Massanism
Itmassan-ddin, also known as the Saints' Faith, is the traditional religion of northern Amaziɣ peoples, particularly in Aɣmatia. It is distinct from, but related to Kaharnism which is associated with the southern Amaziɣ peoples, or Tamashek, in Charnea. Kaharnism and Itmassan Faith share heliolatrous aspects and a founder ancestor figure in Kahina and Kaharna. However, there are major differences in cosmology and religious practices between the two faiths.
Itmassan Faith has been practiced in some form by Amaziɣ people along the coast of the Periclean since at least the 5th millennium BCE. The faith was repressed under the Latin occupation from the 1st century BCE onward. Adherence to the core sect waned more heavily during the Azdarin conquests in the 10th century CE though the Ishnti n Bbalbhr (Children of the Ocean Father), a syncretic sect, gained relative prominence. In the latter centuries of Azdarin rulership and early Aɣmatian independence the faith was increasingly reclaimed by the Amaziɣ population.
Worship in Itmassan Faith centres on prayer and reverence of the sun and ancestor spirits. Chief among these ancestor spirits is the Great Saint Kahina, the legendary ancestor of all Amaziɣ people and the daughter of the sun. A particularly faithful, dutiful, or righteous ancestor may be venerated as a saint, or tmassa (plural: itmassan), though all adherents of the faith are considered to become spirits and carry influence on the physical world after their deaths. Religious leaders are most often the eldest members of traditional clans and tribes. Younger members may rise to leadership positions if they are judged to have followed an accelerated path toward sainthood. An antagonistic figure, the Sulwr (stillness), exists in the faith and is relevant to both the cosmogony and eschatology of the faith, but has little bearing on daily worship and experience in the present for Itmassan faithful.
Beliefs
Core understandings
Itmassan faithful believe that Mmafukt, the Sun, is the mother of all life and carries away the spirits of the dead into the wind. According to tradition, Kahina was born into the world to bring unity and peace. Kahina was born with a splinter of the Sun's soul in her body and passed the splinter on to her descendants - the Amaziɣ people.
Following the path of great figures from the past, no ancestor spirits, leads a practitioner on a path to sainthood. A few select individuals who have emulated saints of the past and led righteous lives may be declared and accepted as saints within their lifetimes. The majority of saints are recognized after their deaths. Working towards sainthood is considered to elevate the spiritual health of an entire clan or kinship group.
The Itmassan-ddin is not inherently evangelist. While centered on the Amaziɣ people, however, converts can be accepted after a blood ritual is performed. The ritual is said to share a splinter of a splinter of Mmafukt the Sun Mother with the convert and thereby adopt them as an Amaziɣ.
Cosmogony
According to oral histories and stone tablets dated to the 3rd millennium BCE, Mmafukt the Sun Mother lived together with Bbalbhr the Ocean Father and Xaliddunit the Earth Aunt/Uncle (Xaliddunit was genderless). One day, the Sulwr arrived and murdered Bbalbhr and Xaliddunit. Mmafukt escaped from the Sulwr and carried the souls of Bbalbhr and Xaliddunit away. After a long time, the two souls begged Mmafukt to return to their bodies to create the world and sacrifice their souls to create life which could protect Mmafukt and ward off the Sulwr.
Mmafukt created a world from the body of Xaliddunit and the blood of Bbalbhr. She created all life both plant and animal. The first among all creatures were the humans. However, the first humans were territorial and warlike. They fought and killed one another and even their clans collapsed into infighting and kinslaying. Seeing that her creations would inevitably destroy themselves, she tore a splinter of her own sould away and created Kahina, her only child and daughter.
Kahina united a great tribe and shed her blood into them, birthing the Amaziɣ peoples. After creating her people and leading them to survive the turbulent world, Kahina passed on to the spirit world where she resides as the greatest saint. Those of her bloodline who pass on from the physial world join her as spirits riding on the wind. Those who are not imbued with a splinter of Mmafukt's soul are doomed to be enslaved and eaten by the Sulwr.
Eschatology
According to later tablets from the 1st century CE, the end of the world will come about when the winds are so saturated with spirits that the planet is consumed by a massive vortex. All who remain will be carried away by the wind, led by the Great Saint Kahina, to become Itmassan or will fall to the Sulwr. All the Itmassan will do battle with the Sulwr and its slaves. After one thousand years of war, the Sulwr will be vanquished and its slaves will be freed. The spirit world will be united with the physical world and every generation will live in peaceful harmony with every preceding generation for eternity.
Roles of the Sun
As its creator and guardian, Mmafukt takes an active role in the world. New life is sent down through the winds into the world and old souls are taken away into the wind. Mmafukt is prayed to regularly and asked for blessings and guidance. The sun is considered to be responsible for good or bad crops, long life, artistry and creativity, motivation and industry, and good or bad fortune. As the single most powerful force of goodness and creation, Mmafukt is the supreme being worthy of veneration to the Itmassan faithful.
Roles of ancestor spirits
The souls of the Amaziɣ people who have passed away join the winds of the spirit world. The more closely an individual pursued the path to sainthood in life, the more likely they are to be venerated as a tmassa, or saint, in death. A few notable historical figures have been recognized by the title in life, but most only after death. A select few heroic figures in history are known as tmassashkr, or venerable saints. These figures are considered to be the elders of clans of spirits, guiding them along through the winds.
Many of the assumed roles of ancestor spirits are related to their distinct character. Prayers to the spirits are often done to ask for guidance or advise in following their footsteps. Other requests relate to the winds which the spirits flow through. Itmassan faithful may request that spirits bring good weather or drive away the bad with the wind. Others may associate winds with fortune or pestilence and tailor their prayers accordingly. Winds in general are considered to protect the faithful. The transit of the sun through the sky is understood as Mmafukt gazing upon all of the world, including the far side, but when she cannot lend her gaze to her people the spirits keep watch. Still nights are considered to be particularly dangerous and ill omens. Especially superstitious adherents may refuse to leave their homes on a windless night.
Practices
As Itmassan-ddin lacks a central authority, religious practices vary from region to region. General features are preserved and interconnected with broader Aɣmatian traditions. For example, in following with the tradition that Xaliddunit sacrificed their body for the world, aunts and uncles tend to take active roles in raising children. This role typically extends beyond immediate family and in some clans children are raised together by an entire kinship group. Another common but not entirely universal practice is scarification, usually in patterns related to Mmafukt, the Great Saint Kahina, particularly venerated spirits, or general clan markings. The main aspects which are held in common by all Itmassan faithful are the acts of prayer, pilgrimages, and funerary rites.
Prayer
Temples (izalaln) are structures dedicated to Mmafukt. Shrines (igdaln) are places for ancestor worship and typically contain reliquaries of a spirit's earthly belongings. Generally, temples contain several shrines. Prayer is typically done in groups at shrines and temples or alone for individuals on a pilgrimage. Prayers to Mmafukt are only done under the shining light of the sun while prayers to ancestor spirits require a blowing wind to be heard. As such, shrines and temples are typically open-air structures with little in terms of walls or permanent fixtures. The optimal setting for a shrine or temple would be at a high elevation or in a wind-swept canyon. In small communities or where it is generally impractical, prayers are conducted outside of temples and shrines. If a community has a temple but the air is still or there are clouds directly over the site, the congregation may simply move to where there is a gap in the clouds or where a breeze might be found.
Pilgrimage
Pilgrimages are long journeys undertaken to follow the path of an ancestor at a key moment of their life. They may be undertaken for a variety of reasons, typically either to seek specific guidance or inspiration along the path or simply to experience the holiness of the journey. There are several famous pilgrimage routes. The Artists' Pilgrimage from Takalt to Massa was originally undertaken thousands of years ago and is now considered to carry the inspiration of thousands of artists. Kahina's Path is massive journey beginning at Tallidt Tigmit near the border of Aɣmatia and Charnea and ends in New Aɣmat City.
Pilgrimages are usually undertaken in groups though they are unique in their own traditions. Pilgrims undertake their journeys for personal reasons and as such pray for guidance alone. Most pilgrimage paths link between different temple and shrine complexes and pilgrims stop to pray at each so long as the conditions are favourable for their prayers to be heard.
Funerary rites
Funerary rites are another uniform element of Itmassan Faith. Bodies of those who are deceased are to have their flesh cremated, the bones ground into ashes, and the ashes scattered to the winds. Doing so releases their spirits into the spirit world. Bodies that are left to decay may result in the soul being lost to the Sulwr. Once cremated, ashes can wait to be scattered until convenient, though an ancestor may not be properly venerated until their soul has been released.
Syncretism
Azdarin syncretism (Ishnti n Bbalbhr)
The Ishnti n Bbalbhr (Children of Bbalbhr) are a syncretic sect that flourished between the 9th and 18th centuries CE. Adherents of the faith identify Bbalbhr the Ocean Father with the Azdarin deity Gedayo and claim that Bbalbhr fled alongside Mmafukt when Xaliddunit was murdered. The Chosen King, Mubashir, is identified as equivalent to Kahina. It is purported that all life was made from Xaliddunit, the Amaziɣ were inbued with splinters of the soul of Mmafukt while the Gharibs were were later inbued with splinters of Bbalbhr through Mubashir. Adherents of the sect believe the blending of all three souls creates the greatest spiritual power. In order to pray to Bbalbhr, the Ishnti engage in the same rituals as the Yen, including ceremonial washing. In the south, Sahb Azdarin influences are most prominent and ceremonies are performed with oil. In the north along the coasts, 'Ifae rituals were more accepted and so water is used instead.
Christian syncretism (Turidmmt Tyant)
Turidmmt Tyant (the Invincible One) was a syncretic cult which was primarily active between the 4th and 8th centuries CE, though it saw a minor revival in the 19th century, particularly in Merovia. The cult generally attempted to reconcile Mmafukt as a solar deity with Abrahamic religions - usually Christianity. Ancestor worship and the power of spirits was generally discarded excepting the more venerated saints which were accepted into local canons. Kahina was likewise reinterpreted as a prophet rather than the source of a holy bloodline. By the 7th century CE, the Fabrians in the Latin Empire considered the sect to be heretical and quashed the movement more harshly than it dealt with foreign or pagan faiths. The faith's revival in the mid-19th century is perhaps better categorized as a fad or curiosity. While religion was being repressed in the Messidor Union, several prominent unions officially adopted the faith either in protest or to explore alternatives to Christianity and stand in solidarity with the Aɣmatians. Regardless of the motivations, the faith was largely abandoned again by the turn of the next century.