Kanassan

Kanassan (カナッサ星人, Kanassa-seijin), less formally referred to as the Sand People are a Near-Human species from, where they were often hostile to local settlers. The term "Sand People" was given to them due to their existence in the desert, and was in use from at least around a thousand year. Their ancestry is shared by Jawas, it makes them relatives. In the culture of the Kanassans, to expose any part of the flesh was forbidden and seen as a disgrace.

Physiology
Kanassans are a less evolved Near-Human species. Unlike others, Sand People are were a culture of nomadic, primitive sentients indigenous to Tatooine. Their body looks like a burned human with small facial extension in chin and cheek. They are adapted to extreme heat in deserts of Tatooine, they covers all of their body with light-colored clothes. The Sand People have grayish skintones and dark eyes. They have two sexes: male and female, they can also reproduce like humans.

Desert Life
Kanassan Culture was defined first and foremost 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 Sand 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. It is perhaps no surprise that these outward trappings came to be the most basic tokens of Kanassans identity—their mode of dress was, after all, a direct expression of their way of life.

The Kanassans 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 area known as the Needles. Occasionally the different clans would go to war over territory and would even unite under a powerful warlord. They raided widely through both the Jundland Wastes and the Dune Sea, however, and any creatures, particularly offworlders, were subject to their savage attacks. 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 with trophies and prisoners. Due to their lack of advanced technology, their primitive society and viciousness, they were considered barbaric monsters by most of the galactic populace.

Although Kanassan garb varied from tribe to tribe, certain aspects of dress remained constant. The eyes of Sand People were covered with goggles or visors which shielded them from the harsh sunlight. Below the eyes two pipes protruded from the mask, most likely to facilitate breathing. 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. Sand People were also recognizable by their fierce Gaderfir (がでるふぃる Gaderūfirū) weapons. The Gaderfir was so integral to their culture that Kanassans would often commit ritual suicide in the event that an injury made them unable to properly wield the weapon.

Kanassans were forbidden to take off their protective clothing in front of others, except in a few very specific circumstances: at 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 meant either banishment or death, depending on the specific tribe rules.

Social Organization
Sand 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 a typical tribe, the adult males typically assumed the role of hunter and protector, often leaving their camps for an extended period of time. Females, often accompanied by guard animals, cared for the children, known as Uli-ah (うりあう, Uriāu), and the seasonal camps. After completing the rites of adulthood at the age of fifteen, the Uli-ah were granted full status within the tribe and paired for marriage in a ceremony involving blood exchanges between the male, female and their banthas.

The Bantha was another vital element of Kanassan 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 Sand People had learned to domesticate them. Every Kanassan 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 line.

In each tribe, a small number of individuals would be trained from birth to become the Storytellers (ストーリーテラー Sutōrīterā) orally learning the tales of their ancestry with perfect accuracy. This tradition was such a large part of Kanassan culture that Kanassans were considered the most important members of a tribe. On the other hand, written communication was believed to cheapen the value of Kanassan history, and was therefore shunned. There was only one accepted history across the many Kanassan tribes, and if someone questioned or spoke even a single word of the histories incorrectly, it was considered a blasphemy punishable by death. Thus, Kanassan history was passed down orally from generation to generation with almost no alterations in the material. If the Storyteller of a tribe died before the training of their apprentice was complete, the tribe was considered to be unworthy of existence and would quickly destroy itself through infighting. In rare circumstances, those that proved themselves worthy, such as great warriors, were also permitted to listen to the teachings of the Storyteller.

Trivia

 * Kanassan of M.U. is based on "Tusken Raiders" of Star Wars.