This article is about the tribes of sandbenders in the Si Wong Desert. For other similar uses, see Tribe (disambiguation).

The Sandbender Tribes, also known as the Si Wong people[1] or Si Wong tribes,[2] are a people indigenous to the Si Wong Desert in the Earth Kingdom, divided into several loosely-organized tribes such as the Hami Tribe.[3] Named for their special style of earthbending that involves bending loose sand instead of solid earth, the tribes have adapted to their hostile and barren homeland by becoming nomads, raiders, and scavengers.[4] They travel across the sand dunes through the use of sand-sailers.[5]

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History

The Sandbender Tribes settled in the Si Wong Desert some time after the beetle-headed merchants, though they eventually became the predominant ethnic group of the region.[6] Thanks to the desert's inaccessibility, the Earth Kingdom's government never managed to fully subdue the tribes.[1] A teenager of Si Wong tribal origin, Lek, was the friend and earthbending teacher of Avatar Kyoshi in 296 BG.[7][8]

In 100 AG, a group of sandbenders was present during Team Avatar's arrival at the Misty Palms Oasis. They soon spotted the Avatar Aang's flying bison, Appa, and tried to approach him, only to be chased away by Professor Zei.[5] Later on, Ghashiun's bandits managed to capture the sky bison despite his fierce resistance. In an attempt to escape, Appa caused the loss of a sand-sailer which the group had stolen from the Hami Tribe. They later traded the sky bison to the beetle-headed merchants, who proceeded to sell him to a Fire Nation circus.[9]

Days later, some sandbenders – among them the thieves that stole Appa – searched for the sand-sailer Appa had caused the sandbenders to lose. This sand-sailer had been recovered by Team Avatar, and at first, the sandbenders accused the team of theft, but Sha-Mo jumped to their defense. Toph recognized the voice of one of the thieves, Ghashiun, and deduced that he stole Appa. At first, Ghashiun denied this charge, but when Toph revealed that he had muzzled the bison, Aang became enraged and entered the Avatar State. Fearful of Aang's rage-induced power, Ghashiun admitted his theft and stated that he traded the bison, who was probably, by that point, in Ba Sing Se. The sandbenders subsequently offered to escort the group out of the desert.[3]

Sometime before 171 AG, a group of sandbenders had surrounded an oasis in the middle of the desert, the only one for a hundred miles. Bumi, who was a commander in the United Forces at the time, along with his platoon had taken notice of these sandbenders as the troops approached the oasis in an attempt to retrieve water, but were not welcomed by the angry tribesmen.[10]

After she left Republic City, Suyin Beifong traveled to the Si Wong Desert and lived among a commune of sandbenders. She left sometime afterward to found the city of Zaofu.[11]

When Avatar Korra and Asami Sato rode their makeshift, metal sand-sailer out of the Si Wong Desert, a group of sandbenders eyed them in wonder before Asami offered to sell the metal vehicle to them.[12]

Culture

The Sandbender Tribes have a unique culture, and share few customs with the rest of the continent.[1] Organized into communes[11] that in turn form several tribes,[3] the sandbenders have to cope with a hostile and harsh environment. As a desert people, they developed a sandbending style that enables them to use the sand-sailers which form their primary form of transportation. Due to their living in the sun-drenched Si Wong Desert, skin cancer is a common ailment among the Sandbender Tribes.[13] As a result, they are traditionally clad in multiple layers of clothing and use special goggles to protect themselves from the sun.[3]

The tribes believe in a pantheon of gods, and according to their ancient lore, these supernatural beings showed their might and anger by dropping the massive Si Wong Rock onto the desert people when they no longer followed the rules of their priests.[14] In death, tribal members eschew markers for their graves or funeral orations. Instead, the embrace of the land and nature's silence is believed to be the only fitting honor for the deceased.[15]

Since economic opportunities are limited in the desert, sandbenders get by however they can. They are known to scavenge for dead animals and to steal from others,[4] though raiding is believed to be a dishonorable action. Despite the scarce resources, the Sandbender Tribes are not above offering hospitality to people wronged by their fellow tribesmen.[3]

The sandbenders maintain contacts with both the beetle-headed merchants and the Earth Kingdom settlers around the desert, especially those living at the Misty Palms Oasis.[5][11] Some tribal members are known to permanently live in these border settlements. However, desertification and major sandstorms regularly result in the oases drying up and towns being buried in sand, so that a settled lifestyle is not much safer than a nomadic one.[7]

Traveling merchants are often all too ready to buy the booty which sandbender raiders have stolen,[9] but the tribes' relationship with those from outside the desert is strained and ambiguous, as they are often not well received by outsiders due to their poor reputation as thieves and bandits.[16] Nevertheless, they are also capable of accepting outsiders into their communes and tribes.[11]

Appearances

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Book Two: Earth (土)

The Legend of Korra

Book Three: Change (易)

Kyoshi novels

Trivia

The sandbenders bear a distinct resemblance in dress and culture to the real-life Tuareg people, who inhabit the Saharan interior of North Africa. They also bear a resemblance to the Tusken Raider from Star Wars , who are less formally referred to as "Sand People". They also roam a desert and are hostile to local settlers.

The Hami Tribe's name matches that of the Hami Desert, a section of the Gobi Desert in China's Xinjiang Autonomous Region.

The goggles they wear to shade their eyes from the sun and keep sand out look very similar to the eclipse glasses the invasion force wore during the invasion of the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun.

References