With classes coming to a close and finals week happening, I’ve been rather too busy lately to actually spend much time on any more… elaborate drawings (though I am working on one), but I have been working out ‘bios’ for all the Matoran Tribes on Bota Nui and making simple sketches to accompany them.
Ta-Matoran
Ta-Matoran are easily recognizable by their predominantly red, orange, and yellow armor. They’re also one of the taller and more athletic of the Matoran; both males and females have relatively broad shoulders, and in general the proportions of the Ta-Matoran give off a decidedly masculine vibe. Their masks are designed to provide full facial coverage and protection, lacking large gaps apart from the eye and mouth holes, and some Ta-Matoran add in visors to protect their eyes from the bright light and sparks of the forges. They have little or no hair. Both Ta-Matoran masks and body armor have plenty of cooling vents to keep them from overheating in their natural environment, which Ta-Nuva models pretty well.
In this picture, the male (great kanohi Kualsi, on the left) is carrying the largest smithing hammer anyone would think to be useful, or perhaps it’s just an iron ingot on a stick; Ta-Matoran have a strange sense of humor. The female (great kanohi Hau, on the right) showcases the traditional equipment of the Ta-Matoran guard: the forked spear and shield.
Onu-Matoran
The physique of the average Onu-Matoran is one of the more distinctive among the tribes. Adapted for living underground and digging tunnels, they are normally of about average height but with a muscle-bound, hunchbacked posture. Their upper bodies are incredibly strong, with extremely broad shoulders, long arms, and large, often clawed hands that are excellent for digging. Of course, they don’t do any of that themselves on Bota Nui; the Onu-Matoran mostly concern themselves with the upper-echelon desk work, and many are quite out of shape because of it. Nonetheless, their physical characteristics make them rather imposing. Their masks are unique as well: by tradition, the Onu-Matoran tend to wear masks that have a heavy, protective brow structure and a ‘deep’ design that can cover the entire head when viewed from above. Many include a lightstone in either the forehead or cheeks, which helps the Onu-Matoran analyze objects in detail even in low-light conditions. Onu-Matoran are exclusively bald, and many wear various clothing items and jewelry that symbolize their wealth and power. The standard color for Onu-Matoran armor and clothing is black, with shades of grey, orange, tan, and purple used as secondary tones.
The male (great kanohi Ruru, left) in this picture is what these days would be considered an ‘old-school’ Onu-Matoran, with the very prominent hunch and distinctive wide shoulders. The female (great kanohi Akaku minus scope, right) looks more like the typical ‘modern’ Onu-Matoran: still a sturdy build, but far less hunch-backed or muscular. Like most Onu-Matoran today, she’s also quite overweight. The drill staff has been used as a symbol of authority among Onu-Matoran ever since Turaga Whenua adopted it as his seal in the long-gone days of Mata Nui; some of the higher-up Onu-Matoran managers still use it for that purpose.
Po-Matoran
The appearance of the average Po-Matoran has changed radically on Bota Nui, an effect of their uniquely poor living conditions. The archetypical Po-Matoran form, lean yet powerful, with little in the way of excess armor, is still represented by those who are still alive from the Old World. Walking among the modern Bota Nui Po-Matoran, they could be mistaken for ancient giants, which in some ways they are: the Po-Matoran were the tallest of all the Matoran on the old world, reaching over 150cm on average. However, thanks to the centralized food distribution system that has been set up in the mines by the Onu-Matoran to save costs, the Po-Matoran get exactly enough nutrition to do the harsh work asked of them, with no energy left over to grow in the early stages of their life: few Po-Matoran created on Bota Nui ever grow north of 80 cm, barely taller than the height of a newly constructed Matoran (70cm), and making them by far the shortest tribe on average.
They still retain much of their characteristic strength in their tiny frames, though, making them perfect miners as far as the Onu-Matoran are concerned: small, energy-efficient, and still plenty strong to do the job. What effect their severely diminished stature might have on the Po-Matoran in the long run has yet to be studied or even really considered. Regardless of whether they’re old or new, though, Po-Matoran generally have a gaunt, dirty, and ragged appearance, often wearing armor and crude Kanohi that would barely pass as scrap metal on the surface, and usually have short to medium-length dark hair. Many have crude patches on their armor and poorly healed injuries that bear witness to the harsh life they’ve become accustomed to. Even their tribal colors, brown with smatterings of tan, black, and yellow, are often faded, though the Po-Matoran still take great pride in them.
The female (great kanohi Mahiki, left) is one of those ‘old giants,’ which only accentuates her gaunt appearance, though there clearly is still some strength in her arms and upper torso. The male (great kanohi Kaukau, right) was constructed on Bota Nui, and as such hasn’t grown much at all… also note that his armor uses the absolute minimum amount of metal needed; metal’s still expensive. Both carry pickaxes, the archetypal mining tool.
Ga-Matoran
Strongly attuned to their element, all Ga-Matoran live on or near the water, and are well adapted for swimming. A little taller than average, they wear fairly light and smoothly shaped armor and have three-toed, webbed feet that aid them in swimming. Though, like the other tribes, they aren’t gender-locked by their element anymore, the Ga-Matoran have universally retained a sleek and relatively feminine appearance. Most have long hair that is tied back or braided according to preference. Their Kanohi are also distinctive: they lack gaps or cooling vents of any kind, and all have visors that in some masks can be made retractable. These features allow the masks to form a water-tight seal around the face, which is crucial since a Matoran’s face is the part of their body that is most susceptible to water damage, even for Ga-Matoran. Their unique masks allow the Ga-Matoran to seal and protect their faces underwater. Also, like the Onu-Matoran, many have had small lightstones embedded in their masks to help them see deeper down. Ga-Matoran armor can be any shade of blue, with another shade used as a secondary color, although a rare few use white or light green instead.
The male (noble kanohi Huna, left) here is carrying the only weapon that Ga-Matoran have traditionally used and mastered: the trident. The female (great kanohi Rau, right) is carrying a fishing rod; fishing is still the occupation of the majority of the Ga-Matoran, although they mostly use boats with nets and Hahnah cages, not fishing rods.
Le-Matoran
The Le-Matoran have developed a very distinctive physique, well adapted for life in the treetops. They are among the shortest Matoran around (on the surface) and by far the lightest, sporting a very thin, agile build with only the bare essentials for armor protection. Their arms are at least as long as their legs, and often significantly longer, making many of the Le-Matoran ‘knuckle-walkers’ that move around on all fours. This makes them awkward and clumsy on flat ground, but they sport unparalleled speed and agility on uneven terrain and when climbing, aided by feet that are able to grasp almost as well as their hands. Their Kanohi are also built to be as light as possible, forged very thin and with many large gaps where structural materials are not absolutely necessary to make a solid mask. While Matoran of most other tribes could easily exchange Kanohi without too many negative repercussions, Le-Matoran weight savings have gone so far that even their heads are shaped differently. Compared to other Matoran, their jaws are much reduced while their eyes are very large, giving them a shorter, slightly wider face that their masks are fitted to, rendering them incompatible with Matoran from other tribes. Le-Matoran hairstyles vary from ‘all but bald’ to as elaborate as those of the Ko-Matoran, and often a Le-Matoran can be recognized by their preferred hairstyle as easily as by their Kanohi. Like the Ga-Matoran, most Le-Matoran are armored in two shades of one color: green. However, accents in light blue or yellow are not uncommon.
The male (great kanohi Huna, left) shows the Le-Matoran’s incredible climbing abilities courtesy of their grasping feet. The female (great kanohi Miru, right) is standing on the ground to show just how different the proportions of the arms and legs of Le-Matoran are compared to most others; like most Le-Matoran, she’d probably walk on all fours.
Bo-Matoran
Physically, the Bo-Matoran are one of the more nondescript tribes in general, since their living environment doesn’t require a lot of special adaptations over the basic Matoran design. Armored in any shade of green and blue, they usually grow to a little above average height and have short hair. Their most notable feature is their penchant for creating intricate, flora-inspired designs on their armor, which they do in their spare time. Many Bo-Matoran have elaborate etchings of various plants, often those that they work with, displayed prominently on their chest plates and arm and leg armor.
The male (great kanohi Pakari, left) stands with a shovel, apparently pretty satisfied at whatever he’s just accomplished. The female (great kanohi Garai, left) is carrying a basket of harvested fruit. Both have flora-themed patterns on their armor. The great kanohi Garai, by the way, is a rarely-seen mask on Matoran; it’s typical wide, flanged shape makes it impractically heavy and unwieldy for most Matoran to wear, and you’ll note that, on this version, the width of the flanges has been greatly reduced to make the mask more wearable.
Fe-Matoran
Growing up in the mines, many Fe-Matoran have developed in a similar way to their Po-Matoran comrades, although the changes were less severe for the Fe-Matoran. Originally a sturdy people of average height, the Fe-Matoran who grew up in the mines are rarely more than a meter tall. They’ve retained their characteristic endurance and toughness, though, and their habit of wearing more armor than any other Matoran. Onu-, Ta-, and Fa-Matoran might have shoulder pads in addition to the standard Matoran armor set, but Fe-Matoran also armor up their thighs and upper arms, which no other tribe does. Their Kanohi almost completely engulf their head, functioning more like helmets instead of just masks. Like Ta-Matoran, Fe-Matoran usually have broad shoulders and a masculine physique. Their hair is usually kept short but is of a striking silver color, matching the silver and gunmetal hues of their armor. Orange is most frequently seen as a secondary armor color.
The male (great kanohi Komau, left) is apparently quite proud of his invention, which appears to be some kind of food bowl with automated cutlery attached… The female (great kanohi Kakama, right) is carrying a set of tools more typical of a Fe-Matoran working on a significantly larger project.
Ba-Matoran
Being ‘elite miners,’ Ba-Matoran were the least hit by the centralized food supply system that drastically altered the appearance of the Po- and Fe-Matoran. Nonetheless, they are one of the shorter tribes, and come naturally equipped with a sturdy build. They wear thick armor in shades of purple with details in grey and black, and usually have short, dark hair. Other than being forged somewhat thicker and heavier than those of other tribes, their Kanohi don’t have much in the way of distinguishing features, although since they work in the mines many have added lightstones to them like the Onu- and Ga-Matoran.
The male (noble kanohi Mahiki, left) appears pissed off at something, or more likely someone; the Ba-Matoran have aligned themselves strongly with the Onu-Matoran and regard the other mining tribes with a certain degree of distaste. The female (great kanohi Avsa, right) looks pretty much like most Ba-Matoran at work; carrying a clipboard and pen, and taking meticulous notes about the mining progress.
I’ll make more of these as I have time. Eventually, I should have one for each type of Matoran, or at least as they exist on Bota Nui (which I’m still working on).
