Cabghoidot

Cabghoidot is a term in the ethnographic and archaeological literature of the fictional Xyrian archipelago, describing a ritual token central to reciprocal gift exchange networks. The word is reconstructed from the Xyrian language, with cab- meaning circle and ghoidot meaning gift or token. In Xyrian usage, cabghoidot are valued objects that symbolize social debt and communal memory.

Physically, a cabghoidot is typically a flat disk 3–8 cm in diameter, carved from slate, nephrite, or clay slate, with a central perforation and concentric incisions or glyphs. Some specimens are inlaid with copper or pigment and show maker’s marks indicating lineage or clan affiliation. They function not as currency but as certificates of obligation; during feasts or seasonal reconciliations, households present a cabghoidot to a neighbor or kin group, thereby formalizing a pledge of hospitality, alliance, or repayment of a previous debt.

Culturally, cabghoidot embody reciprocity and memory. The transfer initiates a chain of obligations that binds households across a region, and the object, when housed in a shrine or domestic niche, serves as a tangible record of past exchanges and commitments.

Historically, cabghoidot appear in coastal and inland settlements of the archipelago from around 1200 BCE onward. Archaeological finds show regional variants in material and glyphography. In modern times, cabghoidots are studied for insights into social networks and governance, and some contemporary artisans produce replicas for museums and cultural festivals.