional meal usually consists of more starch than meat, with the starch being cooked in vegetable stock of some kind. Sweet potatoes are found in equal abundance as rice, and consumed after boiling with a main dish that compensates for the lack of spices. Potatoes are skinned, and reduced to noodles, set out to dry and fried.
Borrowing from Madagascar, Fugo Island enjoys its exquisite cuisine of Zebra meat; turtles are also harvested as luxury cuisine. Poultry and cattle add to the main dish of seafood: fish (fresh water, and sea), crab and prawns. Chicken and fish curry are the everyday staples of Fugo Island , with indigenous spices made from edible plants found in the forest areas of the city. EducationThe natives did not have a structured system of education. They believed in the power of inner growth and the joy that it entails. Their focus was on social thinking, educating the children about the indigenous plants and animals, hunting, planting, harvesting, religious studies, and a heavy focus on sports and outdoor activities. The architectural setup was akin to the madrasas we see in India around the 15-16th century in addition to having large tracts of fields that aided sports, planting and harvesting studies.
Upon the arrival of the hafians, there were two schools of thought on education. The traditional model that the four countries followed came under intense scrutiny by the elders, since they were enamoured by the free progress philosophy of the native schools. After two decades of intermingling, modelling and experimenting the island had one amalgamated form of education which combined free progress of the natives and the scientific advancement of the hafians. This system was named Korianana, which means smooth flow in the native language. This was an education for the free and unhampered growth of the psyche with disciplines ranging from - design thinking, social thinking, scientific thinking, languages, planting, harvesting and sports (now including competitive sports too). Also, the progress of the child was not based on age but competency in subjects, and mobility in school grades was fairly flexible. Once all the students had the same basic education they went for vocational training in the field they chose to work in for 3 years. Family and Marriage:As a result of previous wars which had led to people coming to the island, peaceful existence is key to the inhabitants. Binaries are thought to be unstable and triads are considered more stable. The existence of third allows for dissipation of the tensions between the two and leads to arbitration. It also allows in marriage an existence of democracy which prevents impasses to break the marriage. Hence, the marriage in Fugo Island is that between three people- Groom, Bride amd Gride. Any group of three is allowed to marry except groups with same gender as there is no possibility of procreation in entirely homosexual triples. Homsexual relationships are not frowned upon though and there is a political movement to allow them marriage rights.
Balance is respected and hence triples with a male, female and a transgender member are considered most balanced. This results in high demand for transgender members (given they are in less number) and often male-female couples together woo for a transgender partner. As a result, birth of transgender in the family is especially celebrated. They are considered amalgamation of fire (male) and water (female).
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TourismBy the virtue of being relatively untouched and topographically different, Fugo Island has carved a space for itself in the tourism industry. A holiday resort for people looking for a break, Fugo Island offers the entire range of unwinding activities: spas, resorts, adventure sports, wildlife safaris, scuba diving and the like.
Tourism forms a core part of the economy of Fugo Island; the bulk of the tourists come from Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe. Hotels, ranging from luxury to budget, have come up along the edges of the island. Heritage tourism, showcasing the native culture, the coming of Hafians and the surprisingly peaceful evolution as a society also forms a key aspect of Fugo Island’s tourism. Religion and FestivalsPrior to the arrival of the Hafians the indigenous people followed their ancestral religion of Umi. Worshipping nature and its forces, primarily fire and water, the source of Umi lies in the volcanic eruptions and tsunamis that have over the years changed the face of the island and left the natives in awe of nature. Every year they would come together to worship these two forces and pray to the volcano and the sea to placate them. It was called Alina del Fuego ndraika Mar (Translation: Night of the Volcano and Sea). Out of respect for the natural forces they ate only vegetarian food.
Over time, with the arrival of the Hafians and a better understanding of natural forces, Umi lost its importance and remains a religion only in name. The Alina festival, as it is known today, continues to be celebrated as a part of the longstanding tradition of the island. Every year on 24th July people come together to remember the original inhabitants and pay their respect to their beliefs, following it up with a grand feast of pure vegetarian cuisines even today. The Hafians were mainly Christians and for the first 25-30 years the two religions coexisted peacefully, although there were missionaries on both sides trying to propagate their respective religion. Eventually each of the two faiths began to adopt practices of the other, resulting in a hybrid religion called Haronity. The surfing festival of the island is steeped more in tradition than most. Whether you are looking to soak up some sun on the beach while building sandcastles or just listening to live music band performances or pro surf events; this is the a festival for all. The three day weekend beach side activities and exhibitions offer a diverse variety for all ages. The surfing festival marks the beginning of the season for Sky Voltering, which is the national festival, that includes sky diving, gliding on the volcano wall and then surfing. The music culture of the city is vibrant and lively, the genre of music prefered is blues and jazz. The music festival line up every year includes Jack Johnson, John Mayer among other artists. Leisure and Sports:People of Fugo Island love nature and therefore spend a lot of time outdoors. There has been a tradition of communal discussions and hence the living spaces are splattered with common spaces where people come together and discuss the events and viewpoints. The practice dates back to earlier times when the natives and new citizens got into touch for the first time and greatly facilitated the amalgamation of their respective cultures.
A special sports of the place is Sky voltering which involves a person dive from the sky on to the Feugo slope from where they slide towards the fresh water body in the middle of the island and dive into it. ClothesGiven the tropical climate, clothing is kept to bare minimum with special usage of hats which are very popular. For the same reason, tattoos are quite a fad amongst people. People frequently go for dips in both the fresh water and sea and hence the material is made to be such that it is almost waterproof ( dries very quickly). It repels salt and sand. Blue and Orange are the popular colors. 3D printing is accessible to everyone which has led to a lot of personalized fashion cultures and subcultures.
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