Basic Tenets of Equalitivist Society

                Equalitivists are a relatively small culture of approximately 25,000 people who live in the valleys of a major mountain range. The region, known as Equalitiva, experiences moderate, regular rainfall, and the seasons are varied with mild and rainy spring weather, humid and hot summers, cool fall weather with moderate rainfall, and cold winters with regular snow. The area is best known for three major industries – wind farming, agriculture, and tourism.

                The area was formerly part of a larger state and relied on mining and heavy industry as the foundations of their society, but following a successful protest movement, the Equalitivists broke away and established their autonomy as an independent region with their own unique economic system, political structure, kinship & community practices, and religion & folkways.

Economy

                The transition from a heavy industrial and mining society was difficult, but the move to develop the wind farming industry (the first pillar of the Equalitivist economic system) has bolstered the region’s economic growth. The Equalitivist wind farming industry is owned by the regional government, and land owners lease their property to the government in exchange for a set monthly stipend and free electricity. A small-scale training program run by the government channels former coal-mining citizens into turbine operations and maintenance, ensuring that the region is able to meet labor needs to keep the wind farming industry functional.

                The turbines generate more than enough energy to meet the region’s power needs, and the cost of operation is spread among the residents of the region through an energy tax based on estimated annual consumption. A small scale coal mining industry still exists to meet power needs at peak times, but is not the primary energy source. In addition, the government sells excess wind energy and coal to the neighboring regions that are not part of the Equalitivist community. Finally, a developing industry seeks to transition aging, unused steel mills into production centers capable of producing turbines.

                Agriculture is a second pillar of the Equalitivist economic system. Private land ownership is open to all citizens over the age of 25, and a progressive tax system is in place to discourage any one citizen from monopolizing agricultural resources.  Taxes collected support publicly funded free hospitals and other public-benefit programs. The agricultural economy model is based on small to medium scale farms and ranches, capable of supplying the region with a steady supply of food, but is not interested in exports.

                Tourism is the third pillar of the economy, and takes primary form as a number of bed-and-breakfasts run out of private homes. Tourism is a seasonal industry, and picks up pace in the spring through fall as outsiders travel to Equalitivist communities to experience a variety of outdoor pursuits, including farm activities and guided hikes through the mountains and valleys of the region. The government promotes the development of the tourism industry as a form of supplemental income beyond wind farming and agricultural pursuits.

               

Government

                The Equalitivist government was founded following a mass protest movement led by formerly disparate mining and industrial communities scattered throughout the region. The government is headed by the Council of Regional Development, made up of one male and one female elected member from each of the 10 distinct valley communities. Elections are held every 2 years, and both office and voting rights are open to everyone over the age of 25. Junior delegates are elected to present the youth opinion on matters that directly affect citizens under 25, with their votes counting as a half-vote in the council. A citizen may only hold a Council position for two consecutive terms, and cannot be elected to office again for another six years after their last term.

                One particularly unique feature of the Equalitivist government is the citizens’ option to dissolve the Council by a majority vote, and install new councilmembers in special elections at any point. This has never occurred in the region’s history, but serves as a check on the group’s power. Equalitivists strongly discourage the notion of an all-powerful ruling political elite. The government’s primary function is to ensure resources are distributed in a reasonably equitable fashion, and to promote the popular good.

Communal Life & Kinship

                Equalitivists highly value communal life, and engage in the practice of declaring fictive kin as well as maintaining close ties to blood relatives. Most households are made up of extended family groups, with multiple generations represented in each household. Neighbors in each district are commonly viewed as “cousins,” and are expected to pool their resources to provide for the good of the community. Individual pursuits of wealth and materialism are frowned on in the Equalitivist culture, and respect is afforded to those who work to provide for their families and neighbors above themselves. In addition, each community educates their own children in a series of “homeschool” alliances that allow experts from various fields of community life to take turns teaching their subject to the next generation.

               Social equality is important to community life. While some individual households do make more money than others, the strong social emphasis on equitable distribution means that little socioeconomic stratification exists publicly. Thanks to an emphasis on community well-being, the population has a thriving elderly community, high birth rates, and a healthy group of middle-adulthood citizens. Though there are slightly more females than males in the population, this has not made a dramatic difference in birthrates. Unmarried women are assigned special roles in the community, incorporating them into the fabric of the culture. Race existed as a social construct prior to the establishment of regional independence, but has dwindled in importance over time. A variety of skin colors are present in Equalitiva, but are not related to any form of social hierarchy.

               Because members of each of the 10 communities view themselves as relatives, most marriages are between individuals from different valley communities. Semi-annual regional socials bring together the communities at the foot of the largest mountain in the region, and this is a common time for young men and women to select a partner. Mass wedding ceremonies are held at the end of each social, and these events are highly celebrated across the region. The regional social is a time for community building, and culminates with the raising of a massive Star of the Valley against the backdrop of the mountain range at sunset, uniting the people of each valley district under the light of one star.

Religion & Folkways

                Religious life focuses on two important features – the celebration of communal life, and reverence for the founders of the Equalitivist culture. Communal life is reinforced through weekly participation in individual community socials, in which the people unite for a shared potluck meal and the singing of the community and regional anthems each Saturday afternoon. The previously discussed regional socials bring the 10 valley communities together twice a year to encourage positive relationships between the various communities.

                The five founders (the original leaders of the protest movement that established the independent region) are honored throughout the year with a series of holidays, each with its own special rites emphasizing a different aspect of the founder’s efforts. The founders are considered to have served as prophets leading the way towards a brighter future, and the citizens consider themselves to have originated as a chosen people who will serve as a positive example for outside societies. All religious ceremonies dedicated to the founders are held at night, underneath the stars.

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                                         Commonly Used Symbols in Equalitivist Culture


Currency:

This symbol appears on all currency in Equalitiva. The dark green circle represents a region united in economic prosperity, the blue and white pattern within the circle represents harmony and the "mandate of Heaven" that allows the region to prosper, while the green lines in the center represent the blades of a wind turbine as the economic life force of the region. 

The Flag:

The flag is the official symbol of the Equalitivist government. The red background reminds Equalitivists of the protest movement that allowed them to break away, while the use of blue and white in the rest of the flag represents the harmonious existence made possible through the struggles of the founders, as well as the belief that the movement was led by a higher power (in this case, blue and white represent the sky.) The 10 stars are the 10 valley districts that together comprise the rising power of Equalitiva. The oval/circle in the center represents the circularity of life in the region, with each of the 10 districts moving together in one direction as a whole, and the green lines in the center represent the blades of a wind turbine - shown in green because the turbine industry is the economic life force of the region and enabled Equalitiva to move beyond reliance on a stratified labor force run by outsiders.


The Wrist:


Equalitarians view the wrist as a sacred body part, where the pulse of life pounds beneath the skin. Exposure of the upturned wrist is used as a gesture of intimacy or goodwill, as stars painted on the wrists were how the founders identified themselves to followers in the early days before the region's independence was established. 

Because the wrist is of special importance, men and women place special ceremonial bracelets on their left wrist during the mass wedding ceremonies of the region, and are to wear the bracelets in all non-religious settings to demonstrate their loyalty to the region and their spouse. Because the wrist is an intimate spot, it would be inappropriate to depict an uncovered wrist in art or photographs, but bracelets like the one below are molded to fit the wearer and are believed to absorb the power of the wearer's life force over time:

[Elichai Fine Jewelry. http://www.elichai.com/jewelry-collections/limited-edition, accessed June 12, 2012.]






The Special Role of the Star as a Symbol in Equalitiva:

Stars are used in a variety of symbolic roles in Equalitarian life. The five founders saw a shooting star the evening they finalized their plan to declare their independence as a people, and the people of Equalitiva view stars as symbols of light, ascendance, and assign special value to the creation of five-pointed stars to represent the five founders and values of their culture. Stars are viewed as a blessing from the Heavens, lighting the darkness of the light. 

The Star of the Valley:

[House of Crystal. http://www.houseofcrystal.co.uk/trophies2.htm, accessed June 12, 2012.]

The Star of the Valley depicts a five-pointed star perched atop a mountain range. This is one of the most widely recognized symbols of Equalitiva, and is displayed in various forms at both district and regional socials, typically as statuary around which the people gather for singing of the regional anthem. The star rising above the mountain represents the region overcoming hardships to ascend to a place where its light can be seen by all. 




The Five Stars of the Founders:

The symbol of the Five Stars of the Founders is a group of 5 five-pointed stars, each outlined in red to identify the struggle of protest uniting the founders, with a different color in the center of each star to represent the individual values embodied by each of the founders. These values are seen as the moral basis for Equalitarian society. 


The symbol is displayed at all religious gatherings, and individual stars from the collective symbol are painted on the wrists of ritual participants at various times of the year (ie. a white star outlined in red is displayed on the forehead in one ceremony to remind Equalitivists of the mental purity of purpose required to participate appropriately in communal/religious life, while an orange star outlined in red is displayed in another ceremony to represent the energy and industry required to maintain a viable community.)