Mandalorian

The Emblem

A band of Mandalorians.

The Mandalorians—known in Mando'a as the Mando'ade, or "Children of Mandalore"—were a nomadic group of clan-based people consisting of members from multiple species and multiple genders, all bound by a common culture. In their early years, the Mandalorian culture revolved around battle, with war being a source of honor and pride in their community. The leader of the Mandalorians was known as the Mand'alor, translating to "Sole Ruler" and was rendered as "Mandalore" in Basic. Throughout their history, the Mandalorians were frequently allied with the Sith, perhaps most notably the Sith Lord Exar Kun, and held a certain distrust and general dislike for the Jedi Order . However, they would not hesitate to cooperate with the Jedi if a partnership between the two groups was mutually beneficial. In later years, the Mandalorians moved away from their obsessively war-like and conqueror ways and instead, most became bounty hunters and mercenaries, selling their skills to various individuals and factions in the galaxy. However, the Mandalorian Protectors aided with the Alliance to Restore the Republic ever since about 3 ABY and even continued to serve the Alliance of Free Planets and finally the New Republic. Their homeworld is Mandelore, so far there are about 8 universes with the same planet but the Viau Universe Mandelore is the only independent planet from the Empire of the Combine Race. Many different groups of Mandalorians soon joined forces with the Coalition of Independent States, seeing that there was a promising future between them and the Orks.

History

First Multiverse War

Restoration

Decades after the the Genocide, the surviving Mandalorians were still recovering from the damage dealt by the Combine. Many of their best soldiers had fallen to the Combine attack, and even after several decades , much of the Mandalorians who suffered after their Filo Mandalore was devastated by the Imperium of Man from the Xiloan Crusades. At the same time, Boba Fett from the Viau Universe, who was still the reigning Mand'alor but had been living on Viau Tatooine as the Damiyu for many years, found that he was dying from a illness from the battle against the Chimera and exposed to it years ago had begun to worsen due to being a clone, his doctor speculated he may not have long to live even with his nanites could not sustain the disease for long. Determined not to die without a fight, Fett set out on a quest to find long-missing Kaminoan scientist, Ko Sai, and her data in order to combat the spread of his degenerating tumors. Enlisting the help of Goran Beviin—who had become something of an unofficial second-in-command to Fett—the Mand'alor found that rumor held Ko Sai was dead, but that her data had never surfaced. Shifting his focus, Fett planned to track down another Kaminoan, his childhood acquaintance, Taun We. Before he could leave Taris, however, Fett was confronted by a girl named Mirta Gev who possessed the heart-of-fire gemstone Fett had given to his dead ex-wife, Sintas Vel, when they were married. Like Fett, Mirta was a bounty hunter, claimed that she'd retrieved the stone for Fett's estranged daughter, Ailyn Vel, and for a fee, would bring him to her. Agreeing to the deal, Fett took Mirta along with him as he tracked Taun We to Arkanian Microtechnologies on Vohai; during the trip, Mirta revealed that she had met another clone recently, one who had apparently managed to halt his accelerated aging. His hope renewed that Ko Sai's research was still out there, Fett was left with a third target: a Mandalorian clone with grey leather gloves. Upon infiltrating Arkanian Micro's headquarters, Fett met with Taun We and stole a copy of her data, using the threat of selling it in order to ransom information about Ko Sai from her. Taun We informed Fett that Ko Sai had fallen victim to Kal Skirata and the Null ARCs during the Clone Wars, information that fit well with Mirta's tip that the clone she'd encountered bore the clan name "Skirata".

Culture

Mandalorians were some of the most feared warriors in the many variations of the Skyriver Galaxy prior to the First Multiverse War, rivalling that to the Klingons, the Yautja and the Hirogen. As prideful warriors, they held combat as the cornerstone to their culture, their individual identity, and spirit. Mandalorians shared a strong code of honor that could be invoked to settle disputes with one-on-one combat that would conclude with the death of one opponent. This affinity and tradition for single combat extended beyond justice, however, as Mandalorians even sought single combat simply for the glory of fighting a great opponent, such as a Jedi Knight, and even used it to settle leadership disputes. Early Mandalorian culture, originating with the ancient Taung species, was believed to have begun as a religious warrior society, with sophisticated laws and customs that went on to become the Canons of Honor. War was practiced as a form of ritual worship to their multiple gods, but following the destruction of the Nevoota, war itself became a god,personified by Kad Ha'rangir the destroyer god. In Mandalorian mythology, Kad Ha'rangir represented the opportunity for change through destruction, and was eternally opposed by Arasuum, the personification of stagnation and inactivity.Because of this, many of the Mandalorians' earliest conflicts were seen as holy wars and their warriors known as the Mandalorian Crusaders.

As time went on and it was believed the majority of the Taung perished by the end of the Great Sith War, the Mandalorians began accepting beings of other races and species into their fold, viewing those who joined them on equal footing to those who had been born into the culture, and transforming what it meant to be a Mandalorian. Having become a mixed group of beings from numerous worlds and species, those who considered themselves Mandalorian were bound by a single, unifying culture rather than any one race, and they believed that an individual was defined by their actions rather then the circumstances of birth. However, despite accepting non-humans to their cause, some in House Vizsla refused to accept non-Mandalorians from ever becoming ruler of Mandalore via such traditions.

The Mandalorians are a nomadic people, with the roots of this tradition tracing back to the Mandalorian Crusader's tendency to make conquered worlds their homes. Even long after the conquest of Mandalore, the Mandalorians would hold on to these nomadic traditions, partially out of attachment to the old ways, but also as a means to avoid presenting a single target to any enemy who would wish to wipe them out. Thus, Mandalorian communities have cropped up across the galaxy, and there are many Mandalorians who have never even stepped foot on Mandalore. Mandalorian families never expect their current home to be permanent, nor do Mandalorian soldiers. Portability is desired over a large number of material possessions, and even the traditional Mandalorian dwelling known as a vheh'yaim was designed to be set up for temporary occupation and easily deconstructed or abandoned. While many cultures with a settled location celebrated events and festivals that were derived from the changing seasons of their ancestral homeworld, the Mandalorians' nomadic customs have left them largely disconnected from these sorts of cycles as they traveled from world to world. Though Mandalorians who come from Concord Dawn generally still mark the end of the planet's harvest, on the whole, most Mandalorians have taken to celebrating mainly the events of the life cycle such as birth, a coming of age, marriage, and death. Burials for the dead are also uncommon, due to the inability for nomads to sustain cemeteries and the impracticality of bringing bodies with them on the move. The Mand'alor would be given a proper burial as a sign of respect, unless they chose otherwise. Mass graves and cremation were common when a body could be recovered, with the ashes of those cremated, scattered, and one of the fallen's possessions—often their armor—kept in memorial; if a full set of armor couldn't be recovered, it was commonplace to retrieve smaller parts such as helmets, gloves, or plates instead. It was also Mandalorian custom to recite the names of loved ones and friends who have passed each night before sleep as a means of keeping their memory alive. The uncertainty of life meant that most Mandalorians celebrated the time they had at every opportunity, taking part in communal singing, drinking, and enjoying time with family. The concept of aay'han was a Mandalorian term that encompassed the joy of time spent with loved ones while remembering those who were no longer among the living, relatively similar to the Basic term "bittersweet".

The Darksaber was appropriated by House Vizsla as a symbol of authority and leadership used to unify the Mandalorians. The weapon became revered and was passed down to new leaders who defeated the previous leader in combat, with claiming the weapon in any other way being considered illegitimate. As well as Galactic Basic Standard, or English, Mandalorians spoke Mando'a, whose written form was also known as Mandalorian.

Clans

In direct opposition to their infamy as a ruthless enemy or in various realities, Mandalorians cherish the meaning of family and show affection upon those they love and care for. In Mandalorian society, marriage is expected to be life-long and usually takes place shortly after a Mandalorian turns sixteen-years-old. A marriage itself was usually a private ceremony between only the two involved, where they entered into a legal commitment by reciting the following pledge: "Mhi solus tome, mhi solus dar'tome, mhi me'dinui an, mhi ba'juri verde." in translation means "We are one when together, we are one when parted, we share all, we will raise warriors." These vows could be exchanged in person, in a text communication, or over a comlink from anywhere across the galaxy. Though the ceremony itself was private, following the wedding, it was customary to celebrate the new couple's union with drinks and festivities among family and friends. Despite the importance placed on chastity and fidelity prior to marriage in species that practiced such, a partner who acted unfaithfully during a long separation would be forgiven so long as any child that resulted from the indiscretion is raised together by the couple. In certain rare circumstances, such as abandonment or a failure to live up to responsibilities, partners could divorce one another with a declaration that they were shuk'la riduurok, "a broken love." Marriage on Mandalore was not limited by gender.

Adoption was extremely common in Mandalorian culture, to the point where even adults could be adopted. Because of the Mandalorians' constant connection to war, widows and orphans became an inescapable fact of life and adult males became not only welcome, but necessary. Like marriage, the Mandalorian ritual for adoption was rather simple. Known as the gai bal manda—"name and soul"—the adoption is carried out by the adopting parent stating "ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad" to the intended child—"I know your name as my child." In addition to following the Resol'nare, this simple adoption ritual is all that it took to make an individual a Mandalorian. Adoption of war orphans was quite common, even children of a defeated enemy whereas other species might kill them. Examples of this tradition include Jango Fett being taken in by Jaster Mereel, and Kal Skirata adopting the Null ARC troopers and the commandos of Omega Squad just as he had been adopted by his father, Munin. To Mandalorians, there was no difference between a biological child or one who was adopted. Although the Mandalorian custom of adoption has done away with specific ethnic types, the tendency for adoption had accidentally formed a population of family-oriented warriors by reinforcing those common genes with those desired characteristics of beings they take in, with the instinct the be a protective parent especially strong.

However a couple chooses to have children, they are an integral part of Mandalorian families. When naturally conceiving, if the first born is a son, parents will typically wait until the boy's eighth birthday before having another child so that by that point the boy will be old enough to accompany his father and begin his five years of military and survival training until the age of thirteen. If the first born is instead a girl, the couple will often try for a son soon after. While girls tended to stay with their mothers until marriage, a family with only daughters will train them in the same manner as they would a son. Both girls and boys learn their earliest lessons from their mother, meaning that her own fighting prowess is critical; the pledge to raise warriors in the Mandalorian marriage vow is a joint commitment. It was the job of a parent to prepare their children to train the next generation of Mandalorians. Elders educated Mandalorian children with the Mandalorian ideals of loyalty to clan, discipline, courage, and respect for their heritage. At the age of thirteen, children of both genders face the rite of passage known as the verd'goten, where their skills are tested and they are declared adults in Mandalorian society. Family bonds were a large part of the Mandalorian culture, and as a result, they felt more comfortable around each other than they did around outsiders, or aruetiise. Though there were thousands of Mandalorian families or clans, some of the more prominent included Clans Fett, Skirata, Ordo, Bralor, Beviin, Vevut, and Vizsla.

Mandalorians Across the Multiverse

Mandalorians inhabits several known alternate universes, each have a similar culture and found in different historical events.

Notes

• This is mixed of Legend and Canon sources