Weequay
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| Weequay | |
| Homeworld | Sriluur |
| Language | Sriluurian |
| Average Height | 1.7 meters |
| Skin color | Tan to dark brown |
| Distinctions | Pheromone communication |
| Average lifespan | Up to 90 standard years old |
| Known Members | List of known Weequays |
The Weequay are a race of humanoid aliens which are characterized by the topknot of hair which sprouts from their heads. The number of braids one has seems to indicate rank, although many xenosociologists claim the number of strands is meant to indicate the number of Sriluur years a Weequay has been away from his homeworld. Weequay have gnarled, coarse skin which allows them to blend in with, and survive in, the deserts of their native planet, Sriluur. Among other Weequay, they have the ability to communicate using pheromonal discharges, but they only seem to work within individual Weequay clans. To other races, they are simply smelly beings.
Society and culture
In general, Weequay do not have individual names. They are a quiet, dangerously violent race by nature, and have often found employment as soldiers, guards and mercenaries for the Hutts. The Weequay people have lived on Sriluur with the Houk people for many years, but the racial tensions between the two races have erupted several times into all-out war. The Weequay prefer to remain low on the technological scale, and worship the moon which orbits Sriluur and its god, Quay. The name 'Weequay' means 'follower of Quay.' The Weequay appease their god by sacrificing a large beast after battling it. The beast most often sacrificed is the bantha. One of the most interesting things about the Weequay is their written language, which is formed from stones woven into long braids of hair to create symbols and characters.
Only Weequay who had to live among other clans, or among non-Weequay, took a personal name. Even then, some were simply referred to as "Weequay". In Weequay culture, individual identity was much less important than the clan. As long as the clan survived, a single Weequay was expendable. This resulted in a sometimes brutal culture.
Male Weequay often tied their hair into long braids. Traditionally, they would grow one "seclusion braid" for each Sriluurian year spent away from their homeworld as a tribute to their home. When they returned, they shaved their braids. Weequays serving the Hutt clans were often very close to their homeworld, and would only have one or two braids. Female Weequay were usually bald, and did not follow this tradition.
Weequay religion was complex, with many deities. Among them were the moon-god Quay and the thunder god Am-Shak. Quay was their chief god: indeed, "Weequay" translated to "Follower of Quay". Zealous Weequays performed ritual sacrifices in Quay's honor, at times resorting to murder, earning their culture a violent reputation. Each of their cities was centered around a shrine of black, polished stone, known as a thal, where the Weequay made offerings of food and valuables. Their religious code prohibited building thal off Sriluur, so off-world devotees were obligated to substitute animal sacrifices (usually large animals like banthas).
Weequays were widely used throughout the galaxy as mercenaries or criminal henchmen. They played this role in their earliest recorded contact with the outside galaxy, when they joined Vodran, Klatooinian, and Nikto mercenaries in the pay of the Hutts to battle Xim the Despot's forces at the Third Battle of Vontor during the Hutt-Xim conflict. Unlike the other races hired by the Hutts, the Weequay did not sign the Treaty of Vontor, and remained independent of the Hutts. They were used extensively as foot soldiers by the Hutt Cartel and Black Sun.
