Mandalorian Society



- Mandalorian Society -

There is no gender in the Mandalorian language. This mirrors the equal status of men and women and the general flexibility of societal roles, despite what appears to many to be a traditional division of tasks along gender lines.

Men are expected to be warriors and to raise and train their sons to be the same. Women maintain the home wherever the nomads happen to travel and raise daughters. But women are also expected to have the combat skills of a man in order to defend the homestead when the men are away. Women also fight alongside men on the battlefield. If they have no dependent children to care for, they’re expected to share the responsibilities of defence and warfare.

Not surprisingly, the Mandalorian female ideal that men respect is not fragile and graceful, but physically strong, enduring and gritty. The word laandur (delicate) is a common insult among women. If you imply that a Mando woman is a bad mother, a poor fighter or a laandur (weakling) you’ll find out the hard way that she’s none of these things.

Marriage is expected to be for life – which is sometimes prematurely short for warriors – and usually takes place soon after Mandalorians turn 16. A couple enters into a legal commitment simply by making the following pledge to each other:

Mandalorian

Mhi solus tome

Mhi solus dar’tome

Mhi me’dinui an

Mhi ba’juri verde

Translation

We are one when together

We are one when parted

We share all

We will raise warriors

Despite their emphasis on fidelity and chastity before marriage, Mandalorians are surprisingly forgiving and relatively unconcerned with parentage. As they prize action and pragmatism above words and intentions, they take the view that aliit ori’shya tal’din (family is more than bloodline). It’s the daily affirmation of family life that matters to them, which explains their propensity for adoption and even welcoming adults into the Mando fold. With many widows and orphans in the Mandalorian community, suitable foreign adult males are not only welcome but also necessary.

The adoption process, like marriage, is a simple statement of intention: the gai bal manda (name and soul) takes its place in the declaration ni kyr’tayla gai sa’ad (I know your name as my child). That, and the ongoing adherence to the six tenets of Mandalorian life, is all it takes to become Mandalorian.

Just as it’s possible to become Mandalorian, it’s also possible to lose your Mandalorian status, renounce it, or even have it taken from you. Exile is a rare but feared punishment.