kauget

Kauget is a term used in speculative fiction and world-building to designate a traditional communal ceremony practiced by the fictional Kaugetan people of the archipelago of Neral on the continent of Vayra. In this context, kauget functions as a social instrument for reaffirming kinship ties, distributing resources, and resolving disputes before the planting season. The name is derived from the Kaugetan language, commonly analyzed as kau- meaning “together” and -get meaning “gathering” or “assembly.”

The ceremony typically spans several days and features storytelling, ritual song, communal feasting, and the exchange of tokens that symbolize debts and favors. Leadership and ceremonial roles rotate among clans, and participation is expected of all adults, with guests occasionally invited from neighboring communities.

Variations exist between villages: some places emphasize masked dances and ancestral veneration, while others focus on preserving oral histories and collaborative decision-making. In fiction, kauget is often used as a cultural shorthand for communal reciprocity and social cohesion, appearing in novels, role-playing games, and world-building guides as a generic term for a harvest or seasonal gathering.

Scholarly treatment within fictional narratives notes kauget’s role in maintaining social order and collective memory, while acknowledging tensions related to modernization, tourism, and cultural representation in the broader imagined world. See also ritual, harvest festival, reciprocity, social cohesion.