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{{Short description|Fictional alien race}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}{{Long plot|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox fictional race
| name               = Tusken Raiders
| image              = Star Wars and the Power of Costume July 2018 23 (Tusken Raider male costume with gaffi from Episode IV).jpg
| series             = [[Star Wars]]
| first              = ''[[Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope]]'' (1977)
| caption            = Tusken Raider male costume with gaffi from ''Episode IV''
| leader             = Tribal leaders
| home_world         = [[Tatooine]]
| language           = Tusken
}}

'''Tusken Raiders'''{{Efn|Informally "'''Sand People'''" or simply '''Tuskens'''.}} are a fictional alien race in the [[Star Wars|''Star Wars'' franchise]]. They first appeared in [[Star Wars (film)|''Star Wars'']] (1977).

==Depiction==
The Tusken Raiders are depicted as xenophobic and are known to be aggressive in their interactions with other species, though they are capable of compromise and cooperation with outsiders. They dress in heavy cloth robes, and cover their heads with strips of cloth to secure a breath mask and eye protection. They learned to train the Banthas native to Tatooine as mounts, and a marauding group of Tuskens will ride them single file, to hide their numbers.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hill |first=Kyle |date=August 9, 2013 |title=Tusken Raiders Ride Single File as a Valid Military Tactic |url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/tusken-raiders-ride-single-file-as-a-valid-military-tactic/ |url-access=limited |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=[[Scientific American]] |language=en |archive-date=January 2, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200102045248/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/but-not-simpler/tusken-raiders-ride-single-file-as-a-valid-military-tactic/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

==''Star Wars'' appearances==
Tusken Raiders first appeared in ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' (1977). Early on in the film, a party of them attack [[Luke Skywalker]] and knock him unconscious. However, [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] frightens them off by imitating the call of a local predator and rescues Luke.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bacon |first=Thomas |date=2020-10-30 |title=Krayt Dragons Explained: The Mandalorian Season 2's Original Star Wars Trilogy Monster |url=https://screenrant.com/mandalorian-season-2-krayt-dragon-explained/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=ScreenRant |language=en}}</ref>

Tusken Raiders briefly appear in ''[[Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace|Episode I: The Phantom Menace]]'', taking shots at the Boonta Eve Classic [[podracer]] pilots, and again in ''[[Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones|Episode II: Attack of the Clones]]'', set 22 years before ''Star Wars''; in this film, they kidnap [[Anakin Skywalker]]'s mother, [[Shmi Skywalker]], and torture her for a month. Anakin eventually finds her, but she is mortally injured and dies in his arms. Seized by a violent rage, Anakin slaughters the entire tribe out of revenge, including the women and children.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://wegotthiscovered.com/tv/jon-favreaus-star-wars-tv-show-looks-like-returning-tatooine/|title=Jon Favreau's Star Wars TV Show May Return To Tatooine|date=1 October 2018|access-date=9 October 2018|archive-date=October 10, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010060712/https://wegotthiscovered.com/tv/jon-favreaus-star-wars-tv-show-looks-like-returning-tatooine/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-10-05 |title=Star Wars: 20 Things That Make No Sense About Anakin And Padmé's Relationship |language=en-US |work=ScreenRant |url=https://screenrant.com/star-wars-padme-anakin-relationship-biggest-problems-no-sense/ |access-date=2018-10-10 |archive-date=October 10, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181010060633/https://screenrant.com/star-wars-padme-anakin-relationship-biggest-problems-no-sense/ |url-status=live }}</ref> This was referenced by [[Emperor Palpatine|Chancellor Palpatine]] in ''[[Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith|Episode III: Revenge of the Sith]]'' to justify Anakin's reasoning for killing [[Count Dooku]], and after he says it, a faint sound of the Tusken Raider's braying calls is heard in Anakin's mind as he ponders. In ''[[Star Wars Rebels]]'' Season 3, Episode 20, a group of Tuskens attack Ezra and Chopper when they land on Tatooine to look for Kenobi, successfully destroying their ship. However, Ezra and Chopper escape and the Tuskens are killed by [[Darth Maul]].

Tusken Raiders appear in ''[[The Mandalorian]]''. In the Season 1 episode "[[Chapter 5: The Gunslinger]]", [[Din Djarin]] comes across a small group of Raiders while travelling through their land, in search of a bounty.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Asher-Perrin |first=Emmet |date=2019-12-06 |title=The Mandalorian Makes a Detour on Tatooine in Chapter 5, "The Gunslinger" |url=https://reactormag.com/the-mandalorian-makes-a-detour-on-tatooine-in-chapter-5-the-gunslinger/ |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Reactor |language=en-US}}</ref> They are initially hostile until he communicates with them via sign language. In the Season 2 episode "[[Chapter 9: The Marshal]]", a Tusken clan teams up with villagers from Mos Pelgo in order to slay a [[Krayt dragon]].<ref name=johnston2020/>

A tribe of Tusken Raiders appear in various flashbacks in the first three episodes of ''[[The Book of Boba Fett]]'', where they find [[Boba Fett]] after the latter escaped from the [[Sarlacc]], was robbed of his [[Mandalorians|Mandalorian]] armor, and left for dead. They initially force him to work as a slave digging for black melons in the desert, until he wins their respect and admiration after he kills a large sand creature, saving a Tusken child's life in the process. Following this, the Tuskens welcome Fett as one of their own, teaching him their combat style and desert survival skills, and eventually initiating him into their tribe after he passes a trial. In turn, Fett helps the Tuskens raid a [[List of Star Wars characters#Pykes|Pyke]] Syndicate spice train that had been attacking their territory, teaching them how to ride [[speeder bike]]s in the process, and demands that the Pykes pay a toll to the tribe before entering their territory again in the future. However, after returning from collecting the toll, Fett finds that the tribe has been massacred, seemingly by the Nikto gang he had stolen the speeder bikes from, and holds an impromptu funeral. In the seventh episode, it is revealed that it was the Pykes who killed the tribe and framed the Nikto gang.

==Expanded Universe==
{{more citations needed|date=June 2017}}
According to the noncanon [[Star Wars expanded to other media|''Star Wars'' Expanded Universe]] sources,<ref name="auto">{{Cite news |date=2015-01-09 |title=Tusken Raiders: Meet Tatooine's Menacing Desert Dwellers {{!}} StarWars.com |language=en-US |work=StarWars.com |url=https://www.starwars.com/news/tusken-raiders-meet-tatooines-menacing-desert-dwellers |access-date=2018-10-10 |archive-date=October 17, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017170932/https://www.starwars.com/news/tusken-raiders-meet-tatooines-menacing-desert-dwellers |url-status=live }}</ref> Tusken Raiders are named after Fort Tusken, an early [[Galactic Republic|Old Republic]] mining settlement in which all of the settlers were overwhelmed, captured, or killed by Tusken Raiders, then referred to as "Sand People". The attack probably occurred due to the fort's placement over one of the Raiders' holy wells.

Although the Sand People are aggressive and violent by nature, they have deep-seated traditions that they cling to tightly. Young raiders are required to prove their adulthood in various physical activities. While the Sand People have no written language, the most revered member of a Tusken clan is the storyteller. He knows the life-story of every member of his clan, and also knows of the clan's history. The storyteller is required to memorize the histories word-for-word, eliminating any chance for misinterpretation or distortion. Apprentice storytellers often are more hard-pressed to prove themselves than warriors, for a single mistake in reciting the histories means instant death by decapitation.<ref>Video Game ''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic]]'', 2003</ref> As violent as their nature is, Sand People stay as far from the moisture farmers as the farmers do them. There are occasional skirmishes with the more outlying settlements.

The comic book series ''[[Star Wars: Republic]]'' explains that exiled [[Jedi]] Sharad Hett and his son A'Sharad Hett lived among the Tusken Raiders for many years. Hett was one of the few non-Tuskens to be accepted into their ranks and was even given the title of "[[warlord]]". Although A'Sharad Hett believed he was half-Tusken for the better part of his life, during his training on [[Coruscant]] he learned that Humans and Tusken Raiders were genetically unable to interbreed. This leads him to believe that his mother must have been a human, captured by the Tusken Raiders at a young age and raised as a Tusken. The series ''[[Star Wars: Legacy]]'', set some 200 years later, reveals that A'Sharad eventually turned to the dark side of [[the Force]] and, as the [[Sith|Sith Lord]] Darth Krayt, briefly conquered the [[Star Wars galaxy|galaxy]].

In the ''[[List of Star Wars books#Junior Jedi Knights Series|Junior Jedi Knights]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-07-31|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=List of Star Wars books#Junior Jedi Knights Series|reason= The anchor (Junior Jedi Knights Series) [[Special:Diff/495967792|has been deleted]].}}'' and ''[[New Jedi Order]]'' series, it is revealed that Jedi Knight [[Tahiri Veila]] was raised by the Tusken Raiders after they killed her parents.

A Tusken Raider named "Hoar" appears as a playable character in the [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]] fighting game ''[[Star Wars: Masters of Teräs Käsi]]''. In the [[Xbox|Xbox Original]] game ''[[Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game)|Star Wars: Battlefront&nbsp;II]]'' players are allowed to play as Tusken Raiders in a special game mode called "hunt".

Tusken Raiders appear in ''[[Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (video game)|Knights of the Old Republic]]'' and ''[[Star Wars: The Old Republic|The Old Republic]]'' when players visit Tatooine. 
In ''Knights of the Old Republic'', it is suggested that humans, [[Jawa (Star Wars)|Jawas]], and Tusken Raiders share a common ancestry and that Tusken Raiders refer to themselves as the "ghorfa".<ref name=charbel/>

==Concept and creation==

[[File:British_soldier_ww1_mesopotamia.webp|thumb|
The ''New York Times'' compared the combat uniform worn by some British soldiers during the [[Mesopotamian campaign]] of [[World War I]] to the Tusken Raiders costume.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/insider/british-officer-or-tusken-raider.html |url-access=limited |title=British Officer or Tusken Raider? |last=Dunlap |first=David |author-link=David W. Dunlap |date=May 24, 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>]]

''Star Wars'' creator [[George Lucas]] said that the Tuskens' design was inspired by the [[Bedouin]], an [[Arab tribe]] from the desert regions of [[North Africa]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Maison |first=Jordan |date=2022-01-14 |title=How ''The Book of Boba Fett'' Evolved ''Star Wars''' View of the Tuskens |url=https://gizmodo.com/how-the-book-of-boba-fett-evolved-star-wars-view-of-the-1848361263 |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=[[Gizmodo]] |language=en |archive-date=April 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423084148/https://gizmodo.com/how-the-book-of-boba-fett-evolved-star-wars-view-of-the-1848361263 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Tusken Sign Language ===
In his script for ''The Mandalorian'' episode "[[Chapter 5: The Gunslinger]]", [[Dave Filoni]] mentioned that the Tusken Raiders should use some form of [[sign language]]. Deaf actor [[Troy Kotsur]] was hired as a consultant. When developing the sign language, he attempted to avoid [[American Sign Language]] and suit the Tuskens' cultural and environmental context. A lifelong ''Star Wars'' fan, Kotsur also played a Tusken scout in the episode.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Ettenhofer |first=Valerie |date=2022-03-28 |title=Newly Minted Oscar Winner Troy Kotsur Helped Create The Tusken Sign Language For The Mandalorian |url=https://www.slashfilm.com/813895/newly-minted-oscar-winner-troy-kotsur-helped-create-the-tusken-sign-language-for-the-mandalorian/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=[[/Film]] |language=en-US |archive-date=April 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423084148/https://www.slashfilm.com/813895/newly-minted-oscar-winner-troy-kotsur-helped-create-the-tusken-sign-language-for-the-mandalorian/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The sign language later appeared to a greater extent in "[[Chapter 9: The Marshal]]", as well as the first three episodes of ''The Book of Boba Fett''.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=Weiss |first=Josh |date=2020-11-02 |title=Star Wars: The Mandalorian created a new form of sign language for the Tusken Raiders |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-mandalorian-tusken-raider-sign-language |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=[[SyFy Wire]] |language=en-US |archive-date=April 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423084148/https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/the-mandalorian-tusken-raider-sign-language |url-status=live }}</ref>

"Chapter 5: The Gunslinger" was the first time that Tuskens had communicated on-screen.<ref name=":0" /> Media outlets praised the sign language for humanizing the Tuskens and moving away from their characterization as indigenous "savages". Fans, especially deaf viewers, were similarly enthusiastic about the inclusion of an alien sign language in ''Star Wars'' and started a [[Facebook]] group to further develop the Tusken language.{{Efn|Attributed to multiple references:<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Mercante |first=Alyssa |date=2020-11-02 |title=The Mandalorian season 2 actor created a special sign language for the Tusken Raiders |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/the-mandalorian-season-2-tusken-sign-language/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=[[GamesRadar+]] |language=en |archive-date=April 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423084148/https://www.gamesradar.com/the-mandalorian-season-2-tusken-sign-language/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Walsh |first=Michael |date=2022-03-29 |title=CODA Actor Troy Kotsur Created the Tusken Raiders' Sign Language |url=https://nerdist.com/article/coda-troy-kotsur-created-the-mandalorian-tusken-raiders-sign-language-star-wars-lucasfilm/ |access-date=2023-04-23 |website=[[Nerdist]] |language=en-US |archive-date=April 23, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230423085651/https://nerdist.com/article/coda-troy-kotsur-created-the-mandalorian-tusken-raiders-sign-language-star-wars-lucasfilm/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

== Reception and cultural impact ==

Tusken Raiders have been criticized as an Arab or [[Islam|Islamic]] stereotype.<ref name=charbel>{{cite book | last = Charbel | first = Paul | editor-last = Lee | editor-first = Peter W. | chapter = Deconstructing the Desert: The Bedouin Ideal and the True Children of Tatooine | title = A Galaxy Here and Now: Historical and Cultural Readings of Star Wars | publisher = McFarland | year = 2016 | pages = 143–154 | isbn = 978-1-4766-6220-6 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4Np6CwAAQBAJ&dq=%22tusken+raiders%22+%22knights+of+the+old+republic%22&pg=PA138 }}</ref>
Further cultural criticism compares the representation of the Tusken Raiders to stereotypes of [[Indigenous peoples|Indigenous people]].<ref name=johnston2020>{{Cite web |first=Dais |last=Johnston |date=2020-11-05 |title='The Mandalorian' Season 2 commits a classic sin of Hollywood westerns |url=https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/mandalorian-season-2-tusken-raiders-native-americans |access-date=2024-10-25 |website=Inverse |language=en}}</ref> 

In October of 2024, the website of the [[Defense Visual Information Distribution Service]] posted a photo of a pilot wearing a shoulder patch with the words "Houthi Hunting Club Red Sea 2023-2024" over a picture of Tusken Raiders. After facing criticism for the racialized nature of the patch, the Defense Department removed the photo.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Turse |first1=Nick |date=12 November 2024 |title=America's Shadow War in Yemen Has Its Own Racist Military Swag |url=https://theintercept.com/2024/11/12/houthi-hunting-club-us-military-racism-dehumanize/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241116030417/https://theintercept.com/2024/11/12/houthi-hunting-club-us-military-racism-dehumanize/ |archive-date=16 Nov 2024 |access-date=16 April 2025 |publisher=The Intercept}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Slayton |first1=Nicholas |title=Navy pilot spotted with patch depicting Houthis as 'Star Wars' sand people |url=https://taskandpurpose.com/news/navy-patch-houthi-sand-people-star-wars/ |access-date=16 April 2025 |publisher=Task & Purpose |date=2 November 2024}}</ref>

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Star Wars Databank|subject=tusken-raiders|text=Tusken Raiders}}
* {{Wookieepedia|Tusken Raider}}

{{Star Wars universe|state=collapsed}}

[[Category:Film characters introduced in 1977]]
[[Category:Fictional extraterrestrial species and races]]
[[Category:Fictional humanoids]]
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[[Category:Fictional nomads]]
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[[Category:Fictional warrior races]]
[[Category:Star Wars Skywalker Saga characters]]
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