Jawaese/Legends

The Jawas share a common ancestor with the Tuskens of Tatooine. Baobab anthropologists have named these people the Kumumgah. The Kumumgahs split from a once singular tribe and evolved into the tall and fierce Tuskens and the short scavenging Jawas. Jawas have been described as having a rather pungent aroma that is a result of their natural skin chemistry. They travel in sandcrawlers, searching the desert wastes for anything they can salvage and resell such as droids or podracers parts. They are extremely clever when it comes to selling their goods but for the most part are fair in their dealings. A split of the original tribe also resulted in two ==different languages, Tusken and Jawaese. Jawaese unlike the rough barking of theTuskens, can be more easily learned by humans. Their language is spoken very quickly and has been described as jabbering.

Most Known Words

 * Ashuna     Go
 * Ayafa      Clan.
 * Baba       Days.
 * Bazzok      Cook.
 * Bok         Far.
 * Bom’loo     Bargain.
 * Bopom Kova  Mountain.
 * Chikua      Them.
 * Cirkoza     Encampment.
 * Dikwass     Cliff.
 * Dooka       Junk.
 * Eyeta       Friend.
 * Gomjam      Always.
 * Ha'mfoo     Burn.
 * Hazamuzee   Chant.
 * Hkeek nkulla A particularly disparaging Jawa curse.
 * Hunya       Enemy.
 * Ibana       Yes.
 * Ikee        I.
 * Jar k’osa   Large.
 * Jubinloo    City.
 * Kebee'oto   Long ago.
 * Keeza       Weapon.
 * Kiizci      Cave.
 * Kiluyak     Cloud.
 *  Ko lopo    Broken.
 * Kurruzza    Repair.
 * Lopima      Stars.
 * Lo'wassa    Sail barge.
 * Mambay      Okay.
 * M'nuta      Hole.
 * M'tuske     Steal.
 * M'um m’aloo Greetings, Hello.
 * Nekkel juuvar obwegadada Jawa curse.
 * Neng ooka   Yesterday.
 * Nufuzu      Below.
 * Nyeta       No.
 * Okka        Up.
 * Oko         Cold.
 * Ookwass     Where.
 * Opakwa      Spare parts.
 * Perupa      Pray.
 * Pibboz      Warm.
 * Ratapa      Knife.
 * Rubac       Rust.
 * Sabioto     Stop.
 * Shanay      Sleep.
 * Shootogawa  Shoot, Blast.
 * Sooga       Food.
 * Speeda      Speeder.
 * Taa baa     Thank you, Thanks.
 * Tando       Fix.
 * Tilba       Above.
 * Toineepa    Credit.
 * Ton ton     Sand.
 * Ubanya      Good day, Good-bye.
 * Ugama       Bantha.
 * Umka        Walk.
 * Umpee       Empire.
 * Upezzo      Market.
 * Utinni      Wow, Battle cry, Alert to other jawas.
 * Vapoosza    Vaporator.
 * Waff’mla    Desert.
 * Wass        Hot.
 * Ysas        Equal.

Counting in Jawaese

 * 1              Po


 * 2              Ko


 * 3              Kyo


 * 4              Yo


 * 5              Dyo


 * 6              Lyo


 * 7            Does not exist in Jawa arithmetic


 * 8              Ho


 * 9              Toe  


 * 10             Kisewa


 * 100            Gakisewa


 * 1000           Hakisewa


 * 100,000,000    Jo jo muma

Behind The Scenes
Jawaese is spoken by the Jawas of Tatooine. The first listen we got of this language was in Star Wars, Episode IV: A New Hope. Ben Burtt developed this language for the Star Wars saga. He was drawn to several African languages, in particular Zulu. Recording several individuals who spoke Zulu, Burtt wrote a script patterned on the various sounds he heard and had actors re-voice them for the films. The “recordings were sped up to raise the pitch and accelerate the flow of words” to give us the Jawa language that we are familiar with today.