Kurtzen

The Kurtzen were a pale, hairless, humanoid species from the planet Bakura. They were the only sentients native to the world; few in number, they became a minority when Human settlers arrived in 150 BBY. Kurtzen suffered from a degenerative genetic disorder that limited their population growth. Although medicine provided by the Human settlers helped them overcome the disease, Kurtzen comprised only five percent of Bakura's population by 4 ABY. Despite this, it was unusual for more than two children in a family to reach adulthood. Kurtzen society was divided into tribes and clans.

The Kurtzen were peaceful nomads with stone-age technology when first encountered by Human representatives of the Bakur Mining Corporation. Kurtzen religious beliefs centered on a universal life force that could be channeled via clothing and personal effects called totems or life trinkets; scholars speculated that such beliefs developed as a response to population decline. However, by the time of the Galactic Civil War, younger Kurtzen were largely abandoning their old ways in favor of adopting Bakuran Human culture. Indeed, the Kurtzen were extremely grateful for having received medical and technological assistance from the Bakuran Humans, and they gained representation in the newcomers' government. At the time of the Invasion of Bakura, two out of the forty members of the Bakuran Senate were Kurtzen. Most of the Kurtzen population was concentrated in the Kishh district on the continent of Braad, and after Human colonization, the uninhabited eastern continent of Kishh'daar was reserved for Kurtzen settlement once their numbers warranted it.

Text and facts from the “Kurtzen” article on Wookieepedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0. Modified for this site.