Foggy Swamp Tribe

:This article is about the tribe in the Foggy Swamp. For other similar uses, see Tribe (disambiguation).
The Foggy Swamp Tribe is one of the three Water Tribes in the Avatar World. The tribesmen are descendants of individuals who migrated from the South Pole to the Foggy Swamp in the Earth Kingdom, where they established a separate faction that eventually developed a distinct culture and bending style separate from those of the two polar tribes.
== History ==
=== Origin ===
Thousands of years before the Hundred Year War, tribesmen migrating from the Southern Water Tribe came across the Foggy Swamp in the southeastern Earth Kingdom. Due to the availability of water in the swamp, the waterbenders felt at home and decided to stay.
=== Hundred Year War ===
At least some parts of the Foggy Swamp Tribe clashed with the Fire Nation before Team Avatar's foundation. In one of these encounters, Fire Nationals imprisoned a waterbender, Fern, belonging to the tribe. The latter was later freed by a pirate, Kangana, and joined the Crimson Sails Armada.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Starter Set, Adventure Booklet, pg. 9.
During the final year of the Hundred Year War, Team Avatar discovered the tribe's existence after crashing into the swamp following a freak tornado. While traversing the wetland, Aang, Katara, and Sokka encountered Huu, who initially attacked the group in an attempt to protect the swamp. After he was defeated, however, he gave the group a quick lesson in Foggy Swamp Tribe philosophy and the swamp, which enabled Aang to use the swamp's connection to the world to see several swampbenders in pursuit of Appa and Momo, prompting the three to rush to the aid of their animals. Tho and Due briefly engaged in a duel against Aang and Katara, but refrained from attacking further after witnessing the latter waterbending, having deduced that they were "cousins". Huu arrived soon after and settled the misunderstanding before he escorted the gang back to the tribe's camp, where they sat around a campfire and ate roasted, giant flies.
Months later, Hakoda and the warriors of the Southern Water Tribe traveled to the Foggy Swamp under Sokka's instruction in search of the Foggy Swamp Tribe, whom they recruited to help with the invasion of the Fire Nation during the Day of Black Sun in 100 AG. The tribe members, along with the rest of the adult participants in the invasion force, were captured by the Fire Nation when the attack failed. They were promptly released following the end of the Hundred Year War and represented the tribe at Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord.
=== Developments amid globalization and modernization ===
With the onset of the global industrial revolution and period of modernization after the Hundred Year War, the Foggy Swamp Tribe began to make more contact with the outside world. However, most of the tribe did only selectively embrace new technologies, valuing the ecological and spiritual health of their homeland over the advantages of modernization.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Starter Set, Kuyan the Pillar playbook. Despite the Foggy Swamp Tribe's complete independence from both of its sister tribes, it did not have a representative in the United Republic Council at any known point in time. However, some Foggy Swamp tribespeople did migrate to Republic City; the daughter of one pair of migrants, Ailani, even rose to Republic City mayor.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 23.
Around the 150s or 160s AG, the tribespeople discovered that Toph Beifong had decided to live in the swamp in search of enlightenment following her retirement as Chief of Police of Republic City. They were often challenged to a fight by the earthbender, though were deemed unable to "take a punch" by her.
After Harmonic Convergence in 171 AG, some nonbending tribespeople gained airbending abilities, much to the community's confusion. At least one of these new airbenders, Maly, was sent by her family to train with the Air Nation.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Republic City, Version 1.0, 2023, p. 136. In the mid-170s AG, a group of tribal guardians sent one of their own, Kuyan, to Republic City with the specific task to search out technologies which might benefit their people and the swamp.
== Culture ==
The Foggy Swamp Tribe is a group of waterbending people who are situated in a wetland known as the Foggy Swamp, located in the southwestern part of the Earth Kingdom. It remained relatively isolated to the polar Water Tribes and the rest of the world until the tribe's involvement in the invasion of the Fire Nation in 100 AG.
Although technologically unsophisticated by 100 AG, the tribe could traditionally rely on powerful waterbenders who have developed a specialized bending style adapted for swamp use. Specifically, the form employed by swampbenders differs significantly from conventional waterbending, as it primarily involves rigid bending motions and the manipulation of plant life. Living in the harsh environment of the swamp has made the tribespeople resilient and respectful of nature.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Quickstart, Version 1.0, 2021, p. 5. The tribe's members indulge mostly on small game and giant insects but refrain from consuming catgators, which they domesticate and keep as pets. The tribe also practices a special form of farming using their unique waterbending style.
The members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe are accustomed to their surroundings and have a deep appreciation of the natural world. They follow the belief that all living organisms are interconnected and reliant on each other, based on their understanding of the sacred banyan-grove tree, from where some of the tribe members have reached enlightenment.
Members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe do not share any cultural characteristics or any other societal traditions with those of either the Northern or Southern Water Tribes. For instance, the people of the Foggy Swamp Tribe are light-skinned like Earth Kingdom inhabitants, as opposed to dark-skinned like many people from the Water Tribes. More so, the manner of speech used by the tribesmen is less sophisticated when compared to language used by other social groupings in the world.
Both genders are involved in combat, as both female and male tribe members participated in the invasion of the Fire Nation. In this way, the Foggy Swamp Tribe is more like the Southern Water Tribe than the Northern Water Tribe, as it exhibits a less patriarchal societal structure. Although isolated from its sister tribes, the members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe regards other waterbenders as "kin".
== Appearance ==
Foggy Swamp tribesmen wear green clothing that incorporates swamp elements, such as plant life. The male tribe members wear a giant leaf hat, loincloths, arm bands, and wrappings around their shins and forearms, while the women wear longer skirts and bands around their chests.
The tribe members do not use footwear and choose to use surrounding plants for clothing and camouflage as opposed to the hides of native fauna. Like their polar cousins, tribe members have hair that is generally darker shades of brown and black, but eyes that are green instead of blue, like Earth Kingdom citizens.
== Bending style ==
The Foggy Swamp Tribe's waterbenders employ a different style of bending compared to their polar cousins. While the Northern and Southern styles are more fluid in nature, the Foggy Swamp style is more rigid and straight, reflecting the stagnant nature of swamp water. This is most evidently seen when swampbenders propel their skiffs using a much more straight-backed style than Northern waterbenders when they move their gondolas. In addition, plant manipulation is also commonly used by the swampbenders, due to the diversity and abundance of flora available in the swamp. Through plantbending, they are able to take control of vines to entangle opponents or extract water out of large plants to use in a waterbending attack. During the full moon, plantbenders can manipulate bigger plants such as large trees.Avatar Legends: The Roleplaying Game. Core Book, Version 1.0, 2022, p. 21.
During the Day of Black Sun, the swampbenders used their unique waterbending style effectively in combat, using long and powerful water whips. Unlike polar benders, the swampbenders used noticeable foot movements to supplement their arm movements in order to shield themselves using water, before immediately stepping forward and performing an elegant punching motion to attack.
=== Swamp skiff ===
Swamp skiffs are small, canoe-like vessels developed by the Foggy Swamp Tribe. The small boats are used extensively by the tribe members to travel around the wetland. The skiffs are propelled through the use of waterbending and guided by long poles that divert the vessels around obstacles present in the swamp's waterways. Swampbenders primarily use these boats to hunt and fish.
== Village ==
One known village in which the tribe members reside resembles the Southern Water Tribe prior to its redevelopment following the Hundred Year War. Swampbenders reside in a relatively small village made up of huts, which are raised up by medium-length wooden poles that are meant to protect the buildings from floods. Near the center of the settlement is a fire pit where tribe members eat.
== Notable figures ==
* Due
* Huu
* Fern (relocated)
* Kuyan
* Maly (relocated)
* Slim
* Tho
== Trivia ==
* In the English version of the series, the people of the Foggy Swamp Tribe have a style of speech that resembles mannerisms heard in the Mississippi Delta, such as the Cajun twang of Louisiana's Atchafalaya Basin.
* Foggy Swamp Tribe members were featured in the short Swamp Skiin' Throwdown.
== References ==
== See also ==
* Water Tribe
* Northern Water Tribe
* Southern Water Tribe
* Foggy Swamp Style
de:Sumpfwasserstamm
es:Tribu Agua del Pantano
fr:Tribu du Marais Brumeux
he:שבט הביצה הערפילית
nl:Mistige Moeras Stam
pl:Bagienne Plemię Wody
pt-br:Tribo da Água do Pântano
ru:Болотное Племя Воды
vi:Đầm Sương Tộc
Category:A to Z
Category:Earth Kingdom
Category:Groups
Category:Locations
Category:Minor groups
Category:Settlements
Category:Water Tribes