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From the same TL as my Vinland scenario. The Haudenosaunee Republic(
Repblika Hádenosaani) is unitary presidential republic located in the heart of Hesperia. The Haudenosaunee people where formed when the semi-legendary figure known as Hiawatha, or the Great Peacemaker, United the warring tribes of the region into a single confederation. Hiawatha is widely regarded by the Haudenosaunee as the father of their country, and has a similar place in the Haudenosaunee imagination that for example Leif Erikson has in the Vinlandic imagination, Charlemagne has in the French imagination, or King Arthur has in the imaginations of the various nations of the British Isles. Following their unification, the Haudenosaunee began numerous wars of expansion against neighboring Algonquian peoples. The Haudenosaunee’s wars of expansion would lead to them conquering most of their current territory. The Haudenosaunee would enter a golden age following their victory over and conquest of their traditional rivals, the Huron, in the early 1700s. During this time period, the Haudenosaunee established themselves as the hegemonic power in the region, having no real competition. Due to this lack of competition, the Haudenosaunee shed their ancestral warlike ways and turned inward.
This period of relative stability would come to an end during the early Twentieth Century, as the Haudenosaunee proved unable to compete in an industrialized, modernized world. In 1911, a minor border dispute between the Haudenosaunee and the Anglo-French Empire from their colony in Assinoboinia would escalate into a three-year-long war in which the Haudenosaunee found themselves utterly humiliated. The Anglo-French would impose a treaty which declared the Haudenosaunee to be a protectorate of the Anglo-French Empire, which the Haudenosaunee almost immediately rebelled against. The Haudenosaunee War of Independence would end in 1920, with the Anglo-French Empire’s defeat in the Great Continental War, and the new Haudenosaunee Republic under Hetman[1] Konweraki Tekerihogen. Under Konwakeri’s[2] lead, the Haudenosaunee republic would begin to rapidly modernize, reestablishing themselves as a regional power.
Konweraki established an authoritarian, nationalistic regime and enforced his modernizing policies with a brutal and powerful secret police, the Ministry of Internal Security. He would serve as hetman until his death in 1953, when he would be succeeded by his son Halona. Halona would roll back most of his father’s more repressive policies until he decided to step down in 1967, allowing a new, democratic government to take hold. Konweraki and Halona remain controversial in the Haudenosaunee Republic today. On one hand, they were obviously dictators who occasionally resorted to repressive means to enact their agenda. On the other hand, they also turned the Haudenosaunee from a backwards and impoverished nation to a regional power at the cutting edge of innovation, and Konweraki in particular holds a certain prestige as the father of the republic.
The Haudenosaunee Republic’s greatest regional rival is the Vinlandic Commonwealth. Specifically, disputes over who controls certain parts of the Great Lakes remain a highly contentious issue between the two countries. The rival regional powers’ relationship has gotten worse since 2013, when they backed opposite sides in the Lenape Civil War. The two regional powers have engaged in several proxy wars throughout Hesperia, bringing more turmoil to the already troubled continent. In particular, the Haudenosaunee have tried to promote a Pan-Hesperian identity revolving around the Manitouist faith, in which the Haudenosaunee Republic is the beating heart of the continent. The Vinlanders have, in turn, resisted the Haudenosaunee’s regional ambitions whenever given the chance.
Over 90% of Haudenosaunee belong to the Manitouist faith. Manitouism is rooted in the belief in a spiritual life force called
manitou(also called
orenda among the Haudenosaunee) which permeates all things. The word “
manitou” also refers to various spirits and deities worshipped in manitouism. Manitouist may be
aashaa manitou, or good spirit, and
otshee manitou, or bad spirit. Manitouist also believe in a creator god known as Gitchee Manitou, or the Geat Spirit. Manitouists believe that Gitchee Manitou gave everything its
manitou. Manitouists believe that by following the precepts of the religion, we can return to Gitchee Manitou after death. Common Manitouists practices include prayer, fasting, and the use of hallucinogens. The use of certain drugs, particularly tobacco, in Manitouist ritual has become increasingly controversial among believers, with some advocating for doing away with these rituals. These reformers often cite health risks as their primary motivator. Manitouism is practiced throughout most of Northeastern Hesperia.
[1]The first major republic ITTL was in Russia, so “hetman” has the same connotation ITTL that “president” does IOTL.
[2]Tekerihogen is a title, not a surname(which the Haudenosaunee don’t really have ITTL)
