Dantari The Dantari were a primitive species of Near - Human s that hailed from the planet of Dantooine , in the Raioballo sector of the Outer Rim . They lived a simple nomadic life , wandering about the plains of Dantooine in tribes . Biology and appearance . The Dantari were one of Dantooine ' s native intelligent lifeforms . A Near - Human species , they looked very much like baseline Humans , except that they were much more muscular and well - built . All Dantari sported large , flat faces with black hair and a tan , leathery skin . Regarded as a child until the age of eleven , a Dantari reached young adulthood at twelve . At the age of sixteen , he or she grew out of the adolescence and live out their adulthood for nineteen years . A Dantari was considered middle - aged by the age thirty - six , old by fifty - five , and was considered " venerable " beyond the age of seventy . Society and culture . As a whole , the Dantari were a stone level , technologically ignorant civilization . Even at the time of the Galactic Civil War , despite 4000 years of occasional encounters with offworlders , they still were completely unaware that starships traveled in space over Dantooine . They had not developed agriculture as a means of subsistence , nor had they discovered the secret of metallurgy . The Dantari spent their lives wandering across the plains searching for food , using simple weapons such as stone axe s and spears to hunt animals . Usually , they would establish a temporary village at the end of each day and subsequently fold up their tents every morning before continuing their endless journey . Those villages were made of simple , animal - skin shelters , with multiple campfires in front of them . Several Dantari tribes were known , including the Janta , Kunga and Mokk . Within a tribe , all important decisions were made collectively by five to six elders , who were chosen among the most experienced and oldest members of the group . That council of elders were tasked to solve any problems that their people could face . Although the Dantari did not have a king or a chief , one particular individual was regarded as an authority of special importance by their peers : the garoo . A highly respected member of the tribe , the garoo was a cross between a priest and a sorcerer . He was thought to be capable of commanding the animal spirits , and the Dantari said that a garoo never lied . The Dantari had an extensive knowledge of the medicinal properties of the local flora and fauna . They treasured the root of the Vincha plant for its incredible anesthetic powers . They also participated in an elaborate form of gift exchange as a way of establishing ties between individuals and tribes . Any object could be exchanged , including magic stones , weapons , wooden statues , and even the treasured Vincha plant . Their native language , known as Dantarian , only used a limited set of spoken words , which they supplemented with facial expressions and hand gestures . History . The Dantari had been present since modern Republic colonization efforts began , circa 4000 BBY , but contact between the natives and colonists was rare . They were in fact so few that the Republic regarded Dantooine as an uninhabited planet . Speculation persisted that they were the descendants of an early , lost Republic settlement effort , but no research has ever confirmed the theory . During the time of the New Republic a small colony was established by the Republic for the people of Eol Sha . However , Admiral Daala discovered the colony and chose it as one of her first targets . Under the leadership of Commander Kratas a regiment of AT - AT ' s were deployed . The ensuing battle destroyed the entire colony and caused the destruction of a single AT - AT . As a result , the Dantari believed the Imperials to be gods . Some Dantari had crude tattoos of AT - AT ' s , or the Imperial insignia , or images of Imperial blasters , or the outlines and seams of stormtrooper armor on their chests . The Dantari are also known to have tried to make clothes that look like the pilots flight jumpsuit , and fashioned weapons and tools from shards of AT - AT armor . The Dantari attempted to later communicate with refugees sent from the New Republic , however , the Yuuzhan Vong invaded and massacred the refugees , then proceeded to attack the Dantari . As a result , the Dantari were almost completely wiped out .