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Jawa

From Wookieepedia, the Star Wars wiki.

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Jawa
Homeworld

Tatooine

Language

Jawaese

Average height

1 meter

Distinctions

Yellow eyes

Famous members
[Source]
"I can't abide those Jawas! Disgusting creatures!"
―C-3PO[src]

Jawas were typically short humanoid natives of Tatooine. They were often scavengers, seeking out technology for sale or trade in the deep deserts in their huge sandcrawler transports. A band of Jawas was responsible for locating C-3PO and R2-D2 and selling them to Luke Skywalker's uncle Owen Lars. Another tribe of Jawas, led by Tteel Kkak, found Jabba the Hutt's rancor. They had a reputation for swindling, as they had a penchant for selling old equipment such as outdated droids to moisture farmers, but they were passive beings, and hardly put up any resistance to colonists of their planet unlike the other natives the Sand People, instead seeing them as an excellent business opportunity.

Contents

[edit] Biology and appearance

"Utinni!"
―A commonly used Jawa cry[src]
Iziz, a Jawa from the days of the Old Republic.
Iziz, a Jawa from the days of the Old Republic.

Most Jawas were about 1 meter tall, though some grew to 1 and a half meters, and were characterized by their brown robes, glowing yellow eyes, and quickly spoken language called Jawaese that included words such as "Utinni!", which is translated as a battle cry, and "Ashuna ashuna!", which means "Let's go! Go!"[1]

Through the study of corpses and skeletal remains, xenobiologists discovered that Jawas appeared to be gaunt, rodent-like creatures, with shrunken faces and yellow eyes.[2] Jawa faces were obscured by a shroud of cloth to retain moisture, with polished, orange gemstones embedded in the fabric. These gems protected the Jawas' sensitive vision from the bright sunlight.[2] Their particular smell came from a mysterious solution into which Jawas dip their clothes to retain moisture. To Jawas, the odor was packed with information about each other, such as clan lineage, health, emotional state, even the last meal eaten. This odor also attracted swarms of insects that gathered in the recesses of their hoods.[3] Jawas also evolved several important survival traits, such as exceptional night vision, a strong immune system, and an efficient digestive system that drew all the needed nutrients from the Jawa staple diet of hubba gourd. Their average body temperature was 45ºC (112 F).

[edit] Society and culture

"Sand stays. All else changes."
―Unnamed Jawa[src]
"Jawas… Never around when you need them."
―Kyle Katarn — (audio)Listen[src]
A Jawa fortress in the desert hills.
A Jawa fortress in the desert hills.

Jawas had long been scavengers, as the Dune Sea provided a bounty of refuse. It was littered with spacecraft wreckage from millennia of star travel. The Jawas built homes and tools from these ancient scraps, and traveled the dunes in sandcrawlers, cast-off mobile smelters from failed outlander mining attempts. Jawas lived in clans, each with distinct territories for living and scavenging. In most Jawa clans, half the clan worked and lived in the sandcrawlers while the other family units dwelt in fortresses deep in the desert where collected wares were stored. These fortresses had high walls made from large chunks of old wrecked spaceships for protection against Sandpeople and krayt dragons.

A clan was led by a chief. Males were most often the leaders, while females were treated like second-class citizens at best, property at worst. The few females afforded respect in Jawa culture were the shamans. A Jawa became a shaman when she was overcome by an illness accompanied by a hallucinatory vision. Depending on the outcome of the vision, and assuming the Jawa survived the illness, she was usually decreed a shaman, and her words were given the respect that such wisdom commanded. A typical hunting party consisted of eight Jawas. Jawas usually walk in single file. Jawas do not recognize a number equating to seven. Once a year, the scattered Jawa clans gathered for a great swap meet. Here, numerous sandcrawlers converged and the Jawas met to exchange salvage. Marriages were arranged and Jawa children and females were exchanged among clans.

[edit] History

Two Jawas.
Two Jawas.
"The Jawas have a tendency to pick up anything that's not tied down, Luke, but remember, they're basically afraid of their own shadows."
―Owen Lars to Luke Skywalker[src]

The Jawas were descendants of the Kumumgah species which used to live on Tatooine long before the formation of the Galactic Republic. Later, the Rakata of the Infinite Empire punished the Kumumgah for defying their authority by unleashing an orbital bombardment that reduced the surface of the once lush world into little more than fused glass, which eventually crumbled and became desert sand. This extreme climatic change split the Kumumgah into two races: the tall Ghorfas (who evolved into the Sandpeople) and the short Jawas. It is worth noting, however, that during the Jedi Civil War the Jawas spoke of themselves in a manner that suggests they are unrelated to Sandpeople and are also non-native to Tatooine. Whether this is truth or else a ploy to distance themselves from their more violent cousins is unknown. Also, due to the fact that the Sand People knew their history from generations-old oral narratives, it is debatable if the Jawas even knew of the story.

Analyses of ancient stone carvings found on numerous worlds, including Corellia and even Coruscant, led scientists of the Imperial Archaeological Division in 1 ABY to propose the hypothesis that these carvings were of Jawa origin and that the race once traveled among the stars. It is not known whether further analysis proved their hypothesis to be true.[4]

A Jawa swap meet.
A Jawa swap meet.

Millennia before, the Czerka Corporation brought many sandcrawlers to Tatooine, though they abandoned the planet when they discovered the unstable nature of the local ores. The sandcrawlers were quickly adopted by the Jawas, who would use them as mobile homes. Although the planet was thereafter considered technically part of the Republic's Arkanis Sector, it was a part of Hutt Space by association. The abandoned sandcrawlers radically changed Jawa civilization, serving as mobile fortresses for Jawa tribes searching the deserts for materials to scavenge. The Jawas also emigrated to desert worlds, such as Ryloth, and garbage planets, such as Raxus Prime. One was even seen on the planet Genon. Sometime after the Battle of Endor, a group of 480 Jawas was transported to Endor as part of a privately funded expedition to salvage valuable hardware from wreckage left there after the battle. They reportedly mutinied, forming a roving bandit gang and preying upon any visitors to the moon.[5]

Jawas being assaulted by Galen Marek.
Jawas being assaulted by Galen Marek.

As colonists settled Tatooine, the Jawas were not as hostile towards them as the Sandpeople were. In their newly acquired sandcrawlers, Jawas would tour the desert, picking up old droids or equipment left by moisture farmers and other settlers, and would then either sell them to any willing customer or trade them for something else. Sometimes, Jawas would steal things that caught their eye, leading to settlers to regard them as untrustworthy. Presumably, they would use the money made from their dealings to acquire supplies or other necessities from the settlers.

In 17 ABY, some Jawas were forcefully taken to Skip 5 on the Smuggler's Run to help repair damaged Imperial equipment.

[edit] Equipment and technology

Jawas did not carry weapons due to their passive nature. They did carry ion blasters that shot beams of energy to disable droids and restraining bolts for keeping them under control. Most Jawas carried around various tools for repairing droids. They were also adept at creating custom droids, cobbled together from spare parts of other droids. These monster droids, as they were called, could be specially designed for the specific needs of a customer.[6]

[edit] Notable Jawas

Dathcha moments after firing upon R2-D2 with his ion blaster.
Dathcha moments after firing upon R2-D2 with his ion blaster.

[edit] Behind the scenes

Two Jawas, one with an Ion blaster and one with a restraining bolt remote.
Two Jawas, one with an Ion blaster and one with a restraining bolt remote.

In Attack of the Clones, Obi-Wan is offered a cup of "Jawa Juice" at a Coruscant diner. There is a long-running Internet joke (popular on Star Wars fan forums) that it is made only from "freshly squeezed Jawas."

Fans also speculate what a Jawa looks like under the hood. In behind the scenes shots from Return of the Jedi the Jawas have squarish heads covered in black cloth with large yellow eyes that appear mechanical. However, it should be admitted that this is a costume and so may not represent their canonical appearance. The original Star Wars novelization implies a familial relationship between Jawas and Tusken Raiders. It also describes them as rodent-like and compares them to de-evolved Humans, though these could be mere metaphors. The Mystery of the Rebellious Robot calls them the "subHuman inhabitants of Tatooine", and The Visual Dictionary states that "their rodent-like faces are remarkably ugly."

The look of the Weavers' guild in the LOOM computer game, by Lucasfilm, bears resemblance to that of the Jawas.

According to Stephen Sansweet's book, Star Wars: From Concept to Screen to Collectible, the Jawas were the centerpiece in one of the strangest copyright infringement cases involving Star Wars. In 1978, small hooded creatures with glowing eyes began accompanying rocker Neil Young on stage during a concert tour, in a tour film, and on the cover of the album Rust Never Sleeps. The case was settled out of court.

The Jawa language was recycled in Return of the Jedi to serve as the Ewok language.

[edit] Appearances

[edit] Non-canon appearances

Red-eyed Jawas disembark from their sandcrawler.
Red-eyed Jawas disembark from their sandcrawler.

[edit] Sources

Wookieepedia has a collection of images and media related to Jawa.

[edit] See also

[edit] Notes and references

  1. ↑ Galactic Phrase Book & Travel Guide
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 New Essential Guide to Alien Species
  3. ↑ Image:Databank_title.png Jawa in the Databank
  4. ↑ Star Wars Galaxies - Terminal mission "Jawas Were Spacefarers!"
  5. ↑ Galactic Phrase Book and Travel Guide
  6. ↑ The New Essential Guide to Droids
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