Sand People, also known as Tusken Raiders or simply Tuskens, constituted a nomadic sentient species native to the desert world of Tatooine. They often displayed hostility towards the settlers residing there. Tusken younglings were referred to as Uli-ah. The designation Tusken Raiders originated considerably later, stemming from a series of coordinated assaults on the settlement of Fort Tusken approximately eighty years prior to 19 BBY.
One clan took the bounty hunter Boba Fett captive, but after he demonstrated his value, they integrated him into their society.
The species of Tusken Raiders had their origins on the desert planet of Tatooine. The severe conditions of their planet of origin led to extreme xenophobia and a strong defense of their natural resources, which manifested as frequent attacks on the outskirts of smaller settlements such as Anchorhead. They considered themselves to be the rightful inhabitants of Tatooine, viewing all non-native species as intruders. The Sand People held the belief that all water was sacred and rightfully belonged to them, which resulted in them raiding moisture farms established by colonists. Scarce water sources, such as Gafsa, were also considered sacred by the Tuskens. Merely approaching one of these water sources could trigger immediate violence. Furthermore, the Tusken Raiders harvested black melons that grew in the Jundland Wastes, providing them with a dependable source of milk. Worrts, a non-sentient species endemic to Tatooine, were a prized delicacy for the Tusken Raiders.
Tusken society was nomadic, with clan groups typically consisting of 20 to 30 individuals, all under the leadership of clan leaders, tribal chiefs, and warlords. Tuskens traveled in single file to conceal their numbers. The culture of each tribe varied considerably, with some prioritizing the elimination of outsiders for survival, while others adopted more peaceful strategies. The Sand People communicated using Tusken, which encompassed both their spoken language and a trade-based sign language used when interacting with outsiders. Upon reaching the age of 15, a Tusken was considered an adult; boys were required to slay a krayt dragon and extract the valuable pearl from its stomach to earn their adult status within the tribe. Tuskens lived in encampments scattered across the rocky Jundland Wastes, an area known as The Needles, which were protected from intruders by fierce massiffs.
Male Tusken Raiders served as the warriors of their respective clans, often targeting vulnerable travelers who unfortunately strayed into their territory. They wielded gaderffii sticks in combat and used cycler rifles to attack passing vehicles. Each Tusken warrior crafted their own unique gaderffii stick. Males wore coarse wrappings and clothing that provided protection and allowed for ease of movement. While male Tuskens served as soldiers, females fulfilled a variety of roles. In certain tribes, females were distinguished by their elaborate jeweled masks with eye slits and sand-shrouds covering their torsos. Tusken children, known as Uli-ah, wore unisex cowls and simple cloaks, and were not allowed to dress like males or females until they reached adulthood. All Sand People wore mouth grilles and eye coverings to conserve moisture and keep out sand. Over time, the need to shield their bodies from Tatooine's harsh climate evolved into a strong taboo against exposing any part of their bodies in public. Consequently, Tuskens almost never removed their masks, even in private. They were only permitted to remove their clothing in front of others during childbirth, on their wedding night, and at coming-of-age ceremonies. Furthermore, no outsider is known to have survived after seeing a Tusken unmasked.
The Sand People and banthas shared an intimate, nearly spiritual bond. During warrior initiation rites, a young Tusken was paired with a bantha of the same gender and taught to care for it, fostering a deep connection as the youth earned their place in the clan. A rider and their bantha developed a strong sense of affinity, trust, and respect for one another. When Sand People married, their banthas also mated, and if a rider were to die, their bantha typically followed soon after. If a bantha died before its rider, its remains were placed in a dedicated graveyard, which was treated with reverence by Tuskens and other banthas.
Although the Tuskens were generally hostile toward outsiders, one tribe entered into an agreement with Cobb Vanth, the lawman and Sheriff of Freetown. Vanth and the animal handler Malakili secured the Tuskens' protection by providing them with water and a pearl extracted from a krayt dragon's belly. These Tuskens also shared Vanth's animosity towards criminal elements, particularly slavers. Another tribe welcomed Boba Fett bounty hunter into their fold after he proved his worth. Indeed, many Tuskens were known to negotiate with outsiders; Din Djarin bounty hunter knew he could secure safe passage through Tusken territory by offering tribute. Djarin also observed that Tuskens were known for honoring their word.
The Tusken tribe that accepted Boba Fett possessed a gekko capable of entering a host's body and inducing hallucinations. The tribe employed the lizard to guide individuals on spiritual journeys. During one such vision, Fett encountered a wortwood tree in the desert, from which he broke off a branch to craft his own gaderffii stick. The tribe also practiced a tradition of dancing around a campfire. Upon the death of tribe members, their bodies and weapons were gathered and cremated on a funeral pyre.
The Tuskens held superstitions regarding various landmarks on Tatooine. For instance, they avoided Mushroom Mesa at all costs and always discharged their blasters before traversing the B'Thazoshe Bridge.
When the oceans of Tatooine disappeared for reasons unknown, the Sand People, dispersed into numerous tribes, largely chose to remain hidden from outsiders and colonists. Certain tribes remained committed to maintaining their seclusion. However, others adopted an aggressive stance, focusing on eliminating any outsiders they encountered.
Approximately eight decades before the proclamation of the Galactic Empire in 19 BBY, the settlement of Fort Tusken was established on the edge of the Badlands within the Jundland Wastes. It was almost immediately subjected to attacks by local Sand People. The settlers endured significant losses of life and property, eventually leading to the abandonment of Fort Tusken. From that point forward, the settlers of Tatooine began referring to the Sand People as "Tusken Raiders." During the thirty-two year reign of the bandit Alkhara, he hired a group of Tuskens and instructed them to eradicate a local garrison of police. Alkhara subsequently betrayed his Tusken allies and had them executed. Alkhara's scheme, along with other negative encounters between the Tuskens and Tatooine settlers, fostered a strained relationship between the two groups, resulting in the settlers developing a negative perception of the "Sand People."
In 32 BBY, during the [Boonta Eve Classic](/article/boonta_eve_classic], a group of Sand People established a camp on Canyon Dune Turn. During the initial lap, they fired several shots at passing podracers using their slugthrowers. Although initially unsuccessful, a Tusken managed to shoot down the podracer piloted by Teemto Pagalies on the second lap, causing it to crash.
In 22 BBY, one month before the First Battle of Geonosis, Sand People attacked the Lars moisture farm and abducted Shmi Skywalker Lars, imprisoning and torturing her. Her son, the Jedi Padawan Anakin Skywalker, returned to Tatooine to rescue her, but she succumbed to her injuries after he located her in a Tusken camp. Driven by vengeance, Anakin proceeded to slaughter every Tusken in the vicinity. Following the massacre, the Tuskens began to fear Skywalker, viewing him as a vengeful desert demon, and initiated ritual sacrifices to ward him off. They also learned of the connection between the events and the Lars family, leading the Tusken Raiders to harbor a grudge against them for Skywalker's actions.
In 2 BBY, while searching for Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi on Tatooine, Padawan Ezra Bridger and C1-10P were ambushed by a group of Tusken Raiders. The Tuskens successfully destroyed their ship before being killed by Maul, the former Sith apprentice.
Two years later, a young female Tusken Raider named Reirin yearned to prove herself to her people. She resented her clan's restrictions on women fighting, despite being one of the most skilled fighters in the clan. Eventually, Reirin departed, having been hired by a trader in Mos Eisley to recover an item from a tribe of Jawas in exchange for passage off Tatooine. She exploited the distraction caused by R5-D4's malfunction after Owen Lars and Luke Skywalker purchased him to sneak aboard the sandcrawler.
Anakin's son Luke was attacked by a young Tusken named A'Koba after venturing from his homestead to retrieve R2-D2. A'Koba, accompanied by two other members of A'Yark's tribe, A'Vor and his twin, began looting Skywalker's X-34 landspeeder. However, Obi-Wan Kenobi, concealing himself in his Jedi robes, deterred the Tuskens by imitating the cry of a krayt dragon. Prior to their attack on Skywalker, A'Yark had warned the three young Tuskens about Kenobi, believing him to be a powerful shaman who commanded the very air. Upon seeing the cloaked figure, the three recognized him as the shaman they had been warned about and fled. After greeting R2 and Skywalker and recovering C-3PO, Kenobi took them to his home, knowing that the Tuskens would return in greater numbers. Indeed, when A'Koba rejoined A'Yark, he wanted to return with reinforcements. After advising caution, A'Yark allowed the three to gather more Tuskens to return to the gorge, viewing it as part of a leadership rite.
Shortly after the Battle of Yavin, Anakin, now the Sith Lord Darth Vader, massacred a village of Tuskens before meeting with bounty hunters Boba Fett and Krrsantan. Following the attack, a survivor showed other Tuskens the ruins of his village and the bodies of his people. These Tuskens then erected a shrine to Vader and sacrificed the survivor.
Sometime later, a Tusken known as the "Jundland General" led his people in a series of coordinated attacks against the colonists of Tatooine. However, he and his followers were defeated by a group of mercenaries led by Saponza and his partner.
The Rebel Alliance agent Gita went undercover as a Tusken Raider sniper named Urrr'k. While undercover, Gita was recruited by the Hidden Hand's leader, Gwi, to be part of a team led by the cyborg bounty hunter Beilert Valance on a hunt for the Sith Lord Darth Vader, although Valance suspected she was an imposter because Tusken Raiders don't leave Tatooine.
After Commander Skywalker rescued Captain Han Solo from Jabba the Hutt, a tribe of Tusken Raiders captured bounty hunter Boba Fett. They also captured a Rodian. When Fett tried to escape, he was defeated by one of the raiders, but he gained their respect by defeating a sand beast. A warrior taught Fett how to use a Gaderffii stick, and Fett taught members of the tribe how to use speeder bikes. Eventually, after leading the tribe to victory against a Pyke Syndicate repulsortrain that had repeatedly attacked them, Fett was inducted into the tribe. The Tuskens used a gekko that crawled inside Fett's body, giving him a vision and making him walk in the desert until he found a Wortwood tree, from which he broke off a branch to forge his own gaderffii stick in a Gaderffii stick workshop. However, the tribe was later massacred by the Pyke Syndicate, who falsely blamed a speeder bike gang known as the Kintan Striders by painting their symbol.
Before the Battle of Jakku, the Sheriff of Freetown, Cobb Vanth, made a deal with local Tusken Raiders to protect his settlement from criminals. Like Vanth's community, the Tuskens hated criminals, especially slavers. When the Red Key Raiders under crime lord Lorgan Movellan captured Freetown, the Tusken tribe ambushed the criminals and freed the town.
In 9 ABY, the Mandalorian Din Djarin reluctantly partnered with rookie bounty hunter Toro Calican. They rode speeder bikes across the Dune Sea to capture the Master Assassin Fennec Shand. They encountered some Tusken Raiders on the way. The Mandalorian used Tusken Sign Language to negotiate safe passage through their land. The Tuskens agreed, taking the rookie bounty hunter's binoculars as payment, which Djarin gave them despite Calican's objections.
Sometime later, a group of Tuskens allied with Djarin and Cobb Vanth to team up and take down a huge krayt dragon living nearby. The Tusken Raiders, who had studied the dragon's digestive cycle for generations, tried to make the dragon sleep longer by feeding it a bantha, but the animal ate a Tusken instead. Out of ideas, the group joined forces with the people of Freetown, now known as Mos Pelgo again. In exchange for their help, the Tuskens promised not to attack Mos Pelgo again unless a villager broke the peace. The Tuskens were also promised the dragon's corpse and ichor. Vanth and his men contributed explosives and worked with the Tuskens, who set up ballistas to kill the beast. Despite the dragon eating several Tuskens, the group killed it when Djarin detonated their explosives. The Tuskens then butchered the carcass, with one member finding a pearl inside, which excited the tribe greatly.
In 34 ABY, during his self-imposed exile on Ahch-To, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker had a dream where he ignored Princess Leia Organa's message and never joined the rebellion. In his dream, two decades had passed since any Tusken Raider had been seen on his side of Anchorhead, and nothing was left of them but bones. Luke noted that it made him feel sad for some reason.
The Tuskens first appeared in the second draft of Star Wars: A New Hope as Imperial spies deployed as a platoon on Tatooine to find out why Deak Starkiller had come to the planet. They looked humanoid, had red eyes, and drove unique landspeeders. In the third draft, they became native to Tatooine.
For the Star Wars Rebels episode "Twin Suns," the Tusken Raiders were designed without flowing robes to save time and resources in animation rendering.
The Tusken Raiders' barking speech was inspired by the sounds of donkeys and mules used to carry filming equipment to remote locations in Tunisia. These sounds echoed off the canyon rocks, creating a scary and chilling effect and often disrupting filming. Sound designer Ben Burtt used these recordings and edited them with other animal breathing and wheezing sounds to create the Tusken voices.