A R C H I V I S T
Intent: As with the Valkyri and the Norse, this species is to offer a Pan-Polynesian equivalence to players that so wish to play it. This is in addition to further flesh out the newer, albeit lightly explored lore of Scarif.
Image Credit: Here
Canon: N/A
Links:
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Scarif
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Near-Human
GENERAL INFORMATION
Name: Tuatahi ("First") / Native Scarifians
Designation: Sentient Near-Human
Homeworld: Scarif
Language: Reo Tuatahi (Native Language), Galactic Basic, Scarif Creole (born from a pidgin of Basic and Reo Tuatahi)
Average Lifespan: 90 Standard Years
Estimated Population: Planetary
Description: A human-like species that has a dark complexion. They seem well at home in coastal, tropical climate and in water. Appear to be very tribal and technologically primitive in comparison to the rest of the Galaxy. Notably, tend to sport intricate tattoos across their bodies.
PHYSICAL INFORMATION
Breathes: Type I
Average height of adults: 1.68 Meters
Average length of adults: N/A
Skin color: Medium to deep tans
Hair color: Dark Browns and Black
Distinctions: Outwardly, the Tuatahi look similar to humans of a darker complexion and hair. On occasion, members will exhibit small, vestigal horns not unlike their Zabrak forebears. Internally, they have a set of organs that resemble secondary lungs, used as oxygen bladders.
Races:
Iwi Kaihuri: What you would consider the baseline Tuatahi. Known for their navigation and primitive shipwrighting skills.
Iwi Toka: A Tuatahi ethnic group who originated from a more rocky, semi-barren archipelago. Have a more rigid, militaristic philosophy on Tuatahi traditions.
Strengths:
Semi-Aquatic: Over the course of their evolution, the Tuatahi have had an increasing need to hunt in the water to gather fish for survival. As such, they have evolved a couple adaptations. Firstly, they have developed a pair of additional, lung-like oxygen-storing bladders that allows them to dive underwater for an average of 20 minutes between to the surface breathers. Secondly, hey have also developed eyes that can see underwater as well.
Super-Strength: Apart of their development as semi-aquatic beings, Tuatahi had to develop a stronger muscle system to overcome the pressures and forces of submersion in Scarif's oceans. As such, they are about 1.5 times stronger than an average human.
Weaknesses:
Hostile: Having been previously enslaved by other, more technologically advanced outsiders, they tend to treat most non-Tuatahi with hostility on first arrival. Depending on how hostile the outsiders get in return determines how friendly the Tuatahi become in the future.
To Bleed is Human: They are susceptible to the same toxins, injuries, and fatalities as their human counterparts.
Cold Hater: Being a species from a tropical world, Tuatahi tend to not fair well in cooler temperatures. Their bodies can potentially go into shock in wintery conditions due to a lack of necessary adaptation.
CULTURE
Diet: Have the same, omnivorous tolerances and intolerances as the average. Due to location, their diet primarily consists of fish, fruits, and nuts.
Communication: Spoken language, with a crude form of Aurebesh to write in.
Technology level:
Generally Neolithic, using stone, bone, leather, thatch and wood; some tribes near old Imperial outlets have adopted marginal use of old blaster tech.
Religion/Beliefs:
The Tuatahi have a religion that bridges polytheism and animism. Nearly every aspect of nature is revered as having its own life force. Gods vary from tribe to tribe, as from four that are revered throughout all tribes. This includes Papa Rangi ("Father Sky"), the father of all creation, god of wind, sky and storms; Wahine Oneone ("Lady Earth"), Rangi's wife and embodiment of the Mother Earth goddess trope; Tuahine Moana ("Sister Ocean"), the daughter of the previously mentioned, goddess of the oceans and midwifery; and Haehau ("Chaos"), deity of discord, night, and destruction. Haehau is mainly prayed to keep his violence away. Priests of this religion are normally among the Force Sensitive of the species. As far as Force traditions, Tuatahi use it in a way that is similar to Dathomiri magic and Kro Var Shaping.
General Behavior:
Generally, the Tuatahi are a social people living in tribal villages usually set upon the coasts. Men are typically warriors, but it not unheard of nor is it impossible for women to be warriors. Almost all are expected to know how to defend one another. Tuatahi culture typically views all of the tribe as one big family, whether by blood or not. When not in state of war, the Tuatahi spend their days foraging and fishing for their food as well as upkeep on village structures. Marriage is almost always out of love, as it is expect that all resources are made communal for all's benefit, so greed is not as much of an issue. It is also a typical, almost instictual ritual for expectant Tuatahi mothers to birth in the shallows near their homes, often accompanied by close relatives to help fend off any predatory fish. Most sacred of their rituals is the act of tattooing. While in other cultures, tattoos are usually cosmetic, Tuatahi tattoos are everything. Depending on region of the body and design, the tattoos tell other Tuatahi of one's lineage on both sides, deeds they have done, and other information of significance. A Tuatahi tattoo is a tapestry of their life, and they tend to take great offense to outsiders who try to copy the aesthetic.
HISTORICAL INFORMATION
The origins of the Tuatahi lie in the era of the Old Republic. Ab attempt was made to begin colonization in the Outer Rim, with the colony ship crashing and sinking to the depths of the sea. Those who remained were mostly human, Zabrak, or other breeds of near-human. Over millennia, they made a civilization that became more Neolithic as their space age resources dwindled. Time marched on, and the descendants of those survivors became the modern Tuatahi. They lived in moderate piece during Galactic history, aside from conflicts among themselves. Them biggest influence came when Palpatine's Empire began building its shipyard and secret project division on the their world. The Tuatahi naturally resisted, albeit unsuccessfully, with a large number of them serving as slave laborers at the Empire's facilities. The Battle of Scarif was notable as they saw the grest blast by the Death Star on the Imperial Security complex as the wrath of their gods upon the Empire.
Following this, Tuatahi history notes little of significance beyond more inter-tribal conflicts. They largely kept to themselves, and tended to attack any large presence of outsiders on their world. They viewed the Gulag Plague and the Netherworld rifts as both forms of Haehau's trickery and evil at work. Both events dwindled numbers down, but the Tuatahi population seemed to recover well from such situations. In recent years, with Scarif's occupation by newer factions or outsiders, the Tuatahi have resisted or retaliated where they could, but have so far been unsuccessful in making a tribal coalition large enough or strong enough to fend off such technologically advanced invaders.
