In 3976 BBY, Zaalbar attacked his brother Chuundar after confronting him over collaboration with Czerka Corporation. Wookiee custom treated the use of claws against another Wookiee as a grave violation. Zaalbar was branded a madclaw and banished from Kashyyyk; away from his homeworld, he was later captured by slavers.
A taboo stronger than the immediate dispute
Zaalbar's attack was judged through a long-standing Wookiee norm against using claws as weapons.
The social punishment focused on the violation even though the political dispute with Chuundar was real.
Exile increases vulnerability
Banished from kin and home, Zaalbar lost the protections of Wookiee society.
His later enslavement shows how exclusion from one political community can expose a person to exploitation elsewhere.
Anthropological assessment
Zaalbar's exile shows how cultural taboos can override sympathy for the grievance that produced a violation.
It also illustrates how punishment by exclusion can create risks far beyond those intended by the original community.
Sources and further reading
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
- Knights of the Old Republic Campaign Guide.