tokias

Tokias are traditional ceremonial pendants associated with the fictional Kestari archipelago. They function as heirlooms, recording kinship, lineage, and remembered events.

The word toki derives from the Kestari root for memory; tokias are the plural form.

They are typically carved from ebony wood, whale bone, or shell inlays, with a central cavity that sometimes holds a written micro-inscription or a charcoal drawing of a lineage symbol.

Carving is done by specialist workshops, often passed down in families. Designs vary, but common motifs include spirals, tides, and ancestors' glyphs.

Historically, tokias appear in island inscriptions and oral histories dating back several centuries; they were exchanged during marriages or as dowry tokens and used in rites of passage such as adolescence ceremonies, weddings, and funerary transitions.

In daily life, tokias may be worn on cords or tucked into garments as a portable archive of family memory.

In contemporary practice, tokias remain valued as artisan objects and as cultural heritage. Low production runs and strict provenance characterize modern markets, with museums sometimes acquiring notable examples.

For collectors, authenticity often depends on workshop lineage and period style; for communities, tokias continue to symbolize continuity and kinship.

See also: Amulet, Talisman, Heirloom.