koholle

Koholle is a term used in ethnographic writing and in speculative fiction to describe a traditional communal ceremony conducted by island communities in the fictional Kohollan archipelago. It functions as a social memory ritual, combining oral storytelling, song, and the weaving of textiles to encode genealogies, laws, and moral narratives. The practice typically unfolds during harvest festivals or rites of passage and is led by a rotating group of elder storytellers known as narrators, who coordinate with a chorus of participants.

During a koholle, each segment pairs a spoken tale with a woven pattern. The loom becomes a canvas; patterns and colors symbolize lineage, alliances, and cosmology. The performance is linear but cyclical in its repetition, allowing younger members to memorize and later perform the same stories. Musical elements accompany the narration, including call-and-response chants and drum or rattle rhythms.

Historically, koholle is described in both scholarly accounts and in speculative fiction as a core expression of communal identity and continuity. Variant forms exist among different islands or clans, with differences in ritual timing, attire, and weaving motifs. In contemporary contexts, koholle is sometimes adapted in art installations and media projects that explore memory, heritage, and identity, while many communities maintain traditional practices through apprenticeships and community centers.