kaubanimist

Kaubanimist is a term used primarily in speculative fiction and in certain theoretical discussions to denote a form of animism in which humans, non-human beings, and natural features are conceived as persons with agency and reciprocal obligations. The word is not widely attested in ethnographic literature and is often treated as a conceptual or fictional label rather than a canonical religious category.

Etymology and scope are uncertain, with kaubanimist generally described as a neologism created to explore ideas about personhood, reciprocity, and nature. In most uses, kaubanimism emphasizes relational ethics: communities seek alignment with sentient forces inhabiting animals, plants, water, wind, and landscape, and maintain balance through ritual exchange rather than mere belief.

Beliefs commonly attributed to kaubanimists include the perception of spirits as active agents that can aid or harm, and the view that relationships with these beings require ongoing communication, offerings, and observance of reciprocal duties. Ritual life often centers on sacred sites, seasonal ceremonies, and acts of consultation or divination to discern the will of spirits and to harmonize community actions with the wider ecological network.

Practices may involve ritual specialists, masks or figurines representing spirits, songs and dances, and communal feasts. Pilgrimage to revered places, the maintenance of sacred spaces, and taboos tied to reciprocity with non-human persons are frequently described features.

Geographically, kaubanimism is usually situated in fictional or hypothetical settings and used as a device to examine questions of agency, personhood, and ecological responsibility in anthropological or literary contexts. In scholarly discussions, it is treated as a conceptual construct rather than a widely documented tradition.