Mandalorian Way of Life

[Meiyokashi]

Index:

• The First Years ►
• The Rite of Passage ►
• Gender Roles ►
• The Beskar'gam ►
• Daily Life ►
• Death ►
• Insults ►
• Cuisine ►
• Manda and Dar'manda ►
• Resol'nare ►

[Meiyokashi]

The First Years

Whether born into the life or adopted, the first part of a Mandalorian's life would be to learn. As children and new-initiates, they are taught the basics of the Mandalorian way of life, which will prepare them for their training later. They learn the language, the history of the Mando'ade, the rites and customs, the Resol'nare, and the parts unique to their clan. While the ultimate responsibility lies with the parents for raising and educating children, Mandalorian groups are very communal in the raising of children, and it's not uncommon for children to be raised by the group especially if the parents are called upon to fight.

Adults who would be adopted into the ranks are most often chosen based on their fighting skill, honour, and spirit, but ultimately chosen because of their commitment and loyalty to their new family. The adopting parent is responsible for preparing and training the one they choose to adopt, until they are ready to be fully accepted as Mandalorians.

[Meiyokashi]

The Rite of Passage

The verd'goten is the warrior's trial. The traditional rite of passage in the Mandalorian culture in which a Mandalorian youth is accepted as an adult in Mandalorian society. Children born to Mandalorians begin training in military and survival skills under the tutelage of a parent, typically at the age of eight years old (by human and Mandalorian human standards). This training lasts until the child reaches the age of thirteen, at which time they are tested on their acquired skill in fighting and surviving the verd'goten.

For adult-adoptees, they too must undergo training for a period of time until they are ready for their own warrior's trial. Unlike with children however, this period of time can vary greatly depending on the individual, as determined by their skills and background (and sometimes the immediate needs of a clan).

For both groups, upon passing the trial of the verd'goten, the Mandalorian is considered legally an adult, and has earned equal treatment in Mandalorian society as a fully-fledged member of the group. Traditionally, a child completing their verd'goten is a great source of celebration for a community and a family.

The trial and its nature is chosen by the parent responsible for the child's training along with the leader of their group (community or clan).

Those who are adopted into the culture undergo an adoption ritual, called the gai bal manda which translates from Mando'a to mean "name and soul". The adopter makes the name of their "child" known by speaking it aloud, proceeded by the words "ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad" which means "I know your name as my child", and this is enough to officially recognize the adopted as now becoming part of the collective oversoul - the manda. Thus the ritual of "name and soul" is complete. This ritual can be conducted on a singular basis, or with a group, and even post-humously to acknowledge someone's worth to be a Mandalorian even in death. Adoption via the gai bal manda and a dedication to the Resol'nare, the six basic tenets of Mandalorian culture, is often considered all it took to make one a Mandalorian, though to even be allowed to go through this ritual means that the adopted is already a trusted individual that the Mandalorian people will also trust as a family.

[Meiyokashi]

Gender roles

The Mandalorians are a strongly egalitarian society, where gender doesn’t determine someone’s capabilities as a strong warrior. Their language is almost entirely gender-neutral, as it places an emphasis on an individual's belonging to the group over their gender-identity. Ever since the ancient days, women and mothers as primary caregivers in a family were expected to be as fierce and skilled as their male counterparts, as any Mandalorian children would learn to fight from their mother first, and she would also have to be able to defend the family in any situation. However for a long time it’s been pretty accepted that men too can be the primary caregivers for children, and Mandalorian wedding vows emphasise that it is a joint effort between partners to raise children together. To be a parent is a great and important responsibility for all, to ensure the future of the clan and the Mandalorian people.

Just as men and women are treated equally, and the culture almost encourages adoption when possible, it’s no surprise that they are also very open and tolerant of different sexualities and lifestyles. Bonding and family-ties are highly valued, so there is no shame or social stigma to how one chooses to form such bonds. While Mandalorians are taught to be independant and self-sufficient, they are also taught the strength of bonds, and they believe that they fight with more strength and power when fighting alongside those they feel a close kinship to.

[Meiyokashi]

The Beskar'gam
Within the clans it has not been unusual for the traditional armour to be passed down in the family. Often bestowed upon the child upon completing their verd'goten.

Due to the state of the galaxy and its recent history, traditional beskar'gam is not easy to get a hold of. The New Mandalorians did away with the armour, and while other groups still kept theirs, the overall divide of the Mandalorian clans have made the already rare armour rarer.

Many of those loyal to Clan Saxon and the Empire have forsaken the beskar'gam, favouring the laminate produced by the Empire.

The creation of beskar'gam is a closely guarded secret among the clans, reserved for only a select few individuals who learn their craft at the feet of a master armourer or forgemaster. For many communities, this places these crafters at the centre of the community as lorekeepers and custodians of the ancient ways, and in some places they might be the leaders of their groups. These individuals are highly regarded by all Mandalorians, and their opinions can sway many.

Rebuilders

In the Enclave of Mand'alor The Rebuilder, a suit of beskar'gam is custom made for individuals who have passed their warrior's trials and proven themselves capable in a task or challenge approved by Mand'alor. Mand'alor has the right to request the forgemaster's skills, but the forgemaster makes the final judgement of whether or not the Mandalorian in question is worthy of their craft.

[Meiyokashi]

Daily Life
The Mandalorians are a nomadic people, a way of life tracing back all the way back to ancient times. Even in modern times where Mandalorians control large areas and planets, it is a custom many still hold to, either out of attachment for the old ways or simply as a means to avoid presenting a single target to any enemy who would wish to wipe them out. Because of this, many Mandalorian communities pop up across the galaxy, but these communities and families rarely expect their homes to be permanent. Like the hunters of old, they change location for new hunting grounds and opportunities, or leave when the current location is no longer suitable for their needs. With this in mind, most Mandalorians desire portability over a large number of material possessions, and even the traditional Mandalorian dwelling known as a vheh'yaim was designed to be set up for temporary occupation and easily deconstructed or abandoned.

While many cultures with a settled location celebrated events and festivals that were derived from the changing seasons of their homeworld, the Mandalorians' nomadic customs have left them largely disconnected from these sorts of cycles as they travelled from world to world. Though Mandalorians from Concord Dawn generally still mark the end of the planet's harvest, on the whole, most Mandalorians have taken to celebrating mainly the events of the life cycle such as birth, coming of age, marriage, and death.

True to their nature as a nomadic people, all members of the group are expected to pull their own weight and contribute to the daily needs of the group. This also includes less glorious tasks such as cooking, cleaning, maintaining the camp or homestead, and making repairs. A clean and efficient camp has long been crucial to survival, and it’s no surprise that the Mandalorians sometimes run their homestead with military-like efficiency.
Given their reputation as formidable warriors, many are surprised to learn that Mandalorians are more sociable and courteous than some might expect. As long as individuals spoke their mind and said what they meant, accepted a meal when offered - as an offered meal was a great compliment for a nomadic society that often lived hand to mouth - looked them straight in the eye or the horizontal section of their visor when wearing a helmet, took off their boots when entering their home, paid their debts, fussed over their children, never made a pass at a Mandalorian unless the individual planned to become part of the culture, and respected the elderly - as any Mandalorian who has reached such an age would be an exceptional warrior - anyone who encountered a Mandalorian outside of combat was unlikely to come to harm.

When a Mandalorian was down on their luck or in need of a place to stay, it was expected of his neighbors or friends to give them sanctuary and offer them a meal, whether that individual was a common soldier or the Mand'alor himself.

[Meiyokashi]

Death
Death is a natural part of a Mandalorian's life, and few Mandalorians live long enough to die of old age as most meet their end in combat.
Burials for the dead are also uncommon, due to the inability for nomads to sustain cemeteries and the impracticality of bringing bodies with them on the move. The exception to this would be Mand'alor, who is usually given a proper burial as a sign of respect, unless they chose otherwise.
If a body could be recovered, then cremation is the most common practice. The ashes of the ones cremated would be scattered - usually somewhere meaningful to the deceased or the ones left behind - and any recovered possessions - with the armour being the most important one - would be kept in memorial, and often passed down and repurposed. If a full set of armour could not be recovered, it was commonplace to retrieve smaller parts such as helmets, gloves, or weapons.

Another custom that many outside the Mandalorian culture baulk at is the custom of unmarked mass graves, done after a large battle. Mandalorians place greater importance on the spirit than the body, as the body is merely a tool for doing deeds and passing on knowledge, and once the soul had gone to the manda, what happened to the body was ultimately irrelevant. For the Mandalorians, burying their people together in mass graves mirrored the collective consciousness every Mandalorian was believed to share in the manda after death.

For a nomadic people it is more pragmatic to not have the burial sites of their deceased marked for others to disturb, especially if they have left the vicinity to go somewhere else, and it can also be logistically complicated to keep track of these places. The oversoul serves a purpose in this regard in that all Mandalorians are part of the manda, as long as they have lived their life according to the Resol'nare.

It was also Mandalorian custom to recite the names of loved ones and friends who have passed each night before sleep as a means of keeping their memory alive. In this fashion, no Mandalorian is truly ever alone, for they are connected through the manda. Additionally, no Mandalorian is forgotten as long as there is someone to remember them. The phrase "Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum" is cited as part of this daily remembrance, along with the names of loved ones'. It translates as "I'm still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal".
The uncertainty of life meant that most Mandalorians celebrated the time they had at every opportunity, taking part in communal singing, drinking, and enjoying time with family. The concept of aay'han was a Mandalorian term that encompassed the joy of time spent with loved ones while remembering those who were no longer among the living, relatively similar to the Basic term "bittersweet".

[Meiyokashi]

Insults
The Mandalorian language claims to have more insults than any other spoken galactic language, and depending on circumstances and context some insults are used affectionately within a group. Where Mandalorian insults differ from most other cultures who choose to insult someone’s lineage or appearance, the majority of Mandalorian pejoratives mock traits such as cowardice, laziness, stupidity, dull conversation, or poor hygiene. This ties back to their roots as a nomadic culture where being clever, hard-working, and clean are important factors to work with the group as a whole, while in a culture where bloodlines matter little and many wear helmets most of the time, pedigree and good looks matter less.

Some words that would be a compliment or viewed in a positive light elsewhere in the galaxy might earn some ire from a Mandalorian if used about them. Such as the word “delicate”, which translates to laandur. For a people who embrace endurance, strength, and tenacity, being called delicate is to say that they are not good Mandalorians.
In a similar vein, a sure way to start an unwanted confrontation is to imply or say that someone is a bad fighter, or not a good parent. The latter stemming mostly from Mandalorian culture placing such a strong emphasis on family, especially parental roles, as being a good parent is also part of the Resol’nare.

[Meiyokashi]

Cuisine
Like most other ethnic groups, Mandalorians had their own distinctive cuisine, unique to their culture. As a society of nomadic soldiers, many Mandalorian dishes developed out of the necessity for their food to be both portable and requiring little cooking, while still offering nourishment. Haarshun bread was a staple in Mandalorian field rations; made into sheets thin enough to nearly see through, the dough would be rolled and baked hard, then wet with water to soften it again before eating. Gihaal was a dried fishmeal that could last several years without refrigeration, and was a nutritious mix of fat and protein. However, it possessed a pungent, clinging aroma that most found unpleasant. More pleasing to the masses was uj'alayi, or "uj cake". Made from ground or crushed nuts, dried fruits, spices, and sticky uj'ayl syrup, uj cake was dense, flat, and extremely sweet.
A dish better suited for a sit-down meal was tiingilar, a spicy casserole made of meat and vegetables. When most beings think of Mandalorian alcoholic drinks, it's Mandallian Narcolethe that comes to mind. However, tihaar was a potent, and often colourless spirit, distilled from a variety of fruits, often whatever was available at the time. Many Mandalorians also preferred to partake of a pint of ne'tra gal, a black-colored sweet ale. The Mandalorians also possessed several drinking songs, including Buy'ce gal, buy'ce tal, and Naasad'guur mhi – Mhi n'ulu. In the case of non-alcoholic beverages, shig was a hot drink made from any infusion of herbs or spices much like tea, and was often made from behot, a fast-growing, citrus-flavoured herb. The New Mandalorians of Sundari were avid consumers of tea from the Ardees Beverage Company, even offering it to school children during their lunch periods.

When food is not eaten in the field, it is usually consumed in communal mealtimes. Cooking in large batches, which then allows the community to have completed meals in stock, is a preferred method in many communities as it also reduces the time needed to cook overall. Being able to cook an acceptable meal is something expected of many Mandalorians, particularly those of a more traditional background, as it is yet another skill of self-sufficiency.

[Meiyokashi]

Manda and Dar'manda

"Unless the kid has his culture and what makes him Mandalorian, he...he has no soul. That's why I had to teach them all, all my boys, what it was to be Mando. [...] We're nomadic. We have no country. All we have to hold us together is what we are, what we do, and without that we're…dar'manda. I don't know how to explain it…we have no soul, no afterlife, no identity. We're eternally dead." ― Kal Skirata

Among Mandalorians, the manda is a spiritual and philosophical concept that forms the core of their ways. It can be traced all the way back to the ancient Taung, the predecessors of the Mandalorians, who had a deepy religious society with intense devotion to their beliefs. They worshipped many different gods, with a destroyer god - Kad Ha'rangir - being the most important and most worshipped among them. To the Taung, Kad Ha'rangir represented the opportunity for change and growth that destrution provided, in opposition to the sloth-god Arasuum, who stood against Kad Ha'rangir as an avatar of stagnation. The ancient Mandalorians engaged in ritual combat in Kad Ha'rangir's name to win favor with their god.

This struggle between idleness and change was further reflected in the ancient Mandalorian belief in the afterlife. Existing as a plane of spiritual energy in constant conflict between stagnation and growth, every Mandalorian who perished was believed to join the army of the afterlife, defending their families that dwelled in the eternal, peaceful homestead. Ancient Mandalorians believed that this home beyond death was the only place they could truly reach a non-transitory existence.

Over time, the Mandalorians ceased to worship the old gods, including Kad Ha'rangir, and instead elevated the very act of war itself as the heart of their religion. War was revered, and to wage war was thought to be divine. It was from that point that the Mandalorians became infamous as Crusaders, a reflection of their view that the making of war was a holy crusade. This kind of zealotry was what brought the Mandalorians to great glories prior to the Mandalorian Wars, and would make them a feared group of warriors across the galaxy. In time, the fanaticism and worship of war itself faded, and their belief system moved further away from the supernatural, and on the whole the Mandalorians became more pragmatic. The concept of a literal afterlife, which the ancient Mandalorians had believed in, waned in favor of a belief in the manda.

The manda is described as an oversoul, a collective consciousness, and is at the very essence of being a Mandalorian. The very word manda has multiple meanings, and is used for many different expressions. On its own, it represents "the state of being Mandalorian in mind, body, and spirit", as well as meaning "collective soul" (or "heaven" for the ancient Mandalorians) or simply just "soul". A Mandalorian is part of the manda when they are knowledgeable of their culture and practice the tenets of the Resol'nare in their daily lives. It is through action and knowledge that a Mandalorian is part of their cultural identity.

The term dar'manda means "no longer a Mandalorian". For a Mandalorian to be ignorant of their heritage was to be dar'manda - without a soul - and to be without a place in both their culture and the collective afterlife. The concept of being dar'manda was greatly feared in Mandalorian society, and was considered a terrible fate.

While some could argue that any outsider is also a dar'manda because they are someone who isn't part of the group identity, to be dar'manda is a conscious act of denying and being ignorant of their Mandalorian culture and way of life, and while to be an outsider is a terrible thing, it is not so terrible as it is to be dar'manda. To be dar'manda means that they are lost from the collective oversoul, they have no place in the Mandalorian culture, and in death they will be alone, forgotten, and gone. In the times before and during the Mandalorians wars, any and all non-Mandalorians were considered dar'manda and soulles from birth - something that could only be changed when they joined the Mandalorians and lived by the Resol'nare. In that time, Mandalorians would forcibly induct prisoners of war into the Mandalorian culture, and were made to swear by the Resol'nare with or without their consent under the threat of death. After the Mandalorian Wars, such zealotry faded over time as Mandalorians became less fanatical about their religion, and more a secular society.

[Meiyokashi]

Resol'nare
The Resol'nare, or Six Actions when translated from Mando'a into Galactic Basic Standard, were the central tenets of Mandalorian life.

The Six Actions consist of:

• Wearing armor
• Speaking the Mandalorian language
• Defending oneself and family
• Raising your children as Mandalorians
• Contributing to the clan's welfare
• Rally to Mand'alor's cause when called upon

Tradition dictated that anyone who wished to be considered Mandalorian were to abide by these guidelines and live these actions daily. Mandalorians whom did not follow the Resol'nare were considered to be dar'manda.

Young Mandalorian children were taught a rhyme to help them learn the tenets of the Resol'nare, and their parents would explain the cultural significance of each tenet as they grew.

(in Mando'a)
Ba'jur bal beskar'gam,
Ara'nov, aliit,
Mando'a bal Mand'alor—
An vencuyan mhi.

(in Basic)
Education and armor,
Self-defense, our tribe,
Our language and our leader—
All help us survive.