Dha Werda Verda

Dha Werda Verda ("Warriors of the Shadow" in ancient Mando'a) was an ancient poem that told of the final battle between the Taungs and the Zhell on Coruscant. During this battle, a volcano erupted and almost destroyed the Zhell army. Ash covered the skies of Coruscant for two years.

The text for the poem was discovered written in some archaic form of Basic, encoded in one of the Roonstones, a series of treasured gems found by explorer Mungo Baobab. The crystal containing the poem eventually was placed under safekeeping in the Baobab Archives on Manda, where the text was translated.

Lyrics

 * Courtesy of the Baobab Archives:

"Booten wooten lanlock vootem / Al a sinkee dunken pooten / Achta werda verda roll / Poonka dunkee loten cho.

Leeber soong whar tung tach picta / Manner manner migta richta / Schelecht varn toom-soing pa ho-grunten / Gersh ve dala funken mimpa / Droit! / To Gropen wettkampf Zunken!

Betteltung seeck da mindy cooten / Parta blax dha scunken drassen.

Manner manner, mitteltouse manner / Dha Dhazz jedoch / Land zu land offt letza / Unun nung.

Manner manner / Durchsprung Nocha / Immer hauk gewordenspa / Zeeetoof en poof / Olaffka begonnenspah / Var var goopinski / von moglodite / Kortzva.

Verto verto taplasko ta verto.

Vom zoomenfest / Va va voomenfest / Kopocka locka hatta statan / Schel Tha noobin rest du common / Morbskurtz!

Kaffee kaffee zum doom kaffee! / Ausbroll mobist manner mockah! / Ssstrung tartung tha stroong tartung! / Wo-cha nickschat hobbentrose.

Jungclaus dha spricken / Impoot ga kunginchock!

Kungach / Noplenkacht / Kungar Kungar / Ale Da Kungare!"

Legacy
The Mandalorian chant Rage of the Shadow Warriors commemorates Dha Werda Verda. It is possible that it is perhaps a translation, or a version of that ancient poem.

A version of the chant was taught to some of the clone troopers prior to the Clone Wars by their Mandalorian training instructors.

The Dha Werda Verda (using the Mando'a lyrics from the Rage of the Shadow Warriors) was taught by Kal Skirata, as a legacy of Mandalorian heritage to the clone troopers that he trained. This version of the Dha Werda Verda was passed on as a ritual battle chant than incorporated dance. In this form it was a fearsome display of discipline and reflex that served to warn an enemy of the power of the force that opposed them. Participants first hammered the rhythm upon their own amour and then turned to beat the complex tempo on the plates of the man next to them. Such blows would not be held in check and, if timed imprecisely, had the potential to cause injury. It was usually performed in armor, but without the helmet.

Although originally only taught to the clones in the charge of Kal Skirata on Kamino, the Dha Werda Verda was later passed on from clone to clone in the GAR during the Clone Wars.

Behind the scenes
Ben Burtt wrote the lyrics to "Dha Werda Verda" specifically for the Shadows of the Empire CD. No translation of the lyrics has been given; however the phrase 'Dha Werda Verda' was borrowed by Karen Traviss and incorporated it in her Mando'a vocabulary, therefore (retroactively) consisting it Mando'a.

The 'Dha Werda Verda', as performed in ritual dance by clone troopers in Republic Commando: Triple Zero, is analogous to a traditional Māori Haka. Temuera Morrison, the actor who played Jango Fett in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, who in turn was the genetic template for the clones, is of Māori heritage.

Appearances

 * Republic Commando: Hard Contact
 * Republic Commando: Triple Zero
 * Republic HoloNet News Core Edition 14:9:04