Mandalorian Culture [Lore Question]

[Myra]

So. What exactly is a mandalorian? What REALLY sets them apart aside from the cool armor. Cultural traditions, views on the galaxy, maybe some sort of local religion. I'd really love to learn more and I thought I'd consult the great lore masters before I dove into the Wookieepedia.

I know they're warriors but do they value strategy? Brute strength? Skill?

I also know they have a high regard to their culture. Is this a supremecist thing where they believe that their culture should be the dominant one and they attempt to force others to follow it or is it more of a 'Our Culture is cooler than ours so HA, you suck' sort of deal? Or something in between? How likely would it be for a Mandalorian offshoot culture to emerge? How likely would Mandalorians embrace piracy or more criminal forms of military action? Aka Assassin, Mercenary, we see Boba and Jango go full Bounty Hunter but that's probably a little more honorable than Pirate.

I have so many questions and just not enough time to read through every article about them, so hopefully you guys can refer me to some or just answer my questions here.

 

[Delsin Shaw]

 

[Malok]

[member="Myra"] TLDR:

"I adhere to the Resol'nare. The core of what it means to be Mandalorian. A sacred law giving us direction and purpose. Education and armor, self-defense, our tribe, our language, our leader—all help us survive. We must educate our children as Mandalorians, obey the commands of Mandalore, speak Mando'a and defend our clans." - Akaavi Spar.

Mandalorians are a warrior culture to the point where War itself was worshipped by them religiously. (At one point). Their society is a monarchy, where their King (Mand'alor) determines the direction and goals of the people during their reign. The Six Tenets (Resol'nare) are the guiding principles of their society. It is why, during conquests, it is so easy to assimilate the conquered - for Mandalorian life revolves around these principles.

Piracy, Bounty Hunting, Mercenary work, etc. are all ways the Mandalorians express their warrior heritage. These are crafts employed when their King has not rallied his armies together for a grand cause or direction.

That's about it for canon Mandalorian culture.

 

[Dondagora]

Basically, the difference between a Mandalorian and a normal human is that a Mandalorian doesn't think they're a normal human.

 

[Nixia Amabilia]

What about the super commando codex? Wasnt that also a thing once apon a time after the Resolnare?

 

[Malok]

[member="Nixia Amabilia"], [member="Myra"]

Knew I was missing something - yes!

So, the Codex was what transitioned the Mandalorians on average to be "honorable mercenaries" instead of their standing army/planet of conquerors status quo. If the Resol'nare can be considered the Old Testament, the Codex can be considered the New Testament. As a result, the later generations of Mandalorians in Canon you'll see (Boba Fett, Jango Fett, etc.) fall more in line with the Codex's definition of honorable mercenaries over their predecessors (I.e. look at Mand'alor the Indomitable vs Boba Fett and how different the Mandalorians are at that point).

The reason that escaped my mind for a while is because here in Chaosland, we have every flavor of Mandalorian. From ancient Crusader style, to Codex abiding, to flavors in between. There is no "wrong" interpretation of the culture and the reigning Mandalorian major faction tends to set the trend for which flavor is played at large.

Good call Nixia

 

[Fiolette Fortan]

[member="Myra"]

Time and money provided, I'd recommend picking up the Bounty Hunter's Code! It does contain information about Mandalorians a great read overall. Otherwise, Metus would be correct on both posts.

 

[Myra]

[member="Darth Metus"]

Okay, so that all makes a lot of sense, but I do have some like.. particular questions, if you have the ability to answer them that's great! If not that's fine and I'll just spend all morning googling them.

1. Is there currently a Mand'alor? I know the United Clans of Mandalore used to be the Mandalorian Empire so maybe he/she died or something?

2. How do Mandalorians feel about slavery and all that? Conquerors tend to be good with it but they seem like they'd be the exception.

3. So like, how do non humanoids fit in. If they can't wear the armor they can't be mandalorian eh?

 

[Valdus Bral]

Destroyer God, Kad Ha'rangir, was the god that the old Mandalorian Crusaders waged warfare in the name of.

The Resol'nare is the founding doctrine of what the Mandalorians came to be.

The Supercommando Codex is effectively the New Testament of the Mandalorians. It transitioned the Mandos from Crusaders of Kad to Boba Fett styled honorable mercenaries.

Mand'alor the Indomitable was one, if not the most famous Mand'alor that came around the era of the crusades.

This is a compilation of terms and phrases translated from the fictitious language to English as released by the creator of the Mandalorian language.


Also, the creator of the language also released a large article about your question called The Mandalorians: People and Culture.

 

[Captain Larraq]

Historically, Mandalorians used to be all about enslaving those they conquered and have a history of not hesitating to engage in genocide to achieve a strategic goal when denied a tactical goal. In modern times, both are frowned upon. Though genocide is, oddly, more forgivable than slave taking, trading, or ownership.

One upon a time, the Mandalorians had an Alor'e Council. Basically a viking style "Grand Moot", and it was fun. For a while.

You can think of Mandalorians as both Space Vikings and Space Dwarves, depending on the specific group of Mandalorians.

Mandalorians believe in Mass burial and unmarked graves. They believe in a sort of "grand spirit" that they call The Manda. When a Mandalorians dies, they are believed to become a part of the Manda. Some take the spiritual approach to seeing the Manda as the essence that all things are a part of / connected to (similar to how some see the Force). Some see it that only those things steeped in the culture of Mandalorians are connected to the Manda, and some see that the Manda is connected to all things, but that those that embrace Mandalorians traditions are... "Avatars" of the Manda.

Honestly, it's a pretty broad topic. You could have asked "what do followers of Abrahamic Religions believe?" and gotten about as many answers.

 

[Gilamar Skirata]

As far as Chaos lore/history goes I've written up a few lore submissions I could throw your way. As far as what we're all like thought that's been beaten to death and back already by those above

 

[Preliat Mantis]

Space Viking Spartans with cool armor and a penchant for killing everything and each other.

 

[Zef Halo]

[member="Myra"]

Mandalorian culture in one gif:

 

[Mig Gred]

I'll also throw in different clans often have slightly different cultures that make them unique.

 

[Tathra Khaeus]

 

[EllieEx]

tldr: Mandalorians value family highly [member="Myra"]

I think a lot of people tend to forget this, But above almost everything else, Mandalorians are historically family men\family women.

A mandalorian will kill for any reason under the sun depending on the individual, but any real mandalorian would happily die for his or her clan, his or her family.

One of the chief goals in cannon\legends was alwasy "Make more mandalorians" Which applied to both having children, and adopting outsiders into the culture if they showed potential, Some mandalorians even adopted adults into the family. It's hard to do but if you can get that kind of respect from a mandalorian, you'll never have a better friend in the galaxy.



Also another note that might interest some, gender equality is pretty important to mandos, and that's been cannon\legends since before a lot of modern movements as far as i can tell

 

[Adenn Kyramud]

A Mandalorian is an individual that follows a code called the Resol'nare. The only rule to become a Mandalorian is to follow that code, to speak the language, and to wear the armor. It doesn't matter what your past was, upon becoming Mandalorian that is only moot. The past doesn't matter as much to the Mando'a, only the present and the future. That's not to say they forget the past, quite the opposite. There is a saying that states that Mandalorians have long memories, something that is true. They won't easily forget or forgive a slight against their honor. However, a Mandalorian learns from the past though, and seeks to not repeat any mistakes made prior.

As a whole, the Mandalorian culture has survived since before the formation of the Republic, Jedi, or Sith. Originating from Coruscant and the Taung, they eventually left the planet and traveled to a different planet. That planet became Mandalore, the new homeplanet of the Mandalorians. The Taung were a warrior culture and that transferred to their new culture. Alongside this, family is everything to the Mando'a, and every Mandalorian is "vode" or family.

Mandalorians value family and strength and the defeat of their enemies. To do so, they have absorbed hundreds, if not thousands, of different cultures and modified it to suit themselves, while also modifying themselves. They have kept true to their past though, despite all the wars they have fought. As such, the Mandos value strategy in their campaigns and wars, even if it doesn't seem like it often. However, rank structure is very loose, and very fluid in the battlefield. It's not unheard of for young kids to take command if they know strategy better, as such there isn't a definitive structure to Mandalorian command. There are some consistencies though.

The Mand'alor is at the very top, acting as the leader of all Mandalorians, and their representative. Below said leader are the Alor council, or the clan leaders who act as advisors to the Mand'alor. They have arguably more power than the Mand'alor, but that's a whole different topic. Below the council are the Alors, or clan leaders. And below them come the regular Mandalorians. Ranking structure is tricky though, seeing as in wars it can change, as well as in peace. Same goes for different clans, one clan may have something rigid while the next has something that doesn't even represent a structure, but still works for them. Along side all those listed just now, there are war masters and battlemasters. These take more roles during battles and wars, and pass on information to those below them. Those who achieve these ranks are usually regarded highly, for to get such a rank is to be very skilled in multiple different areas.

Going along the skill talk, Mandalorians value individual skill as much as they value the skill of the collective. As such, those who have a skill usually teach others that skill who then also teach others. Eventually this keeps spreading until a majority have learned this skill, or at least know how to emulate it. Thanks to this, the Mandalorians believe themselves superior, for many skill they know are deadly against their foes, specifically Jedi and Sith.

All in all, the Mandalorians think their culture is superior because of various different reasons. Mainly the many, many wars fought and won by the Mandalorians. They don't force their culture onto anyone, but do allow anyone who wishes to join access to their culture. It's not uncommon for attacked populations to have many younger men and women join the ranks of the Mandalorians upon seeing their strength. This coupled with the adoption of war orphans on planets conquered by the Mandalorians leaves no shortage of soldiers the Mando'ade can use.

To conclude, Mandalorians are a very diverse culture that views itself as being superior to every other culture. They are a warrior society that values family and honor, and will go to great lengths to fight those they view as dishonorable. Mandalorians accept anyone who wishes to join them into their society, it could be a war orphan or a soldier, a man or a woman, it doesn't matter. To be a Mandalorian is to wear the armor, follow the code, and fight for family and Mandalore. They care less about the past and more about the present and future, but still remember the past. Continuing with that, family matters a lot to them, as well as honor. However, there are many different interpretations of that, and this doesn't prevent different Mandalorians from taking up questionable jobs such as piracy. Mandalorians are as diverse as they are unique, and will usually support one another against a common foe, even if they would fight each other in any other situation.



I know it's long, sorry, hehe. Got a bit carried away since I love the Mandalorians so much. I do hope this has helped, I know some of it has been covered already, but still, different take I hope, and some more info.