neerudega

Neerudega is a cultural practice of the Neruan people, a coastal community in the archipelago of Lirara in the fictional world. The term, drawn from Neruan roots neru meaning memory and dega meaning gathering, denotes an annual ritual devoted to preserving and transmitting collective history through speech, song, and artifacts.

During neerudega, participants gather in the memory circle, an open space where elders recount episodes from a curated chronicle. Each tale is supported by genealogies recited by youth groups, and by songs that accompany the narration. Heirloom objects—carved staves, woven banners, inscribed tablets—are displayed and interpreted to anchor memory in tangible form. The event typically coincides with the harvest season and ends with a shared meal and reciprocal hospitality.

Participation is hierarchical but communal: elders curate the chronicle and regulate performance; designated narrators present segments; apprentices learn by observation and participate in song and craft display. The ritual also functions as a means of social education, transmitting navigational routes, fishing techniques, and customary law.

Significance and variation: Neerudega reinforces social cohesion, legitimizes leadership, and sustains multilingual and multisensory memory practices across villages. While core features are widely observed, regional variants exist in performance order, objects displayed, and the languages used in narration.

History and scholarship: Accounts of neerudega appear in in-world ethnographies dating to the early centuries of Neruan contact with inland traders. Contemporary observers note adaptations to schools and media, while some critics argue that modernization erodes certain oral components. Despite variation, neerudega remains a central reference point for Neruan identity.