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The Mandalorians
Society and Culture
Society and Culture
The Mandalorian culture has come a long way since its inception and initial introduction to the galaxy. A warrior race, once dominated solely by the Taung species, has begun to introduce alien races, such as Humans, to their culture. Each Mandalore since the legendary Mandalore the First has left their mark on Mandalorian culture, but none more than the recent Mandalores.
Culture
The basis of Mandalorian culture was founded on the laws and beliefs of the highly religious and xenophobic Taung species. These early Mandalorians worshiped War itself, as well as a group of deities, in particular, Kad Ha'rangir, the personification of war, and the Taung destroyer deity. Due to this, many of the early wars, including the First Hutt War, were viewed as holy wars to the Taung people. It was also how the Taung got their names as "Mandalorian Crusaders".
Contact with the Hutt Empire has caused the Taung to accelerate both culturally and technologically. Emperor Tusa Ujalli Hai of the Hutts pushed for a Human Mandalore, which came about in the form of Vincent A'den. Due to the xenophobia of the Taung, this was a major step. Many Taung spat on the idea, while others, impressed with a Human's ability to be called Mandalore, began to respect the Human race. Under Mandalore A'den and his successor, Mandalore the Conquerer, the Mandalorians became bound by a single culture rather than any one race, though they were still dominated primarily by Taung at this time.
During these early times, Mandalorian hopefuls were approached by recruiters or chosen from the ranks of the Hutt military. Under Mandalore the Conquerer, the Resol'nare, or "Six Actions", was adopted to be the "code" that dictated how a Mandalorian was to live.
Mandalorians lived and thrived on war, and so they sought out combat and ways to better themselves in it. Mandalorians were also expected to speak their minds, and not hide what they were truly thinking, pay their debts, not make a pass at the opposite sex unless that person was also pursuing a Mandalorian lifestyle, and respect the elderly in their culture (other Mandalorians). It should be noted, however, that this only applied to beings that weren't engaged in war or combat with a Mandalorian.
Society
To a Mandalorian, birthplace and citizenship played no importance. An individual's actions are what formed other Mandalorians opinions of one another. This is best seen in their chain-of-command system. A person of higher rank has earned it through acts that best personify the Mandalorian code and way of life. Mandalore himself is seen as the Mandalorian way of life perfectly personified, which is why he is viewed as the leader of their culture.
Unlike the Republic, Hutt or Dark Jedi Empires, Mandalorians don't organize in political entities. They operate in family units, called clans. Each clan had a leader, known as a chieftain. The chieftains were all direct subordinates to the Mandalore, acting as his advisors and leaders in times of war.
Gender also meant little to a Mandalorian. Men and women are equal in every way in Mandalorian society, but have different roles to preform. The men are charged with being the warriors and soldiers of their way of life, and were responsible for training their sons in the way of the Mandalorian lifestyle. Females, on the other hand, are expected to have some warrior training, and are expected to train their daughters in the ways of the Mandalorians. They are also charged with being able to cook and take care of their children whenever their husbands are away fighting.
However, if a Mandalorian couple had no children, women and men would fight side-by-side. It is for this reason that, unlike other cultures and races, Mandalorians found their women attractive for their strength and endurance rather than their grace or beauty. In fact, the word "grace" in Mando'a was often viewed as an insult. In lieu of all of this, to call a woman Mandalorian a bad mother or a poor fighter, especially due to her gender in the case of the latter, was almost certain to start a fight.
Family Life
Though Mandalorians are fierce and brutal warriors, family is central and one of the most important things in a Mandalorian's life. They are known to be overly loving and affectionate towards the people they love, though they never show this to their enemies on the battlefield. Like in most cultures, marriage is a sacred union to Mandalorians, and usually takes place after a Mandalorian turns sixteen years old, though marriages taking place at a later age is not unheard of.
Unlike in Human culture, Mandalorian weddings are private, held between the two people joining themselves together only, during which they would recite a vow together in Mando'a. This vow was usually spoken after the marriage as a way of saying goodbye, similar to a Jedi saying "may the Force be with you" upon departure.
Oddly enough, adoption was excessively common in Mandalorian culture. Mandalorians would often adopt orphans of wars they are involved in, shown in Mandalore the Conquerer's adoption of a Human child, despite he himself being a Taung. When a Mandalorian adopted a child, said child was given that Mandalorian's clan name, and was also instantly made a Mandalorian himself/herself. This sets Mandalorians apart from other species, who would prefer killing orphans of war.
If conceiving naturally and giving birth to a son, Mandalorians typically waited eight years to have another. The first born son was important to Mandalorians, and they often received their five years of military and survival training straight from their fathers. At the age of thirteen, Mandalorian children went through a rite of passage that made them into adults.
Religion
Originally, the Taungs were an incredibly religious and xenophobic people; seeing themselves as the only true species of the galaxy. This belief sees them regard other species as nothing more then genetic mutations. In their religion, they believe in an eternal struggle between two gods, the stagnant Sloth god Arasuum and the Destroyer god Kad Ha’rangir, which highlights the difference between stagnation and opportunity for change. Taungs believe this comes from destruction and war.
They believe all Taungs who follow the basic sensibilities of life, which are to look after one's family and to fight and live one's life with with honor, they would transcend to the afterlife to join the army of the dead. In such an afterlife, they would live forever with their families in a permanent homestead. Mandalore, the Taung's leader, is seen as a living incarnation of the gods. It is believed that Mandalore has the power of the gods, and their will passes through him, guiding his actions. Yet, despite this, the Mandalore can be challenged, and is normally done so when his actions are seen to be channeling the power of the Stagnant Sloth God Arasuum.
After the integration of other species into the Mandalorian culture, the Taung religion became less and less important. Instead, bits and pieces of it were forged into the Mandalorian Canons of Honor and the Resol'nare. While some Taung still practice their religion, each generation of Taung sticks more closely to the Mandalorian code than to their forefather's ancient religious beliefs.
Technology
After their contact with the Hutts, the Taung's technology moved forward hundreds of years. Mandalorian technology focuses primarily on power and durability. Mandalorian technology may not be as advanced as Republic weapons, however it is incredibly hard to destroy, and works in most conditions. The durability of their technology is helped by the ancient metal that seems only to be found in the Mandalore sector.
The Taung call it Beskar.
The galaxy calls it Mandalorian iron.
Warfare
The Mandalorians regard themselves as masters of warfare. They mean this in regards to not having a set way of doing battle; no matter how they fight, they do so ferociously and with complete professionalism, yet they can adapt tactics to change with situations on the battlefield. From youth, they are taught nothing but war and how to fight, meaning all Mandalorians have an understanding of what is happening on the battlefield. This technique of upbringing means they can move up the chain of command whenever necessary.
Mandalorian lines never break.
The only way to defeat them is to destroy them completely.