On the Thousand Islands, the natural disaster has played the largest role in shaping the culture of their current civilization. Before, their society was highly technical and developed with the complexities of socioeconomics. But now the people vow to live their lives simply, they aim to enjoy life as they believe the gods intended, close to nature and close to family. For this reason, religion is deeply ingrained into all aspects of their culture and that sentiment extends to almost every part of their daily lives.
The people of the thousand islands believe in fish head Gods who live in the water surrounding their islands. They believe the Gods punished them with the natural disaster that destroyed their original civilzation because of their pollution and technology. They also believe the Gods didn't like their advancements because they were encroaching on their territory and taking up a god-like persona that was offensive to their Gods fo the sea. This is why the people of the island changed their way of life after the disaster, and as a peace offering (in accordance with their previous customs) continue to sacrifice outsiders to the Gods.Â
Farmers in their society are appointed by the leaders and are regarded as deeply spiritual as they dedicate their lives to sustaining the lives of the people around them. They are not believed to have a close connection with the gods (they believe that no one can) but are considered closest to nature which allows them to have a comprehensive understanding of life and love. They serve to advise the leaders and the overall community on all aspects of life. Farmers are chosen for the practice at the young age of 15, young men and women spend 5 years learning the practice form their elders and then can begin on their own at age 20. Many of the farmers come from the same family, as they grow up close to the practice, but anyone is allowed to take on the position and many outside of large farming families are welcomed in.Â
Farmers work closely with archeologists, another culturally significant practice of the Thousand Islands. The Archeologists travel all over the Islands via small âairplanesâ able to sail across the winds. These members of society travel farther across the islands than any others and spend their time digging up historical artifacts from their original civilization. They restore the items, discuss their original purposes, and put them on display in the town center to serve as a reminder of disaster. Some of the archeologists hide a small number of their discoveries and share them only with an underground council. They restore items in an attempt to understand the previous society and culture so that one day they can re-implement into their modern society. They operate in secret, which makes it difficult to make restorations, especially as they attempt to re-create wildfire. More recently the architects have been pushing the boundary of water, they sometimes let their hands or feet brush the surface just to see what could happen. Those on the underground council love and value their society, though they are concerned for their future. As precious metals are being used up, they fear for their survival and want to protect their people, even if they mean going against the law.
Both of these prominent positions are appointed by the islands elected leader. Each inhabited island elects a leader, all elected leaders meet officially once every moon to discuss the happening of their respective islands. Some of these leaders are members of the secret council, while others are not. The leaders also serve as educators and once a moon gathers the children of the islands for lessons on whatever they find relevant. While the children learn most everything from their parents and their community, this is a chance for them to ask more complex questions, and socialize a bit with their peers. The elected leader and their council of elders, past leaders, farmers, and archeologists also are responsible for enforcing the laws which reflect the values of society. The laws reflect their xenophobia, belief in the gods, the importance of family, and respect for the waters that surround them. The leader and his council are responsible for assigning punishment based on the crime. Sometimes they can be simply a halt to production or trade, but in more extreme cases like murder (which is very rare) warrant exilement.Â
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpK9G7o9UF8
https://www.messynessychic.com/2017/02/22/only-photographs-remained-of-the-first-flying-man-until-now/