Idbeni

Idbeni is a term used in speculative anthropology and world-building to describe a social and cultural concept attributed to a fictional people known as the Idbeni. In this context, idbeni refers to a system of memory-based identity that governs kinship, status, land rights, and communal obligations. The term is imagined as originating from a constructed Idbeni language, with common etymologies framed around ideas of memory, lineage, and belonging.

Core features of the idbeni concept include an oral archive maintained by designated custodians who preserve genealogies, local histories, and ceremonial narratives. This memory archive supports the transmission of social roles across generations, including leadership, marriage alliances, and property succession. Rituals and annual commemorations are often described as central to sustaining the memory network, reinforcing shared identity and community cohesion.

In practice, the idbeni system is depicted as balancing lineage with personal merit, allowing for social mobility within a framework of inherited responsibilities. Disputes over inheritance or rights to land are typically resolved through ritual deliberation and reference to the memory archive, rather than through external authorities alone.

Variants and usages of the term appear in different fictional settings, sometimes referred to as the idbeni rite, idbeni memory, or idbeni narrative. The concept has been employed in fantasy literature and game design to explore themes of memory, identity, and the social functions of kinship.

Note: This article describes a fictional concept used in speculative fiction and does not document a real-world ethnographic practice.