Tasander Dest was a Hapan male who spent his formative years on the planet Dathomir, raised by his father. Upon his father's departure, Dest opted to remain on Dathomir, where he went on to establish the Broken Columns Clan, a tribe exclusively composed of men.
Under Dest's guidance, the Broken Columns Clan established a friendly relationship with the Raining Leaves Clan, a group of traditionalist Dathomiri Witches. Uniquely, the Broken Columns clan was the only male tribe that refrained from attacking the Raining Leaves Clan following the massacre that devastated their numbers. Annually, near Redgill Lake, the two tribes initiated a tradition of year-long marriages. After a period of time, the clans chose to unite.
During the clan's yearly conclave in 43.5 ABY, the clans faced multiple assaults by the Nightsisters. With assistance from the Jedi Luke and Ben Skywalker, the Sith apprentice Vestara Khai, and other individuals from off-world, the two clans fought off the Nightsisters. The clans then merged to form the Bright Sun Clan, co-led by Dest's marriage to Kaminne Sihn, the leader of the Raining Leaves Clan. Dest also granted the Skywalkers property rights, enabling them to establish a new academy for the Jedi Order on Dathomir.