#; hc ( q'hu'mhum'gah )

[ohkraken-a]

Q’hu’mhum’gah Culture Masterpost

so. it’s here. compiled below the cut is a combination of canon “tusken / sand people” lore and headcanons of my own creation; this is mainly for my use to easily reference but also to share with others my headcanons about the people of tatooine.

History

The Kumumgah were a technologically advanced species that lived on Tatooine.

Q'hu'mhum'gah, less formally referred to as Sand People or simply as Tuskens, were a culture of nomadic people indigenous to Tatooine. The term “Sand People” was given to them due to their existence in the desert, and was in use from at least around 4000 BBY; but the more formal name of “Tusken” was acquired much later, due to a period of concerted attacks on the settlement at Fort Tusken in 98-95 BBY. The name Q’hu’mhum’gah is an evolution, much like the people themselves, of the Kumumgah, the species from which they originated.

The Kumumgah achieved space travel among the worlds of the Outer Rim and beyond, attracting the attention of the Rakatan Infinite Empire, who conquered, enslaved, and annexed Tatooine in 25,793 BBY.

Some time before 25,200 BBY, the Kumumgah rose up against their enslavers, but were punished by orbital bombardment and left for dead.

The bombardment slagged the surface of Tatooine into little more than fused glass, which eventually crumbled into desert sand.

However, the Kumumgah had anticipated such an act, and survived by taking refuge in caves across the planet.

Over time, the Kumumgah evolved into two separate species: Jawas and Q’hu’mhum’gah.

The Q’hu’mhum’gah spent the next thousands of years as a nomadic society, attempting to come to terms with their new identity in a period they called the long walk.

After Tatooine was rediscovered by the Galactic Republic around 5000 BBY, early Human settlers were believed to have disrupted the water-supply of a settled cave-dwelling society known as Q’hu’mhum’gah culture, precipitating the transformation of the natives into what colonists called Sand People. To survive, they were forced to steal and adapt the technology of the colonists, forging the distinctive desert survival gear by which they would subsequently become so well-known. By around 4000 BBY, they were also engaged in endemic low-level warfare with the colonizers; the raids they led were among the factors that forced Czerka Corporation to abandon their attempts to operate Tatooine as a mining world.

Tatooine was largely forgotten by the wider galaxy for the next few thousand years, and the planet had to be formally rediscovered in 1100 BBY.

By the sixth century BBY, however, a mining colony had been reestablished, and the key moment in the history of the Q'hu'mhum'gah people and their relations with the outlanders occurred around 550 BBY.

Alkhara, an offworlder and rogue, was an operative of the colony's Bureau of Ethnicity and Socialization, studying the Q'hu'mhum'gah people, and falsely gaining their trust. Eventually, however, he turned against the colonists and occupied the desert fortress that was used in earlier centuries by the B'omarr Order, and in later centuries by Jabba Desilijic Tiure's criminal empire.

Alkhara later allied himself with a group of Q'hu'mhum'gah people whose bivouacs lay on the Great Mesra Plateau to wipe out a police garrison, then afterwards turned on his Q’hu’mhum’gah accomplices, and destroyed their camp. It is claimed that this was the source of a subsequent blood feud between the natives and the outlanders.

Permanent settlement by offworlders—or outlanders— resumed in 100 BBY, with the arrival of the settler ship Dowager Queen from Bestine IV. A new planetary capital called Bestine was founded, and a second settlement called Fort Tusken was established at the northern tip of the Jundland range.

At first, the new colonists seem to have been unaware of the Q'hu'mhum'gah people, but a series of attacks between 98 and 95 BBY forced the abandonment of Fort Tusken, and from that point on, the Human settlers of Tatooine referred to the natives as “Tusken Raiders."

Biology and Appearance

Q'hu'mhum'gah people were known to adopt settler orphans after raids on Human settlements and convoys, in a similar fashion to Mandalorians. There is no indication that Humans were present in any great number among the Q'hu'mhum'gah.

The lack of detailed knowledge about Q'hu'mhum'gah can be accounted for in part by the hostility of the Tatooine climate, and in part by the privacy of the Q'hu'mhum'gah themselves.

Q'hu'mhum'gah and Jawas shared common ancestry in the Kumumgah, who were taken off-world by the Infinite Empire to work as slaves by the Rakatans in the construction of the Star Forge.

Society and Culture

Q'hu'mhum'gah culture was defined by the climatic extremes of Tatooine: barren wastes stretching for days' journey on end, scoured by harsh, arid winds and searing heat by day; icy, deadly stillness after dark.

Practical survival was the first priority in terrain like this, and to protect themselves, the Q'hu'mhum'gah people learned early in their existence to cover themselves from head to foot in desert-colored rags and robes, leaving no bare skin exposed to the elements.

Their mode of dress was a direct expression of their way of life. The Q'hu'mhum'gah people never take off their robes except in the most private of moments. Even in death, they do not remove their robes.

The Q'hu'mhum'gah 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 different clans would go to war over territory.

Sometimes tribes would form raids against offworlder colonizers through both the Jundland Wastes and the Dune Sea. 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.

Due to a lack of understanding on the part of the galactic populace at large, many offworlders and outlanders regard Q’hu’mhum’gah people poorly.

Although Q'hu'mhum'gah garb varied from tribe to tribe, certain aspects of dress remained constant. The eyes of Q'hu'mhum'gah people were covered with goggles or visors which shielded them from the harsh sunlight. Covering their mouths, Q'hu'mhum'gah had a filter to help facilitate breathing in the desert. A constantly open mouthpiece covered the area between the nose and jaw, while a moisture trap worn around the neck humidified the air taken into the lungs. They might also wear elaborate jeweled masks with eye-slits, and torso-covering sand-shrouds.

Q'hu'mhum'gah people were also recognizable by their fierce gaderffii weapons. The gaderffii was incredibly integral to their culture. Every Q'hu'mhum'gah warrior created their own gaderffii stick, making each one unique. While rejecting most examples of modern technology, long-barreled Q'hu'mhum'gah Cycler rifles and stoves made of scavenged or stolen metal were not uncommon.

Although some Q’hu’mhum’gah people may wear what was once more traditionally masculine or feminine per their birth gender, modern Q’hu’mhum’gah people celebrate the freedom of choice amongst tribe members, encouraging them to choose whichever clothing they prefer so long as they still do not remove their clothing unless in extremely private settings.

Q’hu’mhum’gah often incorporated womp rat tusks into their attire. Although it varies from tribe to tribe, in many, everyone shares in the same roles; men can maintain encampments while women go out to hunt or scout. To each tribe did members serve the needed purpose.

Q'hu'mhum'gah children ( called Uli-ah ) wore unisex masks; gender-specific coverings were not allowed until they became adults.

Q'hu'mhum'gah were forbidden to take off their protective clothing in front of others, except in a few very specific circumstances: during childbirth, on their wedding night and 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 could mean either banishment or death, depending on the specific tribe’s rules.

It is due to this rule that hid the fact that not all Q’hu’mhum’gah were evolved from the Kumumgah of old: a small percentage of Q’hu’mhum’ga were Human, orphans or foundlings adopted into the tribes.

Social Organization

Q'hu'mhum'gah 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 many tribes, adults of all genders assumed whatever roles were required by them in order to best suit the tribe’s needs; anyone could be a hunter and protector, and anyone could care for the camps and the children.

Often accompanied by guard massiffs

After completing the rites of adulthood at the age of eighteen, the uli-ah were granted full status within the tribe and often ( but not always, ) paired for marriage in a ceremony involving blood exchanges between the two members and their banthas.

The bantha was another vital element of Q'hu'mhum'gah 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 Q'hu'mhum'gah people had learned to domesticate them. Every Q'hu'mhum'gah 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.

Q'hu'mhum'gah subsisted primarily on hubba gourds, but could become 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, semi-permanent 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 fiercely 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 Q'hu'mhum'gah culture that Storytellers were considered one of the most important members of a tribe. On the other hand, written communication was believed to lessen the value of Q'hu'mhum'gah history, and was often shunned by most tribes. There was only one accepted history across the many Q'hu'mhum'gah tribes, and if someone questioned or spoke even a single word of the histories incorrectly, it was considered highly disrespectful. Q'hu'mhum'gah history was passed down orally from generation to generation with almost no alterations in the material.

Mythology and Customs

The history of the Q'hu'mhum'gahs as passed down through Storytellers was considered a single, indivisible entity that took hours to recite.

Circa 4000 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.

Traditional Q'hu'mhum'gah history holds that, following the bombardment and desertification of their planet, their holy warriors drove off the Rakata oppressors through a heroic struggle.

The Q'hu'mhum'gah believe themselves to be a part of the land and regard anything that might separate them from it as a form of 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 unholy. This leads them to often reject foreign technology, although they will trade metal and scrap they find with jawas.

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, with his younger brother chasing him to kill him for his treachery.

Rituals

Many rituals held Q'hu'mhum'gah people society together. The most prestigious test of an adult 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.

The Q'hu'mhum'gah had superstitions about various landmarks on Tatooine. For example, the Q'hu'mhum'gah avoided Mushroom Mesa at all costs and always fired their blasters before passing through the B'Thazoshe Bridge.

The Q'hu'mhum'gah people and banthas shared a close, almost mystical bond. During initiation rites, a young Q'hu'mhum'gah was given a bantha and learned to care for it, with the pair becoming extremely close as the youth earned a place in its clan. When Q'hu'mhum'gah people married, their banthas also mated, and, should its rider die, their bantha usually perished shortly after. If a bantha died before its rider, its remains were placed in a large graveyard, which was treated with great respect by Q'hu'mhum'gah and other banthas. If a bantha died in the desert, the rider was often left behind to wander the desert alone. They held that if the fallen bantha's spirit wished for the rider to find a new mount, it would be so. If not, the rider would die amongst Tatooine's endless dunes. A Q'hu'mhum'gah who returned with a new mount would be held in great esteem by their tribe. The bond worked both ways, as accounts have been told of riderless banthas returning to tribes, to perhaps bond with another rider. The rest of the tribe considered the unbonded individual to be pitiable, but did not scorn them.

Language

The Q'hu'mhum'gah people spoke a guttural language known as Q'hu'mhum'gah. Many individual names were long and marked by numerous glottal stops, such as Grk'Urr'Akk, Grk'kkrs'arr, Orr Agg R'orr, Orrh Or'Ur and Orr'UrRuuR'R. However, shorter names were also recorded in some clans, and some Q'hu'mhum'gah bore patronymic / matronymic names formed from a parent's given name and a prefix: A' meaning "son of", K' meaning "daughter of”, and Q’ meaning “child of”.

As a rule, Q'hu'mhum'gah also possessed knowledge of Huttese and Jawaese, as they came into contact with these languages quite frequently.

Q’hu’mhum’gah people use a form of sign language shortened to QSL; this has been improperly noted by Human colonists as being called TSL for Tusken Sign Language.

The Q'hu'mhum'gah people did use a form of logographic writing system, but it apparently fell into disuse with the decline of their civilization. The complex writing had degraded into mere crude symbols. With no written language, the Q'hu'mhum'gah people thus relied on oral history to pass down the legends and stories of their people. As such, storytellers were held in the highest regard and charged with the responsibility of memorizing by rote the story of every clan member and piece of clan history. For apprentice storytellers, the pressure to memorize the stories precisely was intense. If an apprentice storyteller successfully recited a story perfectly, they became the clan's storyteller.

During the Clone Wars, a Q'hu'mhum'gah language pack was sold as an enhancement for protocol droids, which enabled them to acquire the Q'hu'mhum'gah language.

[ohkraken-a]

q'rhurh has some new friends thanks to sara showing them to me

[ohkraken-a]

okay so. so. sticking with the idea that sand people are evolved forms from the kumumgah people of tatooine, but also taking into account how tusken language sounds and how it uses a lot of glottal stops and harder consonant sounds, has a guttural nature to it, what if i started calling them q’hu’mhum’gah? i really like the idea of referencing their roots, especially given how much tusken culture relies on the spiritual connection they feel with the land, but i like the idea of giving it a sound more natural to the tusken language ( now to be q’hu’mhum’gah language ).

[ohkraken-a]

i simply think that a culture that canonically does not have children wear gendered clothing until they come of age would have a strictly bi-gender adult society

[ohkraken-a]

so: some things about the q’hu’mhum’gah people and culture in regards to what your characters may know, if you wanna start using it!      ( which like, if you start using it with me, i WILL cry )

unless your character has directly interacted with q’hu’mhum’gah people, your character will likely only know them as sand people, tuskens, or tusken raiders. the q’hu’mhum’gah are private about their culture and only share with those who offer them respect.

because most people tend to only view q’hu’mhum’gah people through a lens of misunderstanding, most people do not know the facets of their culture. if your character knows they at least have a sign language they use, but do not know more about them as a people, then they likely refer to it as tsl, or tusken sign language, instead of qsl.