Foggy Swamp Tribe

"water"

- Didn't know there was waterbenders anywhere but here.

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

History and culture


The Foggy Swamp Tribe is a waterbending settlement located in a mystical swamp known as the Foggy Swamp, in the southwestern part of the Earth Kingdom. 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, the tribe consists of powerful waterbenders. These benders have specialized their skill to adapt to the swamp environment, such as using a rigid bending motion to propel river boats at very high speeds. Members of the tribe have also discovered how to manipulate plants by controlling the water within them. Their diet consists of small game and giant insects, and they keep catgators as pets.

The members of the Foggy Swamp Tribe are very attuned to their surroundings and have a keen understanding of the workings of the natural world. They follow the belief that all life is connected and is reliant on each other, a philosophy which they teach Aang, who quickly accepts the concept.



The ancestors of the Foggy Swamp Tribe migrated from the Southern Water Tribe thousands of years ago when they stumbled upon the swamp. Because of all the water in the swamp, the waterbenders felt at home and decided to stay. The Foggy Swamp Tribe do not share any cultural characteristics with either the Northern or Southern Water Tribe to establish a clear common root. Neither their manner of speaking, architecture, fighting style, cooking, or any other societal tradition indicates a direct link with their polar counterparts. For example, the people of the Foggy Swamp Tribe are light-skinned like Earth Kingdom inhabitants, not dark-skinned like Water Tribesmen. Their manner of speech is also wildly different.

Both female and male members of the tribe were seen fighting Fire Nation forces during the invasion. This seems to indicate that, like the Southern Water Tribe, the Foggy Swamp Tribe promotes greater gender equality than the Northern Water Tribe, which has a more patriarchal societal structure. For instance, when Due discovered that Katara was a waterbender, he did not show any surprise at seeing a female bender use waterbending for battle, unlike Master Pakku, but simply expressed delight in meeting another waterbender, referring to her as his "kin".

During the final year of the Hundred Year 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 Hundred Year War ended, and in turn represented the tribe at Zuko's coronation as Fire Lord.

Appearance


Although they wear green as opposed to blue like the members of the Southern and Northern Tribe, it could be pointed out that the water of the swamp, their native environment, 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 male tribe members wear a giant leaf hat, loin-cloths, arm bands, and wrappings around their shins and fore-arms, while the women wear longer skirts and bands around their chest. The tribe members do not wear shoes or sandals. They also appear to use the plants around them for clothing and for camouflage as opposed to the hides or skins of the native fauna. Like their Southern and Northern cousins, their hair is generally darker shades of brown and black, but their eyes are green instead of blue, like earthbenders.

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, the Foggy Swamp style seems more rigid and straight, possibly reflecting the stagnant nature of swamp water. This can especially be seen when they are propelling their boats using a much more straight-backed style than when Northern waterbenders use to move their gondolas. Due to the diversity and abundance of flora in the swamp, the technique of plantbending is often utilized by the waterbenders of the Foggy Swamp Tribe.

During the Day of Black Sun, 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.

Swamp skiff


Swamp skiffs are small, canoe-like crafts that the tribesmen use to travel around the swamp. They are propelled through the use of waterbending, and are guided by long poles that divert the vessels around obstacles present in the swamp's waterways. Swamp folk use these boats to hunt, fish, and travel around their watery environment.

Village
The village itself resembles the Southern Water Tribe in small ways. It is 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 lies a fire pit where Aang and the other tribesman ate. Only one female Foggy Swamp Tribe member has been seen in the village, but only briefly and in the background.

Notable figures

 * Huu
 * Tho
 * Due
 * Slim

Fauna

 * Catgator
 * Elbow leech
 * Screeching bird
 * Possum chicken
 * Giant fly

Trivia

 * Their manner of speech resembles speech mannerisms found in the Mississippi Delta in the English version of the show.
 * They were featured in the short Swamp Skiin' Throwdown.
 * Unlike the two other Water Tribes, the Foggy Swamp Tribe is not a political entity and hence, it does not have a representative in the United Republic Council.
 * Aside from Hama, they are the only known Water Tribe members living outside the poles in another nation. During the Legend of Korra, Water Tribe members are more common in the United Republic of Nations.