Henua's government
Henua is an elective monarchy that combines traditional and constitutional elements. Power is shared between the seven 'Ariki, or clan chiefs; the 'Ariki Henua, "Chief of the Land" or king; and the elected Council of 21 Advisors, or 'Atua Hatu. This system, in which the clans share power and are constitutionally equal, differs from most Polynesian islands, in which one royal clan has a higher status than the others. The current system was introduced in 1808 after many years of civil war. It put an end to competition for power among the various clans and lineages.
Political Theory
The theoretical basis of political power on Henua is mana, a Polynesian concept implying both spiritual potency and a right to rule. In traditional Henua society, everyone has a certain amount of mana based on their station in life. Men traditionally have more mana than women; older sons more than younger sons; certain mohiño and ure (clans and lineages) more than others; and the Miru clan once held more mana than the other clans. The position of ariki henua, king, was therefore reserved for the eldest sons in the chefly family of the Hoña ure in the Miru clan.
The king's power is manifested through a system of tapu ("taboo"), which governs the right to use various resources. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, the tapu system grew more and more strict as the kings tried to manage depleting resources. The harsh tapu ultimately saved Henua society, but the heads of other clans grew more and more resentful. They began to assert their own authority apart from that of the king. Clan wars began to occur more frequently. The ravages of European diseases after 1722 made the situation worse.
By the mid-eighteenth century, clan chiefs were constantly competing for power and influence. For the first time, the concept of ao, temporal power, was separated from the concept of mana. The king was still holder of the island's mana, but ao shifted beck and forth among the warring chiefs.
Ultimately, the Cult of Make-Make, or the Birdman Cult, became the primary way to assert clan dominance and distribute political power. At the beginning of spring, each clan sponsored a swimmer to make the dangerous swim to the offshore islet of Motu Nui and find the first frigate bird egg of the season. This competition was seen as a true test of spiritual potency-- mana. The swimmer who arrived back first with an egg would present it to his chief, who would rule the island for a year. The Birdmen were known as greedy, irresponsible rulers who abused their power and flouted the traditional rights of the king. Even the tapu against moai building was ignored by some of the more ostentatious Birdmen, who commissioned a number of statues to themselves, many of which were altered by later kings.
In 1808, the seven clan chiefs made a pact to share power in order to put an end to the fighting. The Miru clan was forever stripped of its exclusive right to the kingship. All chiefly families are now understood to possess equal mana and have equal right to rule. Their written pact, the Agreement of the Seven Chiefs, became Henua's written constitution, one of the world's first. The Agreement, heavily amended over the years, is still in effect today.
The development of Roñoroño writing led to a class of people whose mana derived from their skills and learning
rather than birthright. The tuhuña ta, writing experts, formed a class of people just below the chiefs. When Roñoroño was reformed in the 1930s and taught to everyone, the entire population in effect entered this elite class and became tuhuña ta. The reform opened the door for Henua's unique brand of democracy, solidly rooted in the ancient concept of mana.
Council
The kings of Henua have always been assisted by a Council consisting of tuhuña, educated people . By the nineteenth century, the highest-ranked and most influential tuhuña were the tuhuña ta, those who could read and write Roñoroño. In 1931 King Hakapuna urged
a reform of the script to make it teachable to the general public. It was taught to the general populace, making everybody elligible for the Council. This made the government much more democratic.
The unicameral Council is elected at large by the people. It consists of 21 members, called Advisors or 'Atua Hatu, elected for three-year terms, with seven seats up for election each year. Originally, each clan chose one member per year, but now Advisers are elected
regardless of clan membership. Every year the Council elects a chairman called the Chief Adviser, who acts as Head of Government. The current CA is Kupeña Tuki. In June 2008 he replaced Rano'oka Pa'oa, the first woman to serve in that post. She was first elected in 2002 and was reelected five times. In August 2009 an amendment was passed to enlarge the council over the next four years. Ultimately the enlarged council will have 33 members in 2013.
Formal political parties have never taken root on Henua. The Politics page describes the current factions in the Council.
King and Chiefs
The 1808 Agreement put the role of King within a more constitutional framework than traditional Polynesian rulers. Succession is determined not by lineage, but by all the leaders of the island's clans. When a king dies or abdicates, his successor must be the head of a
different clan. The six surviving Ariki choose a successor from among themselves. The choice is made by consensus, not by vote, so it is an informal and often Machiavellian process of give and take. The clan heads submit their choice to the Council, who must vote to approve it. The old king's clan does not participate in this decision, because presumably it is busy with its own process of installing a new clan chief. Within each clan, the chiefdom succeeds is in the male-line, a system properly termed agnatic primogeniture.
The Ariki have one year to make their decision. If they cannot do this, the Council chooses a king from among the Ariki by majority vote. During the interregnum, the Chief Advisor acts as head of state. During an interregnum the CA does not have to run for reelection, but the Council may choose a new CA after a new king is enthroned.
The current king is Ña'ara III, elected and enthoned in 1995. In Polynesia he is styled Te Ariki Henua, te Tañata Manu, te Hopu Hotu, which means "Chief of the Land, Birdman, Servant of the Ancestors." THe ancient kings were styled both Ariki Henua, "Chief of the Land", and Ariki Mau, roughly "True Chief". After 1808 the kings used the much humbler title Ariki Ao, meaning "Chief in Power" or "Ruling Chief", stressing his equality with the other six chiefs on the island. Hakapuna in the 1930s restored the older title Ariki Henua. In the West, the King of Henua is styled "His Majesty the King of te Pito o te Henua", a convention established by French missionaries in the
nineteenth century.
Judiciary
Before January 2009, justice was primarily the responsibility of the chiefs, who presided over clan courts whose members were selected in a variety of ways: sometimes by election, sometimes according to age, sometimes by lineage. In practice, the system was under-regulated and open to abuse and corruption - many clan judges served only at the whims of their chiefs, and many criminals were let off easier than they should have been when they found themselves before a sympathetic clan leader. The system proved inadequate as Henua became more integrated and more globalized. Major crimes and crimes committed by foreigners had to be tried before the King and Council, putting a burden on the government and causing friction with the home countries of the accused. The attempted assassination of a foreign head of state (Andrew Morris of Lundy and Tokelau) in 2008 paved the way for the establishment of a new court system able to handle the increasingly complex range of cases that arise on Henua.
All criminal cases on the island are heard before one of five panels of three judges each, the judges appointed by the Counil. The chiefs are allowed to petition the judges to move the cases to their old clan courts, so long as the cases are not of "national importance" - understood to include nearly all major crimes and most minor crimes between members of different clans. Civil cases may be brought before judges or chiefs, as the litigants prefer.
A new innovation is the creation of a Great Court for the island. It consists of seven jurists, each of which must be from a different clan. The Great Court, not the Council or even the King, has final say in all matters judicial. The reforms clear up many ambiguities in the status of foreigners and immigrants, most of whom slipped between the cracks of Henua's clan court system.
Constitution
Henua has a written constitution, the 1808 Agreement of the Seven Ariki plus more recent amendments. In practice, however, the division of power among King, Chiefs, and Council is informal and often depends on the personalities of individuals. For example, Ña'ara has been much more assertive in matters of foreign policy than his recent predecessors, which is causing conflict with some in the Council. The six Ariki besides Ña'ara, on the other hand, have been relegated to a backgrond role and manage their individual clans. The Council has recently been occupied with issues relating to immigration and tourism.
Amending the Agreement, however, is a very specific process. Two thirds of the council must vote for a proposed amendment. It must then be approved by all seven chiefs, including the King. This is because the Agreement was, originally, between all seven 'Ariki, so it
is thought to be only fair if all seven are asked to approve any alterations to the Agreement. Two prominent amendments have been passed recently: in November 2009 Henua's judiciary was created, and one in August 2009 provided for an enlarged Council.
There are no political parties in the formal sense, but some 'Atua Hatu do identify with recognizable ideologies. In particular, Ecotopism, a strident form of environmentalism, has become a visible force on the island. Ña'ara himself is an avowed Ecotopian, which has caused conflict with nativist or nationalist Council members, including former Chief Adviser Rano'ika.
Suffrage is extended to all citizens age 16 and up. Citizenship is available to residents after two years and requires a knowledge of spoken Arero Henua and written Roñoroño, participation in certain civic rituals, and an oath of loyalty.
Foreign Relations
The King is ultimately responsible for Henua's foreign affairs, but most diplomacy is carried out by the Foreign Advisorate. Typically the most prestigious organ of the Council, the Advisorate is currently headed by former Chief Advisor Rano'ika Pa'oa. Henua maintains diplomatic legations in a number of countries, mostly in Oceania and along the west coast of the Americas. Henua being a small nation, all of its diplomats are considered Ministers Resident, as are all foreign diplomats in the country.
It is a common practice for some countries, especially larger ones, to authorize their ministers in Tahiti, Kanawiki, or Chile to represent their affairs in Henua as needed.
Henua participates in the following international organizations (all links are to the Ill Bethisad Wiki):
League of Nations
Commission on Very Small
States (technically a committee of the League of Nations, but with a mind very much of its own)
INTERPOL
Austronesian League
Pacific
Ocean Regional Forum
East Asian Federation (observer)
Historically, Henua was part of ANJAC, a military alliance that grew out of the Austronesian League.
Political Theory
The theoretical basis of political power on Henua is mana, a Polynesian concept implying both spiritual potency and a right to rule. In traditional Henua society, everyone has a certain amount of mana based on their station in life. Men traditionally have more mana than women; older sons more than younger sons; certain mohiño and ure (clans and lineages) more than others; and the Miru clan once held more mana than the other clans. The position of ariki henua, king, was therefore reserved for the eldest sons in the chefly family of the Hoña ure in the Miru clan.
The king's power is manifested through a system of tapu ("taboo"), which governs the right to use various resources. From the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries, the tapu system grew more and more strict as the kings tried to manage depleting resources. The harsh tapu ultimately saved Henua society, but the heads of other clans grew more and more resentful. They began to assert their own authority apart from that of the king. Clan wars began to occur more frequently. The ravages of European diseases after 1722 made the situation worse.
By the mid-eighteenth century, clan chiefs were constantly competing for power and influence. For the first time, the concept of ao, temporal power, was separated from the concept of mana. The king was still holder of the island's mana, but ao shifted beck and forth among the warring chiefs.
Ultimately, the Cult of Make-Make, or the Birdman Cult, became the primary way to assert clan dominance and distribute political power. At the beginning of spring, each clan sponsored a swimmer to make the dangerous swim to the offshore islet of Motu Nui and find the first frigate bird egg of the season. This competition was seen as a true test of spiritual potency-- mana. The swimmer who arrived back first with an egg would present it to his chief, who would rule the island for a year. The Birdmen were known as greedy, irresponsible rulers who abused their power and flouted the traditional rights of the king. Even the tapu against moai building was ignored by some of the more ostentatious Birdmen, who commissioned a number of statues to themselves, many of which were altered by later kings.
In 1808, the seven clan chiefs made a pact to share power in order to put an end to the fighting. The Miru clan was forever stripped of its exclusive right to the kingship. All chiefly families are now understood to possess equal mana and have equal right to rule. Their written pact, the Agreement of the Seven Chiefs, became Henua's written constitution, one of the world's first. The Agreement, heavily amended over the years, is still in effect today.
The development of Roñoroño writing led to a class of people whose mana derived from their skills and learning
rather than birthright. The tuhuña ta, writing experts, formed a class of people just below the chiefs. When Roñoroño was reformed in the 1930s and taught to everyone, the entire population in effect entered this elite class and became tuhuña ta. The reform opened the door for Henua's unique brand of democracy, solidly rooted in the ancient concept of mana.
Council
The kings of Henua have always been assisted by a Council consisting of tuhuña, educated people . By the nineteenth century, the highest-ranked and most influential tuhuña were the tuhuña ta, those who could read and write Roñoroño. In 1931 King Hakapuna urged
a reform of the script to make it teachable to the general public. It was taught to the general populace, making everybody elligible for the Council. This made the government much more democratic.
The unicameral Council is elected at large by the people. It consists of 21 members, called Advisors or 'Atua Hatu, elected for three-year terms, with seven seats up for election each year. Originally, each clan chose one member per year, but now Advisers are elected
regardless of clan membership. Every year the Council elects a chairman called the Chief Adviser, who acts as Head of Government. The current CA is Kupeña Tuki. In June 2008 he replaced Rano'oka Pa'oa, the first woman to serve in that post. She was first elected in 2002 and was reelected five times. In August 2009 an amendment was passed to enlarge the council over the next four years. Ultimately the enlarged council will have 33 members in 2013.
Formal political parties have never taken root on Henua. The Politics page describes the current factions in the Council.
King and Chiefs
The 1808 Agreement put the role of King within a more constitutional framework than traditional Polynesian rulers. Succession is determined not by lineage, but by all the leaders of the island's clans. When a king dies or abdicates, his successor must be the head of a
different clan. The six surviving Ariki choose a successor from among themselves. The choice is made by consensus, not by vote, so it is an informal and often Machiavellian process of give and take. The clan heads submit their choice to the Council, who must vote to approve it. The old king's clan does not participate in this decision, because presumably it is busy with its own process of installing a new clan chief. Within each clan, the chiefdom succeeds is in the male-line, a system properly termed agnatic primogeniture.
The Ariki have one year to make their decision. If they cannot do this, the Council chooses a king from among the Ariki by majority vote. During the interregnum, the Chief Advisor acts as head of state. During an interregnum the CA does not have to run for reelection, but the Council may choose a new CA after a new king is enthroned.
The current king is Ña'ara III, elected and enthoned in 1995. In Polynesia he is styled Te Ariki Henua, te Tañata Manu, te Hopu Hotu, which means "Chief of the Land, Birdman, Servant of the Ancestors." THe ancient kings were styled both Ariki Henua, "Chief of the Land", and Ariki Mau, roughly "True Chief". After 1808 the kings used the much humbler title Ariki Ao, meaning "Chief in Power" or "Ruling Chief", stressing his equality with the other six chiefs on the island. Hakapuna in the 1930s restored the older title Ariki Henua. In the West, the King of Henua is styled "His Majesty the King of te Pito o te Henua", a convention established by French missionaries in the
nineteenth century.
Judiciary
Before January 2009, justice was primarily the responsibility of the chiefs, who presided over clan courts whose members were selected in a variety of ways: sometimes by election, sometimes according to age, sometimes by lineage. In practice, the system was under-regulated and open to abuse and corruption - many clan judges served only at the whims of their chiefs, and many criminals were let off easier than they should have been when they found themselves before a sympathetic clan leader. The system proved inadequate as Henua became more integrated and more globalized. Major crimes and crimes committed by foreigners had to be tried before the King and Council, putting a burden on the government and causing friction with the home countries of the accused. The attempted assassination of a foreign head of state (Andrew Morris of Lundy and Tokelau) in 2008 paved the way for the establishment of a new court system able to handle the increasingly complex range of cases that arise on Henua.
All criminal cases on the island are heard before one of five panels of three judges each, the judges appointed by the Counil. The chiefs are allowed to petition the judges to move the cases to their old clan courts, so long as the cases are not of "national importance" - understood to include nearly all major crimes and most minor crimes between members of different clans. Civil cases may be brought before judges or chiefs, as the litigants prefer.
A new innovation is the creation of a Great Court for the island. It consists of seven jurists, each of which must be from a different clan. The Great Court, not the Council or even the King, has final say in all matters judicial. The reforms clear up many ambiguities in the status of foreigners and immigrants, most of whom slipped between the cracks of Henua's clan court system.
Constitution
Henua has a written constitution, the 1808 Agreement of the Seven Ariki plus more recent amendments. In practice, however, the division of power among King, Chiefs, and Council is informal and often depends on the personalities of individuals. For example, Ña'ara has been much more assertive in matters of foreign policy than his recent predecessors, which is causing conflict with some in the Council. The six Ariki besides Ña'ara, on the other hand, have been relegated to a backgrond role and manage their individual clans. The Council has recently been occupied with issues relating to immigration and tourism.
Amending the Agreement, however, is a very specific process. Two thirds of the council must vote for a proposed amendment. It must then be approved by all seven chiefs, including the King. This is because the Agreement was, originally, between all seven 'Ariki, so it
is thought to be only fair if all seven are asked to approve any alterations to the Agreement. Two prominent amendments have been passed recently: in November 2009 Henua's judiciary was created, and one in August 2009 provided for an enlarged Council.
There are no political parties in the formal sense, but some 'Atua Hatu do identify with recognizable ideologies. In particular, Ecotopism, a strident form of environmentalism, has become a visible force on the island. Ña'ara himself is an avowed Ecotopian, which has caused conflict with nativist or nationalist Council members, including former Chief Adviser Rano'ika.
Suffrage is extended to all citizens age 16 and up. Citizenship is available to residents after two years and requires a knowledge of spoken Arero Henua and written Roñoroño, participation in certain civic rituals, and an oath of loyalty.
Foreign Relations
The King is ultimately responsible for Henua's foreign affairs, but most diplomacy is carried out by the Foreign Advisorate. Typically the most prestigious organ of the Council, the Advisorate is currently headed by former Chief Advisor Rano'ika Pa'oa. Henua maintains diplomatic legations in a number of countries, mostly in Oceania and along the west coast of the Americas. Henua being a small nation, all of its diplomats are considered Ministers Resident, as are all foreign diplomats in the country.
It is a common practice for some countries, especially larger ones, to authorize their ministers in Tahiti, Kanawiki, or Chile to represent their affairs in Henua as needed.
Henua participates in the following international organizations (all links are to the Ill Bethisad Wiki):
League of Nations
Commission on Very Small
States (technically a committee of the League of Nations, but with a mind very much of its own)
INTERPOL
Austronesian League
Pacific
Ocean Regional Forum
East Asian Federation (observer)
Historically, Henua was part of ANJAC, a military alliance that grew out of the Austronesian League.