Ipanism - The Law of the Great Sibling

Ipanism (also known as "La Loi de l'Ipa", "Sainteté", or "The Law of the Great Sibling") is the national religion of Akach, centred on the deity Ipawolu -- loosely translated as "master of force"; "ipa" meaning "force", and "olu" a combination of the prefixes "O" (meaning "great") and "lu-" (meaning "absence" or "without"). Scholars believe that "olu" in this context refers to "the Great Void", an unknowable location in timespace, beyond mortal comprehension. In such a place, one would be everywhere and nowhere all at once, and functionally omnipotent, as no limits can exist in such a place. Ipawolu is closely identified with the Cobre deities Olugun and Oluwu, though many scholars believe Ipawolu refers to a different entity, in a different belief system altogether.

Those who follow Ipanism are known as creyentes ("believers") or disciples ("followers"), and revere many deities -- known as "éléments" ("elements"), "naturels" ("naturals"), or "donneurs" ("givers"); but collectively called "habilitants" ("enablers") -- besides Ipawolu, though all ipa (a supernatural force permeating all facets of the universe) originates with Ipawolu, and can only be tapped into through Ipawolu. It is notable that Ipawolu is typically not assigned a gender, instead referred to only by name, or in the abstract (e.g. "the one none can see", or "the great sibling").

Many creyentes venerate deities that are more clearly associated with the Cobre Irunashe, though they do not believe in the paramount status of these deities; instead, they are seen as "saints" (manifestations of Ipa, and by extension, Ipawolu), who facilitate solutions to problems encountered every day. In Ipanism, there is no dichotomy of "good" and "evil"; rather, in Ipanism, all things are related and intertwined. No one thing can exist without others.

History

It is believed that the practice of Ipanism spread in antiquity, before the conquest of Edaj Nostaw across Rabastor. When Akach was less a nation, and more a loose collection of tribes sharing a specific section of land. The official name for the area at the time was "Western Deltas", in reference to the two major deltas on the western coast of Rabastor, both contained within the borders of modern Akach; however, "Akach" was the colloquial name, meaning "the hand of the almighty". The latter was in reference to the commonly held belief among the people, that their presence acted as a deterrent to those who would seek to invade across the Strait of Chie and cause harm to the peoples of Rabastor.

This belief in their own righteousness and strength was the foundation of Ipanism as it came to be known. It is unclear for certain how the term Ipa came to be, but it is known that the word means "force" in Cobre Creole. As it is also known that the Akachese people (those who occupied the Western Deltas in antiquity) are of Cobre descent, legend has it that the term Ipa was coined by a battalion of Ohafia warriors. These warriors had won an improbable victory against coastal invaders just south of the Byrsic Delta (near modern-day Emekula) and allegedly began chanting "mare ipa abofun kobu nipawa" ("the almighty force protects the people through us"). This would repeat after victories by other battalions, of all descents among the Western Deltas people, and gradually become "mare ipa", then "maripa", and eventually just "ipa".

The mention of this almighty force ("grande puissance") lent itself well to ritual among the peoples, which remains the most important part of Ipanism to the present day.

Beliefs

Importantly, Ipanism views Ipa (and Ipawolu) as forces of change; be that progression or regression. Ipa has no plan, or unknowable purpose, it is merely the innate power in all things, and thus the potential of all things to be a greater part of the whole. Disciples believe that Ipa, while present in all things, can sometimes coalesce in greater amounts or concentrations in certain objects, places, or living beings.

In Ipanism, one's "emi" ("essence", or "soul") is contained in your navel. Before a person is born, the "emi" travels to the spiritual realm, and convenes with Ipawolu, where it is assigned a character. As your "emi" is formed immediately after the confluence of your parents' essences at conception, it also takes a small part of the "emi" of each of your parents. Then, over the next several months, your "emi" matures and shapes a body for itself. Ipanism considers premature births to be a sign of a determined, ambitious character, while "late" births are considered a sign of stubbornness and resilience.

It is common for a creyente to consider themselves the "sibling" of a habilitant, in the sense that they are more strongly influenced by, or blessed by this specific deity. This is typically determined through divination, and the person in question will then work specifically to develop a relationship with this particular deity in order to gain their favour -- and thus, blessings. The term "sibling" is used because of the connection to your parent via the navel. If your "emi" is tied to a deity, it must be via the "birth rope" (umbilical cord), which passes through your mother, making you siblings.

There is no overarching concept of "fate" in Ipanism, instead one has a "chemin" ("path") which leads to death -- the final destination of all life. It is not pre-determined, but rather you will make choices on your journey that can vary the path. Some stops on the path may be pre-determined by your sibling or your assigned character before you are born, but how and when you reach them is entirely up to you.

While Ipanism has moral requirements for adherents, in the sense that there exist standards and expectations with regard to behaviour, it does not have the same kind of restrictive "rules" for living in general that many religions do. Rather, as long as the disciple follows the correct procedure when communing with other living things (including plants and animals, as well as supernatural forces and spirits), and shows the correct degree of respect to all life, and the "invisibles" ("unseen powers"), your actions are between you and the habilitants.

Practice

As Ipawolu represents the physical and spiritual connection between humans and Ipa -- the pathway along which Ipa flows, in a way; enabling one to perform beyond usual human limitations, by temporarily allowing one's emi to travel to the Great Void -- it is believed that all rituals must request permission from them to proceed, and must thank them when completed.

These rituals must also follow three other rules:

• rituals must take place inside a designated space (chambre de culte), specifically dedicated to ritual

• rituals must use the ahonelu ("elevated tongue"), a sort of pidgin derived from Cobre creole and modern Akachese (itself similar to Azertienne)

• rituals must involve at least two people; at least one of whom has an established connection to a habilitant
  

The first rule ensures that creyentes do not take lightly their connection to habilitants, and by extension, the divine nature of Ipawolu. By dedicating the chambre to ritual, it can be kept free of other influences as best one can. As these spaces are often where a disciple lives, it ensures that their connection to Ipawolu is constantly a presence in their mind, and thus, impacts on their everyday behaviour. In such cases, though, it is not uncommon to designate an even smaller space within the chambre for more important, or private rituals. This space is commonly referred to as the ajoyomikan ("heart of the sacred celebration").

The second rule ensures that creyentes make a mental connection to habilitants through their own body when performing ritual. By speaking in the elevated tongue (sometimes also called edenrin; "language of the siblings"), a disciple makes certain that their thoughts and actions are aligned. It is known that speaking another language necessitates a different way of thinking -- this idea is behind many initiatives in Akach to revive their ancestral language and connections to Cobrio; promoting it over modern Akachese, which was forced upon the people by the Edaji and Nostaw conquerors.

The final rule came about after many disciples suffered ill effects from rituals in the earlier days of Ipanism. While these ill effects were largely down to things like incorrectly prepared elixirs, or fire spreading from burning offerings, and other such incidents which could be explained away, the prevailing belief was that it was due to creyentes temporarily losing their tether to the mortal world. As a result, elders began to stress the importance of having a second person present, to help your emi return to your body if you ever lost control. The other person (or people) present need not have established connections to habilitant themselves, nor even believe in La Loi de l'Ipa; their sole purpose is to provide you with an anchor, or tether, to the mortal world.

Chambres
A chambre is not just the place where rituals are performed, however. It is also the community of creyentes who meet, and perform rituals there. Many chambres date back centuries, and in some ceremonies, those who came before -- in effect, the ancestors of the disciples in the chambre today -- are honoured through recitation of their mimoruko ("sacred name"); a name given by their sibling and only known to, and used by, others within the chambre.

It is not uncommon for the community of creyentes within a chambre to consider one another as family, even when no such ties would otherwise be considered to exist. Unlike the typical Akach custom of referring to elders as "aunty" or "uncle" as a sign of respect, however, disciples consider others in their chambre to be ibatan(i) "cousin(s)"; while elders may be referred to as obatan ("great cousin"). Special honour is held for the person who initiates a creyente also, as they are referred to as ipalorun (loosely translates to something like "godparent") -- sometimes "marraine" or "parrain"; "godmother" or "godfather" respectively depending on gender identity -- and are often met with ritual prostration upon entry to the chambre, known as obiteriba ("obey the parent").