The Tuskens were divided into small tribes or clans, and roamed widely across the desert surface of Tatooine, but the focus of their habitation patterns seems to have been the Jundland Wastes , the one major area of rocky upland that rose clear of the shifting sands: in particular, the traditional sandstorm-season encampments of many clans were concentrated in an area known as The Needles.
Occasionally the different clans would go to war over territory and would even unite under a powerful warlord. They raided widely through both the Jundland Wastes and the Dune Sea , and any creatures, particularly offworlders, were subject to their savage attacks.
Traveling on trained banthas , raiding parties would swiftly appear from the desert, riding in single file to conceal their numbers, and then disappear back into the cover of the dunes with their trophies and prisoners.
Although Tusken garb varied from tribe to tribe, certain aspects of dress remained constant. The eyes of Sand People were covered with goggles or visors which shielded them from the harsh sunlight. Covering their mouths, Tuskens had a filter to help facilitate breathing in the desert. Sand People were also recognizable by their fierce gaderffii weapons. The gaderffii was so integral to their culture that Tuskens would often commit ritual suicide in the event that an injury made them unable to properly wield the weapon.
Common Tusken garb during the time of the Jedi Civil War. Female Tuskens wore variations of the male Tusken garb though in some tribes, like A'Yark , [10] males and females wore the same , often incorporating womp rat tusks into their attire.
In some tribes, their role seems to have involved maintaining the encampments while the males raided and hunted, but in other groups, perhaps more strictly nomadic in outlook, they may have lived and hunted more closely alongside their menfolk.
Tuskens were forbidden to take off their protective clothing in front of others, except in a few very specific circumstances: at childbirth, on their wedding night, during coming-of-age rituals two events which were often one and the same , and as adults, only in the privacy of their tents with their blood-bound mates.
Breaking this rule meant either banishment or death, depending on the specific tribe rules. The emphasis on outward appearance and concealment of physical form also enabled—and disguised—one of the most striking elements of Tusken culture: although the Sand People were regarded as alien savages by Tatooine's Human colonists, an unknown proportion of the Tusken population were, at least by the last decades of the Galactic Republic , every bit as Human as the settlers themselves.
One tribe near Mos Espa had burial grounds and was led by a war chief. Sand People organized into clans and tribes, the former being kin groups of between 20 to 30 beings, and the latter being larger affinities with no strict bounds.
In a typical tribe, the adult males typically assumed the role of hunter and protector, often leaving their camps for an extended period of time.
Females, often accompanied by massiff guard animals, cared for the children, known as uli-ah , and the seasonal camps. The bantha was another vital element of Tusken culture, a large, shaggy-coated quadruped capable of surviving for long stretches in the harsh terrain of the deserts; some banthas roamed wild, but the Sand People had learned to domesticate them.
Every Tusken had their own mount from childhood, and they rode bantha-back for journeys of any length: small scouting parties of two or three mounts, or entire clan communities on seasonal migrations, they traveled through the dunes and rock formations on the shoulders of their mounts, in single file.
Tuskens subsisted primarily on hubba gourds , and moisture farmers found great humor in the fact that they became intoxicated on just a few sips of sugar water. While leading a lifestyle that was primarily nomadic, when the hot season was at its height, semipermanent camps would be constructed. Particular caves or hollows, spiritually connected to certain clans, were frequently visited, and were usually where the dead would be buried or special ceremonies would be held.
Special water wells such as the one in Gafsa Canyon , sacred due to their rarity, were often vehemently protected. In each tribe, a small number of individuals would be trained from birth to become Storytellers, orally learning the tales of their ancestry with perfect accuracy. This tradition was such a large part of Tusken culture that Storytellers were considered the most important members of a tribe.
On the other hand, written communication was believed to cheapen the value of Tusken history, and was therefore shunned. There was only one accepted history across the many Tusken tribes, and if someone questioned or spoke even a single word of the histories incorrectly, it was considered a blasphemy punishable by death.
Thus, Tusken history was passed down orally from generation to generation with almost no alterations in the material. If the Storyteller of a tribe died before the training of their apprentice was complete, the tribe was considered to be unworthy of existence and would quickly destroy itself through infighting. In rare circumstances, those that proved themselves worthy, such as great warriors, were also permitted to listen to the teachings of the Storyteller.
The history of the Tusken Raiders as passed down through Storytellers was considered a single, indivisible entity that took hours to recite. Circa BBY , its contents related their entire known ancestry: their origins as the technology-loving Kumumgah, their enslavement by the Rakata whom they called "the Builders," which catalyzed the realization of the importance of a connection with the land, their revolt against the Builders and the subsequent desertification of Tatooine, a long account of tribal wars and their evolution into a desert people, and finally the colonization of their planet by the Galactic Republic.
The translator droid HK believed that the histories were likely created thousands of years after some of the events themselves actually occurred, leading to an mythologized demonization of the Rakata that could have distorted elements of the truth. For example, the Tusken understood the Builders as an iconic force meant to test the resolve of their ancestors, rather than the Rakatan race that conquered Tatooine. Additionally, the histories stated that the Kumumgah that were most arrogant and uncaring of the land were exiled from Tatooine by the Builders, a story that HK believed was fabricated and merely symbolic of the removal of certain aspects of society via off-world enslavement.
HK also suggested overuse of resources as an alternative explanation for the desertification of the planet. Traditional Tusken history holds that, following the bombardment and desertification of their planet, their holy warriors drove off the Rakata oppressors through a heroic struggle.
However, HK suggests that this belief may be incorrect and that the Rakatans may have simply departed thinking that their bombardment of the planet had "sterilized the problem.
The Tusken believe themselves to be a part of the land and regard anything that might separate them from it as sacrilege. This leads them to accept only in garments that have been sanctified and only ride banthas that they believe retain a connection to the land. Any form of technology or clothing used by offworlders is believed to separate them from the land and is considered sacrilege. This leads them to not only reject foreign technology themselves, but also to viciously attack anyone on their land who employs it.
The mythology of the Tusken also explained their hatred of outsiders—outsiders reminded the Tusken of their past as the technology-dependent Kumumgah, either physically or socially. HK suggested that there may also have been a lingering fear that the outsiders were the descendants of the tainted individuals that had been abducted by the Rakata.
They believe that Tatooine's two suns were beings called the Sky Brothers, with the elder having attempted to kill the younger. His failure caused him to start a lifetime of running, his younger brother chasing him to kill him for his treachery.
Many rituals held Sand People society together. In many tribes, adolescent Sand People were tasked with a ritual known as "bloodrite," in which a youth proved his or her hunting skills by capturing a creature and fatally torturing it with techniques extending the pain for weeks before death. Most opted for creatures like dewback or desert hulak wraid , but the greatest prestige was reserved for a hunter who performed the rite upon a sentient being.
The most prestigious test of an adult male was to hunt and slay a krayt dragon , and retrieve a pearl from its stomach. Oftentimes, members of the tribe would create spirit masks out of natural materials for use in the ensuing ritual and celebration. After ambushing Luke Skywalker and attempting to rob him, they were frightened away by Obi-Wan Kenobi's imitation of a Krayt dragon call - something that comes full circle in The Mandalorian season 2.
Living a harsh life out in the Jundland Wastes and the Dune Sea, the Tusken Raiders are always seen wearing robes, gloves, heavily shrouded faces, goggles and breathing apparatus to protect them from sandstorms and the scorching twin suns of Tatooine.
Like Mandalorians, they are forbidden from ever removing these outfits in front of other people except in a few circumstances, such as privately in front of their significant other.
There are only a few instances in which Tusken Raiders' faces have been shown, but these appearances were not consistent and have since been wiped from official canon.
The first time was in the video game Jedi Knight: Dark Forces II , which featured a mercenary gang called the Grave Tuskens, who had cat-like faces. The second instance was in the comic Star Wars: Republic 62 , in which Anakin Skywalker had nightmarish visions that included a half-unmasked Tusken Raider.
In this interpretation, the Sand People are depicted as having frightening fanged maws in the shape of their breathing apparatus reminiscent of how the Predator looks underneath its helmet. Improve this question. Bingo Mehndra Bingo Mehndra 3, 4 4 gold badges 16 16 silver badges 35 35 bronze badges. Pretty much like Breen. What mask? Add a comment. Active Oldest Votes. Although its monstrous quality may be exaggerated somewhat, the face seen in Anakin Skywalker's nightmare from Star Wars: Republic 62 may be the only existing canon image of a Tusken Raider without its mask on: The appearance shown here does fit with what little existing information we have on Sand People: They are biologically incompatible with humans, and cannot interbreed with us They are speculated to share a biological ancestor with Jawas, who supposedly have hairy, spiny faces covered in insects under those hoods hence the blackness The suns of Tatooine are said to be far more glaring for them than most other species, which is why they wear the lenses and mostly hunt at night.
This would certainly make sense if they have no eyelids. Tuskens keep their faces covered even amongst each other, so Anakin Skywalker is one of the few living beings to have seen them uncovered. Lastly, we know they look nothing like humans. In Legends canon, we have at least two references to this: In the "Outlander" comics arc , Sharad Hett told fellow Jedi K'Adi Mundi that he had only seen his wife's face once, on their wedding night.
Hett had married a fellow human who was living amongst the tribe. In the novel Kenobi , we have the following inner monologue from A'Yark, a Tusken mother thinking about her son: Sand People lived with sores every day. Improve this answer. DavidW Omegacron Omegacron Is the comic canon or Legends now?
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