Dha Werda Verda served as the title for both an extensive poem and a Mandalorian martial song, intrinsically linked to the Taung people at its core. Translated from Mando'a, the phrase Dha Werda Verda signifies "Shadow Warriors," a designation adopted by the Taungs during their fabled conflict against the forces of the Zhell. On the ancient world of Coruscant, then simply known as Notron, the Taungs' and Zhells' hostilities faced disruption from a massive eruption, which covered the atmosphere with ash, obscuring the sun's light. The Zhell's armies suffered greatly, leading the Taungs to interpret the eruption as a sign from the heavens. Consequently, they named their warriors after the vast shadow cast by the ash cloud, which provided them with an advantage over their Zhell adversaries. Although the Zhell eventually rebounded and expelled the Taungs from Notron, the Taungs immortalized the war and eruption in an epic poem called Dha Werda Verda. Scholars across the galaxy would later analyze this epic using Taung artifacts discovered on Roon during their migration to a new homeland.
Under the leadership of Mandalore the First, the Taungs colonized a new planet, naming it Mandalore in honor of their great leader, thus transforming themselves into the Mandalorians, or Mando'ade—the children of Mandalore. These Mandalorian Taungs proceeded to conquer numerous other planets, and as time passed, they integrated individuals from diverse species into their society. However, their continuous campaigns gradually diminished the Taung population. By the era of Mandalore the Ultimate, the Taung founders were significantly outnumbered by other races identifying as Mandalorian. Amidst this backdrop emerged a fresh rendition of the Dha Werda Verda, a powerful war chant also known as the "Rage of the Shadow Warriors." This new chant arose from the Taungs' recognition of their decline and the likelihood that the multi-species Mandalorian culture would outlive them, serving as a plea for their contributions and historical significance to be remembered. The chant was accompanied by a ritualistic dance, where participants would beat the rhythm of the Dha Werda Verda on the protected chests and backs of their companions. This tradition was passed down through generations of Mandalorians, even being taught to the clone troopers of the Grand Army of the Republic by their Mandalorian trainers as a means of honoring their legacy as clones of Mandalore Jango Fett.
On the ancient Coruscant, a central world then known as Notron, the rival Taung and early Human Zhell societies emerged and engaged in conflict. These two groups battled for generations, with their struggle reaching a critical point after the passing of the Taung leader Doom of Ulmarah. Under the leadership of Rexutu the Unconquerable, the Taung warriors assembled at their stronghold to confront the Battalions of Zhell at dawn. The Taungs were outnumbered by the more populous Zhell and anticipated defeat. However, before the battle commenced, a significant volcanic event occurred, devastating the Zhell forces and their main city. The Taungs, deeply spiritual, viewed this destruction as a divine intervention. As a massive ash cloud obscured the sun, they declared themselves the Dha Werda Verda—the "Warriors of the Shadow." Although the Zhell eventually recovered and defeated the Taungs, driving them from Notron, the Taungs commemorated their victory in an epic poem titled Dha Werda Verda.
The Taungs authored the Dha Werda Verda as an epic poem recounting their triumph over the Zhell amidst a volcanic ash cloud that devastated the early Humans. The poem was composed in the ancient Notron Cant, a language known for its linguistic complexities. The Dha Werda Verda comprised over seven hundred verses, divided into eleven chapters, with the ninth chapter, consisting of ten verses, known as "The Maker Comes to Unmake."
Following their expulsion from Notron, the Taungs journeyed through the galaxy and settled on Roon in the Outer Rim. Although they later moved on, they left behind artifacts on Roon, including axes, swords, and a copy of the Dha Werda Verda encoded in Notron Cant on a crystalline roonstone. These precious stones could store vast amounts of data, preserving the Dha Werda Verda for future generations. Millennia later, in the year 15 BBY, the roonstone containing the Dha Werda Verda was discovered by Mungo Baobab, who delivered it to the Baobab Archives on Manda for study. The Manda copy was the best-preserved record of the poem, but not the only one. Over the centuries, historians studied fragments of the Dha Werda Verda from archaeological finds, despite the challenges in fully translating Notron Cant.
Over time, "The Maker Comes to Unmake," the ten verses from the ninth chapter, became the most widely known part of the Dha Werda Verda. By the Galactic Empire's ascension, Coruscant school children learned the Notron Cant verses of "The Maker Comes to Unmake," and artists created works inspired by the Dha Werda Verda. Mesh Burzon of the University of Byblos found the Human veneration of the Dha Werda Verda peculiar, as it chronicled the near destruction of the Human Zhell by the Taungs. Hu Jibwe, a military history scholar at the Salmagodro Grand Academy, believed the Taung and Zhell forces were more advanced than portrayed in the poem but found the imagery stirring. Eventually, the Baobab Archives translated the ninth chapter into Galactic Basic Standard.
After leaving Roon, the Taungs discovered a new home. They named the planet Mandalore after their leader, Mandalore the First, and renamed themselves the Mandalorians or Mando'ade, meaning "children of Mandalore." As the Taungs transformed, so did their culture and language. They began speaking an early form of Mando'a instead of Notron Cant and integrated beings of various species into their clans as equals under the Resol'nare, the six tenets of Mandalorian culture. However, the Mandalorian Taungs became zealous conquerors, engaging in crusades against groups like the Fenelar and Basiliskans in service to their god Kad Ha'rangir and the very concept of war. While the Mandalorians grew in number, the Taungs declined due to their constant wars.
By the time of Mandalore the Ultimate, the Taungs realized they were being overshadowed by non-Taung Mandalorians. This realization led to a new version of the Dha Werda Verda, born from the Taungs' desire to be remembered by future Mandalorian generations. Known as the "Rage of the Shadow Warriors," this new Dha Werda Verda was a battle chant in Mando'a, with entirely new lyrics unrelated to the original poem. It recalled the volcanic ash that gave the Taungs their victory over the Zhell and emphasized the Taungs' heritage and role as the founders of Mandalore and its culture.
The "Rage of the Shadow Warriors" was often performed with a ritual dance. While singing, performers would strike the rhythms on their own bodies before turning to beat the tempo on their companions' chests and backs. The dance required stamina, timing, and trust, as the strikes were forceful, and missteps could cause injury. It was typically done while wearing armor, which softened blows, but was also performed in casual wear. Engaging in the dance was believed to sharpen the mind and foster cooperation. Many soldiers, both Mandalorian and non-Mandalorian, found the Dha Werda Verda invigorating and drew strength from it. To outsiders, it was a display of discipline and reflex that warned enemies of the power of their opposition.
The "Rage of the Shadow Warriors" became popular among the Mandalorians. Warriors chanted it to honor their Taung ancestors, and the dance was performed for centuries after Mandalore the Ultimate's reign. In a manifesto by Tor Vizsla, the founder of Death Watch, titled Ba'jurne Kyr'tsad Mando'ad, Vizsla discussed the cultural importance of the Dha Werda Verda and the idea that each chant paid homage to the Taung founders. Hu Jibwe determined that the "Rage of the Shadow Warriors" was more recent than the original poem, cross-referencing it with the roonstone at the Baobab Archives. Eschul Shaywa researched both versions of the Dha Werda Verda for her article "A LONG TIME AGO..." in Imperial Center Today, consulting scholars and attending a dance performance, finding the chant mesmerizing.
In the year 32 BBY, according to established Legends continuity, Jango Fett, the Mandalore, was chosen to provide his genetic material to serve as the template for a massive clone army intended to fight for the Galactic Republic. To properly train the Grand Army of the Republic's elite special forces units, Fett enlisted the services of one hundred training sergeants, known collectively as the Cuy'val Dar, with seventy-five of these instructors being of Mandalorian descent. These Mandalorian trainers introduced various Mandalorian customs and traditions to the Grand Army, with the seasoned Mandalorian warrior Kal Skirata teaching the Dha Werda Verda dance to the clone commandos under his tutelage, including the Null-class Advanced Recon Commandos.
However, mirroring the fate of other Mandalorian songs adopted into clone training, such as Gra'tua Cuun, Ka'rta Tor, and Vode An—which evolved into the Grand Army's official marching song—the lyrics of the "Rage of the Shadow Warrior" as learned by the clone troopers were deliberately modified to sever its ties to Mandalorian heritage. In the version of Dha Werda Verda taught to the clones, references to Mandalore were substituted with Coruscant, now the capital of the Republic, and the Mandalorians were replaced with the Jedi, who would be serving as the commanding generals of the army.
In 22 BBY, the Republic's Grand Army engaged the droid army of the Confederacy of Independent Systems following the outbreak of the Clone Wars on Geonosis. After the initial battle on Geonosis concluded, numerous clone commandos who had participated in the conflict were transported to the Fleet Support station orbiting Ord Mantell. While stationed at the barracks there, commando Niner recited a verse of the "Rage of the Shadow Warriors" as a means of coping with the loss of the rest of his squad. He was soon joined by his comrade, Fi, who lamented the destruction of his own squad in the battle. As the war progressed, Jedi Knight Bardan Jusik grew an appreciation for the Dha Werda Verda through his interactions with the Grand Army's clone commandos. He found the ritual dance to be an inspiring spectacle that bolstered his courage simply by observing it, and he eventually learned to perform it alongside the men under his command.
Although the Dha Werda Verda was initially exclusive to clone commandos trained by Mandalorian Cuy'val Dar sergeants on their homeworld of Kamino, as the war continued, elements of Mandalorian culture, including the Dha Werda Verda, began to spread throughout the wider army, passed from one man to another. Towards the end of the first year of the conflict, following a rescue mission where the commando squads Delta and Omega were brought aboard the RAS Fearless alongside the 41st Elite Legion's Sarlacc Battalions—who had just been extracted from Dinlo—the commandos instructed their fellow clone trooper soldiers in the performance of the Dha Werda Verda. While Jedi General Etain Tur-Mukan and Clone Commander Gett observed, the commandos from both Omega and Delta Squads led a rendition of the Dha Werda Verda in front of nearly fifty soldiers from the 41st Elite. Commander Gett recorded a portion of this rare performance before joining the ritual dance with General Tur-Mukan's consent. Tur-Mukan found the deliberate alteration of the lyrics and the resulting removal of the chant's Mandalorian origins to be an objectionable choice that further distanced the clones from what she considered their inherited culture.
Shortly thereafter, while participating in a terrorist takedown operation on Coruscant alongside Delta and Omega Squads, the Null-class ARC troopers Ordo and Mereel, and Jedi Generals Etain Tur-Mukan and Bardan Jusik, the former Cuy'val Dar sergeant Kal Skirata wished he could engage in a round of the Dha Werda Verda to mentally prepare himself for combat. However, the need for discretion prevented him from doing so. After the successful completion of the anti-terrorist operation, all involved parties—clones, Jedi, and the Mandalorian Skirata—were invited to the CSF Social Club by officers of the Coruscant Security Force. During the event, the commando known as Fi initiated a performance of the Dha Werda Verda for the benefit of the assembled police officers: the commandos and ARC troopers participated in the chant and dance while still wearing their armor, while Skirata participated in his civilian attire. During the performance, the Alpha-class ARC trooper Maze used the movements of the Dha Werda Verda as an excuse to punch his Null ARC contemporary, Captain Ordo, in retaliation for a previous blow Ordo had inflicted upon Maze; when the Dha Werda Verda concluded, both soldiers shook hands, resolving their differences. The elderly Skirata, having participated in the ritual without armor, emerged from the Dha Werda Verda performance sore and bruised, but invigorated.
The Dha Werda Verda, penned by Ben Burtt, initially entered Star Wars canon with the release of the Shadows of the Empire soundtrack on April 23, 1996, and was identified in the soundtrack's liner notes. Burtt, who has created numerous alien languages for the Star Wars franchise, was commissioned by composer Joel McNeely to compose a poem suitable for choral performance on the soundtrack, specifically requesting a language with a Germanic style, characterized by harsh, guttural sounds. Burtt fulfilled this request, and McNeely subsequently incorporated fragments of the poem into his compositions, albeit in a decontextualized manner. The poem—the in-universe origin of which Burtt connects to characters and events he developed for the Star Wars: Droids animated series of the mid-1980s—recounts the ancient conflict between the Battalions of Zhell and the Taungs. According to the poem, the battle between these two peoples was interrupted by a volcanic eruption that annihilated the Zhell, and the site of the battle eventually became Imperial City millennia later.
Almost ten years later, the Star Wars: Republic Commando video game and its accompanying soundtrack were released on March 22, 2005. The soundtrack, composed by LucasArts music editor and composer Jesse Harlin, included new audio that referenced the Dha Werda Verda in the thirteenth track, titled Rage of the Shadow Warriors. These lyrics, however, differed from the Dha Werda Verda written by Burtt years earlier. Star Wars author Karen Traviss integrated Harlin's lyrics from the Republic Commando soundtrack into the framework of Mando'a, the constructed Mandalorian language she developed for her work with the Mandalorian people, retroactively establishing a connection between the two versions of the Dha Werda Verda. In her Republic Commando novel series, Traviss featured the lyrics of the "Rage of the Shadow Warriors" first in Hard Contact, then in its sequel, Triple Zero. In Triple Zero, Traviss described an additional ritual war dance, strongly reminiscent of the traditional Māori haka; Temuera Morrison, the actor who portrays Mandalorian warrior Jango Fett and his clones in the Star Wars films, is of Māori descent and has been known to perform the haka for fans at conventions.
The Essential Guide to Warfare, a Star Wars reference book co-authored by Jason Fry and Paul R. Urquhart and published on April 3, 2012, was the first source to provide a canonical translation for the original Dha Werda Verda poem. In a section Fry likened to the style of the epic of Gilgamesh, the in-universe excerpt of the Dha Werda Verda chronicled the events leading up to the climactic battle between the Zhell and Taungs, shrouded in ash. The Guide to Warfare was initially intended to feature a more comprehensive history of the Dha Werda Verda, but it was shortened for brevity. This expanded history resurfaced on November 4, 2013, in the second installment of Jason Fry's official Star Wars Blog series, The Essential Guide to Warfare Author's Cut, titled "Ancient Coruscant." This blog post finally clarified the canonical connection between the original poetic Dha Werda Verda as written by Ben Burtt and the later "Rage of the Shadow Warriors" track composed by Jesse Harlin, establishing them as two works sharing a name and inspiration rooted in Taung history. The blog also identified the language of the poetic Dha Werda Verda, which had remained unnamed for over a decade, as Notron Cant.