Amani/Legends

The Amanin (singular, Amani), sometimes called Amanamen, were a primitive race from the planet Maridun. Amanin were hard to miss in a crowd, being two to three meters tall with bright yellow and green skin, arms long enough to reach the ground, and very short legs. They were found in the galaxy at large as mercenaries, heavy laborers and wilderness scouts.

Appearance and physiology
Amani were a tall species with wrinkled deep yellow skin at the front and a dark green rear hood that ran from the neck to their feet and tail. They had large hooded heads, red eyes, a small nose and a mouth that contained numerous sharp teeth. Their arms and fingers were long and thin while their legs were comparatively short and thick with large feet. Males and females were virtually indistinguishable by other species. Although they appeared ungainly when walking, their large hands and feet were ideally suited for an arboreal lifestyle on their homeworld where they made their homes in the high treetops.

While their walking speed was painfully slow the Amanin's flexible body allowed them to curl themselves into a ball and roll at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour across flat terrain. In this form they could not percieve the world around them but were able to use the technique to hurtle past a target and uncoil to deliver an effective attack.

Amanin had small vital organs spread throughout their body and employed a redundant organ systems that included multiple versions of major organs such as the heart, liver and lungs. Their brain consisted of multiple nerve clusters spread throughout their body. These characteristics meant that a Amani could withstand devastating injuries and still survive.

Amani childhood lasted up until they reached the age of twelve when they would enter into young adulthood. They could live beyond ninety years and were considered middle-aged between fifty and seventy-six year.

Culture and history
On Maridun, Amanin lived in tribal groups led by lorekeepers. Their natural habitat was jungles and forests, where they lived primarily by hunting; these small forest were separated by open savannah land the Amanin called gruntak. When a forest was too crowded, Amanin would roll out onto the plains for another stand of trees, battling any other Amanin tribes who may already have been living there in a ritualistic battle called a takital.

Around 10 BBY, the Galactic Empire began mining operations on Maridun. The Imperials, corporate slave traders, and criminal interests began taking Amanin slaves offworld. The most powerful Amanin tribes themselves agreed to refrain from attacking the mining operations in exchange for the Empire taking as slaves Amanin from rival tribes: this agreement was negotiated by Lieutenant Janek Sunber after his men barely survived a devastating Amanin attack. Soon, Amanin were spread throughout the galaxy as slave laborers, mercenaries, or wilderness scouts. One such Amani, known only as "Amanaman," was part of Jabba the Hutt's court. There was also an Amani among the Invids.

Behind the scenes
In To the Last Man, the Amanin were based on Zulu warriors as shown in the movie Zulu.

Appearances

 * Star Wars: Jango Fett
 * Star Wars Empire: To the Last Man
 * Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi