Hocolesqua
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| Flag of Hocolesqua | |
| Motto: Just some good ol' boys, never meaning no harm | |
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| Region | Texas |
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| Capital | Point Pleasant |
| Official Language(s) | none official, English, Spanish, and German by custom |
| Leader | President Martin Blue Corn Holzgrief |
| Population | 2.6 billion (late 2007 estimate) |
| Currency | Copenhagen Tin (CT) |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Hocolesqua, officially but rarely styled The Commonwealth of Hocolesqua, is a state in the region of Texas. Located in the Shawnee River Valley, its territory includes the Miami Hills, the San Chicharron plateau, and Lake Constance (Hocolesqua). Hocolesqua is a developed country with a mixed economy dependent on heavy industry, including automobile manufacturing, and resource extraction, especially uranium mining.
History
Hocolesqua was probably first settled by nomadic Indian hunters at the end of the last ice age. Archaeological sites dating back to approximately the 3rd Century BC have been excavated on the San Chicharron plateau, giving evidence of a hunting lifestyle dependent on large game including American bison. The modern history of Hocolesqua began with the forced removal of the Shawnee and Miami Indians from the Ohio Country to the southern central plains, starting in the late 18th Century AD. The Shawnee and Miami who made the journey west formed a political coalition out of necessity, social and cultural fusion soon resulted from their shared experience. The resulting composite tribe took the name of Hocolesqua (lit. "cornstalk"), a Shawnee chief who led the early resistance to British, then American encroachment. The Hocolesqua lived the first truly settled lifestyle in the area, bringing staple crop agriculture from the east, along with European firearms and metal tools adapted to native living.
A long-neglected backwater of first the Spanish colonial empire, then newly-independent Mexico, the territory of the Hocolesqua saw little outside influence other than an occasional mission by Jesuit priests to convert the local populace, and a few Mexican cattle ranches on the plateau. Close European contact resumed with the settlement of Texas by immigrants from the United States and a party of Germans who had previously passed through the range of the hostile Kiowa, finding the Hocolesquan natives merely passive-aggressive (likely due to their earlier mistreatment), but tolerant.
When Mexico abolished its federal constitution of 1824, Hocolesquans rose in revolt with the rest of Texas to protect their local sovereignty. No official Hocolesquan government yet existed, but a cooperative effort between the natives, the European and American settlers, and the local Mexicans established a militia to assert Hocolesqua's claim to independence.
Government
Military cooperation between the different ethnicities of early Hocolesqua led to loose confederation, and a mutual recognition of Hocolesqua's 9 counties, which are its chief subnational entities. These include: Girdy County, Jefferson County, Swabia County, Dixon County, Kanawha County, New Tyrol County, Seguin County, Kekionga County, and Prophet County.
The federal government is composed of a unicameral legislature (the Landtag) with representation apportioned by population. The law of Hocolesqua mandates that legislators be elected democratically, serving for a 4-year term. Re-election is possible, but no legislator may serve 2 consecutive terms. The chief of state and government are held jointly by the President, who is elected by a national popular vote to a single 6-year term, with no re-election possible. Matters of interpretation are left to a Judicial branch made up of the 5-member Supreme Court of Hocolesqua and the lower federal courts, all of which are appointed by the President and confirmed by the Judicial Subcomitte of the Landtag, then the vote of the full Landtag.
An interesting aspect of the Hocolesquan government is that unlike most modern federal republics, it has no single written constitution, rather the Landtag was assembled by necessity, then passed the laws which outlined the running of the government and its various offices. While this could theoretically lead to a volatile power structure in the federal government, custom and tradition are considered basic guides of legislative conduct. This is also counterbalanced with the independence of the counties, which hold most powers of taxation. In practice, the counties maintain the federal government out of mutually recognized benefit.
Economy
Hocolesqua's early economy was heavily dependent on agriculture, especially beef, cotton, corn and soybeans. A relative latecomer to industrialization, mining was the first major modern industry, established when large Uranium deposits were discovered in the Miami Hills. The mid-20th century saw the growth of the manufacturing sector, due to business-friendly policies, low taxes and an educated workforce. Hocolesqua remains dependent upon automobile manufacturing as its main industry. A large education budget means that postsecondary education, especially the flagship University of Hocolesqua at Point Pleasant, is a major employer in cities with major universities and colleges. A current snapshot of the state of Hocolesqua's economic indicators can be seen here: [1]
Demographics
Hocolesqua is comprised of 4 main ethnic groups: Native Americans descended from the Hocolesqua Nation, Anglo-American settlers who moved west during the early 19th century, German settlers who arrived about the same time, and Mexican-Hocolesquans, some of whose ancestors settled before independence, as well as more recent immigrants. According to the 2000 Census, 24% of Hocolesquans listed their primary ethnic background as American, 21% as Native American/Hocolesquan, 19% German, 19% Latin American/Mexican, 10% African-American, 5% Asian of any origin, and 2% other. English is the language of daily business, German and Spanish remain strong in ethnic neighborhoods and regions, including Swabia and New Tyrol Counties (German), and Seguin and Dixon Counties (Spanish). Native Hocolesquans have recently taken action to revive their languages in daily commerce and education, with schools in areas of high native population teaching the Algonkian languages of the Shawnee and Miami at the primary grade levels.
Culture
The culture of Hocolesqua is a heterogenous mixture of native and immigrant traditions, such as the New Tyrol Oktoberfest (the largest in Central Texas) and Christkindlmarkt held yearly in Augsburg, the Dia de Los Muertos celebration in Ciudad Arango, and the Fall Hunt Festival in Kekionga County. The Fourth of July (US Independence Day) is not an official holiday, but is widely celebrated in the nature of St. Patrick's Day or Cinco de Mayo in areas of high Anglo-American concentration. Outdoor sports culture is widespread in all corners of the country, with hunting, fishing, camping and organized hiking (volksmarsching) being popular with all ages. Team sports and games played with a ball are not as widespread as in many modern nations, but youth and scholastic baseball and soccer programs are popular. Rifle shooting is an encouraged form of recreation by the counties and federal government, in the interest of defense preparedness.
Many Hocolesquans celebrate Carnival/Shrove Tuesday/Fasching on the last day before the start of the Catholic lenten season. Costume balls and feasts commonly mark the occasion, along with a version of the Native Hocolesquan stick-and-ball game somewhat resembling a more violent cousin of lacrosse.
Hocolesquan cuisine, like the culture at large, is also very mixed-up. It's not rare to see country fried steak on the same plate as sauerkraut, or tacos and burritos made with local game meat, and southern-USA style dishes accented with Mexican spices such as cumin, hot chiles, and oregano. A classic Hocolesquan breakfast consists of a stewed mush of freshwater fish such as bass or catfish and cornmeal, with eggs and tortillas. Wild berry pudding is traditional over ice cream, pancakes or waffles.
