This is a general summary of the Mandalorian culture, to have a base of reference. I’ve collected this information on different sites, and am posting here for general reference. Keep in mind that many things have been expanded and developed over the years, because of free movies, games and TV series and cartoons.
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The Complete History of Mandalorians (Video, 48 min)
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https://postimg.cc/zV9Mgm69 (full size)
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TOLERANCE
The Mandalorians believe that we should accept all people no matter what their gender, race, religion, nationality, etc. All human beings have value. They all have individual worth. All people has something to contribute to society. Mandalorians also believe that all people show strive to fulfill their greatest potential as human beings.
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RELIGION
Mandalorians encourage religious activity in their daily lives. But there is no “Mandalorian religion." Every Mandalorian has the freedom to choose whatever religious association they wish. However, for Mandalorians a religion is an organization or belief that promotes love and caring for self and others. Religious views that are hateful or destructive are not tolerated.
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REMEMBER OUR ANCESTORS
One thing the Mandalorians value is their ancestors. Mandalorians understand that without our ancestors we would be nothing. The work and progress our ancestors have made should be used to put us a step ahead. We should learn from the mistakes and accomplishmenst of our ancestors. As a way to constantly remember this concept and to appreciate our ancestors the Mandalorians have a daily remembrance they repeat. This remembrance goes like this: I’am still alive, but you are dead. I remember you, so you are eternal." Then names of loved ones are repeated. The list of names repeated may vary throughout a Mandlaorians life but it will usually contain names of close family members who have died. The list may also contain the names of historical figures.
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RESOL’NARE (Six Actions)
The resol’nare, or Six Actions, defines what a Mandalorian does. The resol’nare are a set of six actions that a Mandalorian must do through-out their lives. The resol’nare listed below:
1 - I will defend myself and my family.
2 - All my children will be raised as Mandalorians.
3 -I will take pride in wearing clothing that represents my Mandalorian status.
4 - I will always speak Mando’a to other Mandalorians.
5 - I will help my aliit to succeed and sustain itself.
6 - I will answer the call of the Mand’alor.
These are the six basic things a person must incorporate into their lives if they are to be a Mandalorian. They are the most basic and important things for a Mandalorian.
“I will defend myself and my family.” Mandalorians have extreme love for family. The Family is the basic unit of Mandalorian culture. With this love, protection of Family becomes paramount. A Mandalorian must do all s/he can to protect his/her family. Also preservation of self is vitally important.
“All my children will be raised as Mandalorians.” First of all, it is important for Mandalorians to get married and have children. Children carry on what their parents teach them. In order for the continuation of the Mandalorian culture, our lifestyle, and our values; it is very important to have children and teach them the ways of the Mandalorians and raise them to be Mandalorians.
“I will take pride in wearing clothing that represents my Mandalorian status.” Clothing is an external statement of who we are. Clothing, uniforms, armband, or other clothing items should be worn to show, externaly, one’s commitment to the Mandalorian lifestyle.
“I will always speak Mando’a to other Mandalorians.” The Mandalorian language, Mando’a, is one of the most important things that sets the Mandalorians apart from other goups. While the Mandalorian language is not fully developed yet, it is important for all Mandalorians to learn as much as they can and help to develope Mando’a into a full language.
“I will help my aliit to succeed and sustain itself.” The aliit has the same importance as the family. This is because the aliit is simply a larger form of the family. It is an extended family if you will. It is important that a aliit succeed in all it’s efforts and that it be able to sustain itself. It is the duty of every aliit member to support their aliit.
“I will answering the call of the Mand’alor.” Mand’alor is the elected leader of the Mandalorians. S/He is elected from all the leaders of the aliite. Mand’alor oversees the entire Mandalorian society during times when the aliite may disagree amongst themselves, or when the aliite need to become organized for whatever reason. However if the current Mand’alor tries to be dictatorial or no longer commands respect from the Mandalorians another Mand’alor will be elected. Mand’alor must be a true leader not some crazy nut.
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CODE OF THE MANDALORIANS
Just as the Resol’nare define what a Mandalorian does, the Code of the Mandalorians defines what Mandalorian is. The Code of the Mandalorians is as follows:
A Mandalorian is loyal: Loyalty binds all Mandalorians in a common unity.
A Mandalorian is honourable: Honour makes a Mandalorian a person of good morals.
A Mandalorian is mighty: Might gives a Mandalorian the ability to overcome any obstacles.
A Mandalorian is brave: Bravery pushes a Mandalorian beyond his/her fears.
A Mandalorian is wise: Wisdom helps a Mandalorian make sound choices.
These five principles are what defines someone as a Mandalorian. A Mandalorian must strive constantly to make these principles part of himself/herself.
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WARRIOR LIFESTYLE
What does it mean to be a Mandalorian Warrior?
The definition of warrior is a brave or experiences soldier or fighter. It seems to me that there are two types of warriors. There are literal warriors, meaning those who actually fight physical battles to overcome an enemy. There are also figurative warriors, those who fight in some battle other than physical conflicts.
A literal warrior is a soldier. They fight in conflicts and obey orders. The literal warrior is more of a state that our bodies should be in. A literal warrior will have a strong, physically fit body. S/He will train in self defense. A literal warrior will be prepared should any physical conflict arise. A literal warrior over comes conflict through physical toughness; and through the use of tools to defend him/herself.
The figurative warrior has a much broader and in some ways more important purpose. The figurative warrior is more the attitude we should have. This type of warrior will defend the Mandalorian principles if they are challenged. They will never give up when a challenge faces them. This type of warrior doesn’t fight with the gun or the sword but they fight with their mind, and spirit. They overcome the daily challenges that face them as well as the trials of life. A warrior doesn’t need to be a killer. Most often figurative warriors bring life. They support and maintain life. Some examples of figurative warriors would be, A young child fighting to overcome a disease. A mother working to raise her children. A lone Mandalorian standing up for his/her standards even when others challenge them. A father working to provide a living for his family. These and many more are figurative warriors. They struggle to overcome challenges that face them.
While both of these types of warriors are different, they support each other and help each other to develop. A literal warrior hones and disciplines his/her body to a superior level. This disciplining of the body aids in the disciplining of the mind. As the figurative warrior disciplines and hones his/her mind they have greater ability to condition the body. Both types of warrior are necessary for a complete individual.
The Resol’nare is very important in helping to determine the focus of a warrior.
1 - I will defend myself and my family.
A literal warrior should defend themselves and their families by taking up arms, when needed, to fight off an enemy. A figurative warrior would defend themselves and their families by providing for their family, and behaving in a way that shows respect for their family name. While the enemy of a literal warrior would be an army, the enemy of a figurative warrior would be poverty, shame, lack of discipline, lack of education, etc.
2 - All my children will be raised as Mandalorians.
A literal warrior will raise his/her children as Mandalorians by teaching them physical skills. This includes teaching them self defense, weapons, physical fitness. A figurative warrior would raise their children as Mandalorians by teaching then discipline, and to be a good person, to be hard working, and many other things.
3 - I will take pride in wearing clothing that represents my Mandalorian status.
A literal warrior would fulfill this by wearing armour. Armour is a Mandalorian’s defense during physical conflicts. It symbolizes the ability of the Mandalorian warrior. While we don’t have any armour yet, it is very important that all of us work towards progressing the Mandalorians to the point where we can have armour to wear. A figurative warrior wears clothing styles that show a dedication to the Mandalorians. Since a figurative warrior doesn’t wear armor they need to wear a Mandalorian clothing style that outwardly shows a dedication to the Mandalorians. We need to determine what this style will be. We should find a clothing style that will represent us. I think one idea could be clothes based in those worn by Jango Fett. Another idea could be an armband, a pin, or ribbon. Something that people can see and recognize as Mandalorian.
4 - I will always speak Mando’a to other Mandalorians.
This is one point where the literal and figurative warriors responsibilities overlap. Mando’a is something very important and helps Mandalorians stand out from other groups. It gives Mandalorians a common point of reference and something that we can all be united in.
5 - I will help my aliit to succeed and sustain itself.
A literal warrior will help their aliit succeed by helping provide physical means for the support of their aliit. A figurative warrior will promote unity, be forgiving to other aliit members if they are offended. They will help their aliit succeed by being the best Mandalorian they can.
6 - I will answer the call of Mand’alor.
A literal warrior will follow Mand’alor by obeying his/her orders. If Mand’alor gives an order to fight they will fight. If Mand’alor gives and order to help a Mandalorian in need they will help. If Mand’alor gives an order to render aid in a disaster then they will give aid. A figurative warrior will remain loyal to Mand’alor at all times not only during times when called.
We can see through the Resol’nare that both literal and figurative warriors fill different aspects of the duties a Mandalorian must fulfil. It is very important that a Mandalorian be both a literal and figurative warrior. Even though a Mandalorian may not be a literal warrior all the time they should still be prepared for the time when they may be called to fulfill their duties as literal warriors. It is also important that a Mandalorian fulfill their duties as figurative warriors. It is only through the development of our skills as literal and figurative warriors that we can fulfill the purposes of the Resol’nare and live truly as Mandalorians.
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Society
Mandalorian clan structure was like a pyramid, with the ruler, or Mand’alor, at the top and the Protectors enforcing their rule. Below them were the political factions known as Houses, made up of family clans. One example was House Vizsla, which was comprised of Clan Vizsla and Clan Wren. Under the rule of Duchess Satine Kryze and the New Mandalorian government during the Clone Wars, the Mandalorians had mostly rejected their martial ancestral ways, but maintained a police force and secret service, who wielded electropoles and shields.
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Honor and Traditions
Mandalorians were some of the most feared warriors in the galaxy. As prideful warriors, single combat was integral to the culture and spirit of the Mandalorians, and they had a strong code of honor that could be invoked to settle disputes with one-on-one combat that would conclude with the death of one opponent. This affinity and tradition for single combat extended beyond justice however, as Mandalorians would even seek single combat simply for the glory of fighting a great opponent such as a Jedi Knight, and would even be used to settle leadership disputes. However, some in House Vizsla refused to accept non-Mandalorians like Darth Maul ever becoming ruler of Mandalore via such traditions. Maul himself had Prime Minister Almec lie to the Mandalorian people that Satine had killed Vizsla. The darksaber was appropriated by House Vizsla as a symbol of authority and leadership used to unify the Mandalorians.
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Armor
Mandalorian armor developed a legendary reputation that was feared across the galaxy and was visually distinctive with its honeycomb plate patterns and menacing T-shaped visors. It was packed with anti-Jedi tools such as Jetpacks, magnetized boots, tactical displays and armed gauntlets that featured weaponry and tools designed to combat the abilities of the Jedi. Some of this weaponry not only helped combat but outright mimicked Jedi abilities such as their wrist-mounted sonic repulsors. They generally favored WESTAR-35 blaster pistols and Z-6 jetpacks, which could project missiles.[51] The archetypal Mandalorian starfighter design was called the Kom’rk-class fighter.
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Combat Style
Mandalorian warriors possessed advanced combat training from their many wars that dated before the Republic’s existence. However, it wasn’t until their conflicts with the Jedi that they would develop their signature combat style. This style entailed a Mandalorian utilizing a mix of melee, ranged, and hand-to-hand techniques while incorporating the technology in his or her vambraces to surprise a Jedi Knight in combat, allowing the Mandalorian to finish them off. Mandalorian warriors would continue to utilize this style of combat against the Jedi throughout time as well as against other opponents.