Intergalactic Summit

Good day, pilots. I'll get straight to the point: During the sub-debate concerning the States attitude towards the Achura which some of you might've seen in Diana's recent, uh, conversationally stimulating thread, I made the claim that the majority of Achuran Capsuleers embrace Caldari culture above our own native customs, or I believe completely in place of them. My exact words were:



I also commented that I believe that Sukuuvestaa, and indeed in many senses the wider State (though in a certainly less deliberate fashion), has worked to weaken the native Achuran identity, as well as erase from the public consciousness it's acts of hypocritical imperialism upon our people and society.

Since then, an individual has made it clear to me in private correspondence that they do not agree with either statement, and believe our native culture amongst Capsuleers is alive and well. Which is more then fair - After all, my evidence is completely anecdotal and mostly surface level on top of that, since I'm hardly the most outgoing person in the Cluster. It was crude of me to make the claim casually.

However, let it not be said that I am unwilling to test the weight of my own assertions, or else be proven happily incorrect. Thus, I'd like to conduct a brief survey regarding peoples attitudes towards Achuran culture, both internally and externally, to see what sort of attitudes come out, as well as what people are simply aware of at all. I've divided this into two seperate questionnaires: One for ethnic Achura, and a shorter one for everyone else. Please don't worry if you can't finish the whole thing. Fill out as many as you are comfortable with. And feel free to comment alongside your response if you wish.

Thank you in advance for any time you are willing to spare to appease my intellectual curiosity.

Please answer the following if you are an ethnic Achur or of mixed Achuran heritage.

1. When speaking in terms of your identity, would you foremostly describe yourself as an Achura, or a Caldari?

2. Were you born on our homeworld of Achura Prime/Saisio III, or elsewhere?

3. Were you raised in the Achuran client state or one of it's very few outposts, or under a megacorporation?
3A. If the former, have you ever felt uncomfortable with your position as a citizen of a tributary protectorate?
3B. If the latter, were you content with the necessity to comform to the Caldari cultural norms to be accepted? Did you feel you were provided with satisfactory education about your ethnic history?

4. To whom would you say you hold the most loyalty: The Elder Visionaries - the provisional government of the homeworld, based around the remnants of the old empire - The Chief Executive Panel, or neither?

5. Do you follow one of the many sects of the Faith of the Achur, the Caldari Wayist Faith, or neither/another religion?

6. Are you familar with Sukuuvestaa's early actions on our homeworld, where they demolished and replaced many of our major cities, deposed our native leadership, and assumed minority rule over the planet, enforcing Caldari culture in the process?
6A. Do you believe this was a good and justified action?

7. Would you consider native Achuran culture to have a great deal in common with native Caldari culture, as is often claimed, or to even be essentially one and the same?

8. How do you personally perceive the Caldari and Achuran relationship in general?


Please answer the following if you are not an ethnic Achur.

1. Were you, before reading this thread, aware of the existence of a distinct Achuran culture at all?
1A. If you were, would you describe it extremely akin to ethnic Caldari culture?

2. Have you been exposed to or researched much/any information about the Achura outside of our role in the State, including history or religion?

3. Have you encountered or worked alongside with any ethnic Achur who you would identify as foremostly Achuran, rather than Caldari?

4. Based on your own assessment, do you consider ethnic Caldari and overall State culture to be, overall, inherently superior to Achuran culture?

5. How do you personally perceive the Caldari and Achuran relationship in general?

1. Yes.
1A. No.
2. No.
3. Yes.
4. No.
5. Born out of convenience.

1. Yup
1A. Define extreme. I'd say there are a couple good similarities but I wouldn't go and say it's like, 99%.

2. Mostly culture. I traveled a lot. Dated an Archur. The culture, heritage, and society interests me a lot. And the food, oh Gods the food.

3. Now that you mention it, yes. Not all the time, but the ones I know have identified themselves as Archur first and foremost.

4. Based on your own assessment, do you consider ethnic Caldari and overall State culture to be, overall, inherently superior to Achuran culture? Not a chance in hell.

5. How do you personally perceive the Caldari and Achuran relationship in general? I don't think I know enough to answer this. I see them as part of the State. If you mean do I see them as being assimilated to an extreme point, then no I haven't personally. But again, my exposure to that kinda crap is limited.

The section of the survey described as "Please answer the following if you are not an ethnic Achur" is directed at everyone else.

Pardon me - In the interests of keepings things focused, I didn't want to comment on any responses until we were a few days in, but I felt as though I should interject briefly to clarify this paticular point. The Achuran local government is client state within the State (a little confusing, I know), essentially meaning that the State protects it and allows the status quo to continue relatively unopposed, in exchange for taxes, etc. I should note that it does not control the entire planet, however. Most of the major cities that were occupied by SuVee during their colonization remain their "property".

I have to say I'm a little disappointed with the turn out so far, and the fact that the only Achur to respond have done it through private message rather then wishing to openly post. I believe it has troubling implications regarding the levels of comfort the State has fostered in regards to expressing our distinct identity.

Though perhaps that is a redundant statement, since it makes absolutely no secret of wishing for Capsuleers of my origin to leave it behind.

Oh, pardon me, I phrased that poorly - I meant leave the culture behind, not the State.

Mister Sarice,

Since you have not filled out a survey, and considering it appears - Though I may well be incorrect, and apologize if I am - That you are somewhat unaware of the paticulars of the situation of the Achura in the State, I will also speak to you directly.

For the most part, the Achura living on Saisio III, being members of no megacorporation, are not State citizens. They are members of the client state based on the planet that is subservient to the wider Caldari government, and have considerably less privileges.

To become a State citizen, as I am sure you are aware, one must abandon ones original cultural identity and embrace the Caldari Way. The Achura are no exception to this. And though SuVee has adopted imagery and some superficial elements of Achuran culture, it still holds to that same idea fundementally, despite the wrongdoing it has commited against our people.

This is what I take objection to, and led to the discussion in the other thread.

I shall now go ahead and display my cultural ignorance to the wider cluster:

1. No, I wasn't aware of an Achuran culture.

2. No, I didn't receive any such information.

3. No, everyone Caldari, no matter the bloodline, had struck me as Caldari rather than their ethnic identities.

4. I can't answer this question since I do not possess enough information on both Achuran and Caldari cultures to make an informed assessment. What I can say for certain is that the Caldari culture is much more pervasive.

5. To be honest, I thought Achura and Caldari are indistinguishable save their skin colour and accents. It's pretty hard to describe the relationship of two individuals when one perceives them to be the same person.

1. 50% Achura, 100% Caldari.

2. Positive

3. It is hard to answer this question, as it was a bit... complicated. With mother from the client state and father from Megacorporate security service (POU), I guess I tend to answer then former than latter.
3A. Unfortunately, I cannot answer on this question absolutely, as we have left the homeworld when I was very young, and my memories from this time are very scarce.

4. Neither. I never have dealt with The Elder Visionaries, and the CEP only solves problems between State corporations and foreigners, one have to be member of the CEP itself to hold loyalty to them. We, Caldari, hold our loyalty first to our people - Caldari as a whole, then to our Corporation and parent Megacorporation. And for me Achura people are Caldari too. I make no distinguish between Civire, Deteis and Achura, they are all Caldari for me.
Current corporation, whom I hold my loyalty to, is the State Protectorate. And analogue of Megacorporation is Caldari Navy. There is a bit more, but please excuse me, that I will have to stop here.

5. I am not a particularly faithful person, but I follow partly concepts of both Achur and Civire/Deteis culture with domination of Civire/Deteis, as a consequence of the amount of time I spent with Civire/Deteis culture compared to Achura culture.

6. Yes.
6A. No.

7. After our last conversation I realized how different Achura and Civire/Deteis cultures are. But I would say that Achura culture is part of Caldari culture now as well and deserves its place there just like Civire and Deteis cultures.

8. Achura has chosen to leave the Federation together with Civire and Deteis. Our ancestors were fighting together back to back against gallenteans, despite former difficulties and ill parts of history, we have tied our bonds and fates together with blood, and our union was forged in battle. And what bond can be stronger than one, when you can give your very life for each other?..

We might have different cultures, different beliefs and history, we might even have fought against each other, Achura against Civire and Deteis, like Civire were fighting Deteis back on Caldari Prime. But these fights are in the past now. Today we all are Caldari: Civire, Deteis and Achura.

Mademoiselle Ikiryo,

I apologize if you feel I am clustering up your thread now, but I wanted to voice my gratitude for your clarifying the relationship between the Achuran government and the State. It does help me put some pieces together for a better understanding.

~Msr. Liam Antolliere