Gao-Showa people

The Gao-Showa are an indigenous people, or rather a group of peoples, of the west of Dovani. The population is concentrated in Indrala, Sekowo, and Drania, with populations also living in eastern Hulstria and the Great North Dovani Plain. The traditional homeland of the Gao-Showans is Gao-Soto, the east of Hulstria, where they are now known as Gishotoi. During the apartheid years many Gishotoi were forced out of their homes and their cultural centres, notably Akihito, were forcibly "Hulstrianised", however with the end of apartheid most have now returned and live in a far more equitable status with the Hulstrians. Although in Hulstria they are no longer involved in central politics, the Gao-Showa became very active in Indrala, Sekowo (two countries where they form the majority), and Deulatoji.

Gishotoi or Gao-Showa?
The Gao-Showa have been known in the western world as the Gishotoi for most of their history. The origin of the terms Gishotoi and Gishoto are of unknown origins but were probably caused by a “hulstrianisation” of the native words (Gao-Showa for the people) and (Gao-Soto for the nation). The native population themselves prefer the word Gao-Showa. During apartheid the Hulstrian government reversed a previous trend toward using Gao-Showa and legally returned to the use of Gishotoi to the consternation of Gao-Showa notably the Dranian prime-minister at the time Kumi Koda herself a Gao-Showa. With the end of apartheid the term Gao-Showa has returned to popular and official use.

Shinto

 * See Main Article Shinto

The large majority of Gao-Showa follow Shinto beliefs. It is something that the Gao-Showa are very proud of and is a major part of their identity, driving many of their beliefs and actions. Shinto is very similar to the religion Qamido of Indrala.

Clans

 * See Main Article Gao-Showa Clans

Another important part of Gao-Showa culture is the clan system. The Gao-Showa identify very strongly with their clan and clans still hold a great deal of influence over their behaviour and actions.

History
Native Inhabitants of Northern Dovani, the exact history of the Gao-Showa is unclear. They are closely related to the Indralans, who some believe they are descended from whereas others believe they are descendants of people who travelled west across the sea from Majatra and Artania and that the Indarlans are instead descendants of the Gao-Showa. Either way they settled around the North West Dovani Coast and the Sea of Carina around the year 800 in a land they called Gao-Soto. They were divided into several competing clans and fiefdoms though all swore loyalty to an Emperor who maintained his seat of power somewhere in modern Hilgar and all were united by following the Shinto religion.

The first contact between them and the world outside of Dovani was Sir Christopher Dove's arrival on the new continent. They were soon decimated by the new diseases carried by the explorers and those that remained to the west of the Barrier Range were soon driven east onto the North Dovani Plain by Luthori Colonisation.

By around 2100 there was a reasonable population spread across the Great North Dovani Plain until the year 2123 when a terrible drought led to a mass migration into what was soon to become the new Republic of Gishoto. The Gao-Showa were initially represented in the new Parliament by the Imperial Apparatus which wished to re-install the ancient position of the Emperor from a member of the imperial Meiji Clan, but they were overridden by the majority Gishoton population which installed an Emperor from the Luthori descended noble families of Hulstria.

The Gao-Showa were greatly repressed during the years of the Holy Gishoton Empire, especially due to their Shinto beliefs which were in conflict with the Lutheran state religion. The Communist revolution did not offer much respite as all religion was outlawed and eventually Lutheranism was re-enforced. Over this period many Gao-Showa were killed or imprisoned until the collapse of the communist government that the Gao-Showa were able to openly worship freely and practice traditional beliefs within Gishoto.

This revival under the leadership of Tokugawa Ieyasu and Tokugawa Jiang was short lived, however. An even greater repression under the apartheid policy of the revived Hulstrian Royalists led to the discrimination and segregation of the Gao-Showa in their homeland. Many left Gishoto due to the harsh conditions they had been forced to live under due to apartheid.

Just as Apartheid appeared to have reached new heights the Gao-Showa have re-established itself in Gishoto with the recreation of the Gao-Showa Peoples' Party under Emperor Meiji Takara and their subsequent electoral success led to the formation of Hulstria & Gao-Soto, a new nation where the Gao-Showa were ensured equal rights.

Hulstrians
The relationship with the Hulstrians has been one of almost constant conflict as the Hulstrian settlers occupied more and more of what had been Gao-Showa land. To some extent this conflict still exists and there is great distrust between the two groups but for the most part the Hulstrians and Gao-Showa work peacefully together.

Welsh
The Welsh, a largely unsettled race from the north of the continent, had co-existed with the Gao-Showa and the other native groups such as the Kazuls for hundreds of years. This has led to some amount of native respect and a feeling of empathy for the Welsh races suppresion under the Dranians. There was some conflict wih the Welsh after their settling of Hulstria in the 24th century but these difficulties have all but disapeared.