Foggy Swamp Tribe

The Foggy Swamp Tribe is one of the three Water Tribes in the Avatar World. It is notable in that they do not live at one of the Poles; they instead are located in the Foggy Swamp.

History


The Foggy Swamp Tribe is a Waterbending Tribe who live in a mystical swamp in the Earth Kingdom. The swamp itself actually consists, in large part, of a single, massive swamp tree, at least several hundred feet tall, whose roots and tree limbs have spread out for miles to form the foundation of the swamp. Though the Foggy Swamp tribe Waterbenders share the skill of waterbending, they were completely unknown to their polar cousins and vice versa, until Katara, Sokka, and Aang stumbled across the tribe. Though technologically unsophisticated, they are powerful waterbenders. They can use waterbending to propel their river crafts to very high speeds. Members of the Swamp Tribe have also discovered how to bend swamp plants by controlling the water within them. Their diet consists of small game and giant insects, and they keep catgators as pets. The Foggy Swamp Tribe is also very in tune to their natural surroundings and have a keen understanding of the workings of the natural world and a belief that all life is connected and is reliant on each other, a philosophy which they teach Aang, who quickly accepts the concept. Though it's unknown whether they share the same political system as their ancestors (or if they even have one), Huu appears to hold some authority over the other members of the tribe, and it is most likely that they have a chief (probably Huu).



The Foggy Swamp Tribe's ancestry lies in the Southern Water Tribe. Thousands of years ago, a group migrated from the Southern Tribe and found the Swamp. Feeling comfortable because of the large amount of water, they decided to stay. This information, however, has been lost to both tribes' history, resulting in neither of the two knowing the other exists.

During the final year of the War, Avatar Aang and his friends rediscovered the tribe after they got lost in the swamp. Instructed by Sokka, Hakoda was able to find and contact the Swamp Tribe, recruiting them to help with the Fire Nation invasion during the eclipse. These participants, along with the rest of the invaders, were captured by the Fire Nation when the attack failed. However, they were all released after the War ended, and in turn represented the tribe at Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord.

It is unknown if contact between the polar Water Tribes and the Swamp one was established after the war.

Female Waterbenders are shown fighting alongside the male Swampbenders during the Invasion, showing that the tribe promotes equality among both male and female members. This might be due to the fact that the Foggy Swamp Tribe descended from the Southern Water Tribe, which also promoted equality among its members. Moreover, when Due found out that Katara is a waterbender like him, he did not show any surprise at finding a female Waterbending, but simply expressed delight in finding another waterbender.

Appearance
Though they wear green as opposed to blue, it could be pointed out that the water in their area is green and they are thus consistent with the other cultures of the Avatar world in using their element as a primary color motif. The tribe members wear a giant leaf hat, loin-cloths, arm bands, and wrappings around their shins and fore-arms. The tribe members do not wear shoes or sandals. They also appear to use the plants around them for clothing and for camoflauge as opposed to the hides or skins of the native fauna.



Bending Style
The Foggy Swamp Tribe's Waterbenders have a different style of bending from their polar cousins. While the Northern and Southern benders flow with the water, Foggy Swamp Tribe's style seems more rigid and straight, possibly reflecting the stagnant nature of swamp water. This can especially be seen when they are moving their boats using a much more straight-backed style than when Northern Waterbenders move their gondolas.

During "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion", the Swamp Benders used this unique style of waterbending effectively in battle featuring long and powerful water whips. Unlike polar benders, the swamp benders used noticeable foot movements in addition to moving their arms in the desired direction to shield themselves from harm before stepping and performing an elegant punching motion to attack.

Village
The village itself resembles the Southern Water Tribe in small ways. It is a small village made up of small huts, which are raised up by medium-length wooden poles that are meant to protect the huts from floods. Nothing else has been revealed about the village other than a fire pit where Aang and the others eat. No women have been seen in the swamp during the series aside from the visions.

Swamp Skiff
These are small, canoe-like crafts that swamp folks use to travel around the swamp. The swamp folks use Waterbending to propel the skiffs and long poles to guide them through the waterways of the swamp. Swamp folks use these boats to hunt, fish, and travel around their watery environment.

Notable Figures

 * Huu
 * Tho
 * Due
 * Slim

Fauna

 * Catgator
 * Elbow Leech
 * Screeching Dodo
 * Possum Chicken

Related Articles

 * Water Tribe
 * Northern Water Tribe
 * Southern Water Tribe
 * Foggy Swamp Style