Matukai The Matukai were an organization of Force adepts who used the physical body to channel the Force . They were established in the days of the Galactic Republic , years before the Old Sith Wars , and records compiled by the Galactic Alliance indicated that the Matukai were founded by a Human female from Karvoss II who discovered her sensitivity to the Force while practicing a meditative form of martial arts . After she developed her own method of studying the Force , she began to expand the tradition , teaching others what she had learned . Initially , the Matukai were unchecked in growth by the Jedi Council and developed into a nomadic order of about fifty to sixty members . Though the Council eventually attempted to integrate the Matukai into the Jedi Order in 580 BBY , they were unsuccessful in doing so , as the Matukai were uninterested in the ways of the Jedi . The Matukai experienced persecution by the Empire during the Great Jedi Purge . They were one of the first other organizations besides the Jedi to feel the Emperor ' s wrath , but a few of their number managed to survive and pass on their knowledge . Later , some of the surviving Matukai joined Luke Skywalker ' s Jedi Praxeum , feeling that the New Jedi Order was less stringent than the Jedi had been in the Old Republic . However , the arrival of the Yuuzhan Vong invaders brought the Matukai into the conflict and several of them fell in the ensuing war . Matukai philosophy was centered around creating a balance and harmony between the spiritual Force and the physical body , using exercise as a form of meditation . Their training involved meditative martial arts , physical training , and somatic rituals , and they were noted for being able to develop a Force - sensitivity in many beings who were not inherently gifted with the Force . Using their bodies as a focus , they emphasized keeping oneself clean and strong , purifying oneself through physical activity , and avoiding the dark side . Unlike the Jedi Order , they did not use lightsabers , instead wielding a polearm weapon known as a wan - shen . History . The Matukai Force tradition originated some time before the Old Sith Wars . The founding individual was a Human female from Karvoss II who realized she was Force - sensitive while practicing meditative martial arts . In that period , the Jedi Order was not in the practice of collecting and isolating Force - sensitive children shortly after birth — the Ruusan Reformation which instituted that practice had yet to occur . Since the Jedi Order was large in number , they felt secure enough to allow other Force - using organizations to exist independently , provided that the other Force - using groups did not fall to the dark side . As such , the woman was able to develop her own skills in the Force and began teaching other Force - sensitive students . Her students would then hand down her lessons to the next generation of Matukai . Their tradition was generally not located in one place , but instead its members became nomadic and spacefaring , and there were never more than fifty to sixty Matukai at one time . Matukai robes could be encountered at various locations around the galaxy , and the Matukai were said to be found virtually anywhere spacefaring beings were . Eventually , the Jedi recognized the Matukai tradition as worthy of attention and sent a delegation to discuss affiliation with the Matukai in 580 BBY . This delegation was led by Jedi Master Bodo Baas and occurred shortly after a failed Jedi attempt to create a relationship with another organization of Force users , the Zeison Sha . Having heard that a Matukai named Mendor Typhoons and two of his apprentices had fended off several pirates near Ord Radama , a meeting was arranged between the Matukai and Jedi in orbit over that world . Though Bodo Baas was optimistic about the outcome upon entering the discussion , Typhoons indicated to the Jedi that the Matukai warriors found Jedi training elitist and ineffectual . Thus repulsed , Bodo Baas realized the Matukai had no interest in allying with the Jedi , but recommended to his superiors that they be allowed to exist autonomously , as most of their members were individuals who would not have been picked for Jedi training in the first place . The Matukai were allowed to exist separately from the Jedi , and did so for hundreds of years . At one point , Jedi Master Thame Cerulian engaged one in hand - to - hand combat and afterward commented that he never wished to do so again . The Matukai were hunted down by Imperial Inquisitors during the Great Jedi Purge . They were one of the first organizations that the Empire attacked and most of them were slain . A few escaped the Empire and went into hiding . Some of the Matukai survived the purge , and those survivors continued the tradition , passing it down to their apprentices . Later , with the birth of the New Jedi Order , some of the remaining Matukai chose to join the new Jedi Praxeum organized by Jedi Master Luke Skywalker , deeming it less strict than the previous incarnation of the Jedi Order , and those that did distinguished themselves with a facial tattoo . Years later , when the Yuuzhan Vong entered the galaxy , some Matukai fell at the hands of the alien invaders and their Peace Brigade allies , but their membership was widespread enough that their organization endured . Organization . The Matukai had no fixed organizational headquarters . Instead , they wandered the galaxy in groups of three to five , never having more than fifty to sixty members overall in their order . They had at least two ranks , that of apprentice and adept , each with their own type of robe signifying their rank . Instructors were also permitted to have more than one apprentice in the Matukai tradition , though some chose not to take an apprentice at all . Philosophy . The balance of the physical and spiritual was the cornerstone of Matukai philosophy . Their robes , which were similar to Jedi robes apart from their green and white coloring , were designed to help achieve this balance . The general tenets of the Matukai included keeping the body clean and strong , purifying themselves through physical activity , focusing on the Force through exercise and ceremony , and avoiding the taint of the dark side . To promote these tenets , a meditation band was sometimes worn by the Matukai as a possible deterrent from the influence of the dark side . Another Matukai teaching emphasized a flexibility of spirit that avoided becoming flustered or upset in order to maintain a stress - free and relaxed state . The purpose of this teaching was to allow the body to focus the Force with greater efficiency . Matukai philosophy encouraged the use of meditative martial arts , physical exercises , and somatic rituals in hopes of developing an inherently weak connection to the Force into something stronger . During training , a Matukai instructor had leeway in deciding exactly how to proceed , but trainees were frequently required to push the limits of their physical stamina while using the Force to gain strength . Lessons typically combined a physical component with a spiritual component related to the nature of the Force . Another common exercise for a Matukai was to stand in one stance for hours or even days at a time , sometimes in harsh weather conditions or other physical strain , in hopes of allowing the Force to flow through them in the process . As such , graduates of Matukai training were generally in good health due to their rigorous training and their newly enhanced connection to the Force . Upon completion of their training , Matukai received a distinctive tattoo covering their foreheads and the sides of their faces near the eyes . Abilities . Distinguished as among the best martial artists in the galaxy , the Matukai made their own bodies the focus of their abilities , and were capable of using physical exercise and discipline as a form of meditation . Keeping their focus inward , Matukai philosophy differed from that of the Jedi Order in that the Jedi saw physical exercise and meditation as separate ; however , this inward focus allowed Matukai adherents such a degree of control over their bodies as to develop an otherwise negligible connection to the Force into a far more significant source of strength . Considered to be masters of their physical bodies , the Matukai were capable of drawing on the Force to strengthen and augment their bodies to unnatural limits . In doing this , they could refresh their spirits with a tireless energy that allowed them to exert their bodies far past their unaided physical limits for hours at a time without tiring . Because of this stamina , Matukai were capable of executing physical feats such as tumbling , running , leaping , and complex martial sequences with an astonishing speed described as a " whirlwind " blur of limbs and movement , additionally , this refreshing of spirit augmented the strength and resolve of a Matukai ' s blows , allowing them feats of strength and power exceeding what their bodies were capable of . In addition to this outward physical mastery , Matukai were known for their inward mastery and self - awareness of their own bodies , and were able to discern wounds , injuries , and sickness with ease . The Matukai learned to purge illness and poison from their bodies , and even become immune to them altogether , to the point where a fully - trained Matukai could shrug off the effects of a normally - fatal sting from a poisonous kouhun . Trained Matukai could also raise or lower their body temperature to survive in hot or cold environments , or even cause their skin to become so hot as to burn anything they touched . More experienced Matukai adepts could also give normally soft parts of their body unnatural rigidity to help drastically reduce physical damage . The signature weapon of the Matukai was a polearm weapon called the wan - shen , which was tipped on one end with a short - singled edged blade . Each wan - shen was unique and bore patterns etched into the blade to symbolize things important to its creator . Most wan - shens could be broken down into easily - stored pieces , and trained users could whirl it around their bodies in combat , using themselves as a central axis of rotation . Due to their own physical control , Matukai were capable of wielding the blade with a speed that sometimes astonished onlookers , which was described as a virtual whirlwind of metal and blades . As such , they were considered excellent combatants with weapons in addition to hand - to - hand combat . Matukai saw the weapon as an external focus for the Force , as well as a means of self - defense . The Matukai were agile to the point of being able to dodge or deflect a sizable portion of incoming strikes or shots aimed at them , and enjoyed greatly increased balance and stamina due to their connection to the Force . They were also known for their adaptability to any situation . Behind the scenes . The Matukai first appeared in the role - playing game book " Hero ' s Guide " , which introduced a number of Force - using organizations into canon besides the Jedi and Sith . They were later mentioned in " " and received a section in " " . The " Essential Guide " was the first source to actually provide a name for any member of the Matukai , Mendor Typhoons . They were also mentioned in the 2010 book .