Earth Tribe

The Earth Tribe's canon status is disputed.

The information on this page might not be canon. For more information, consult the talk page.

Earth Tribe
Organization
Headquarters	Bota Magna
Leader	Element Lord of Earth
Goals	Defend themselves from the tribes of Spherus Magna Prevent a worldwide alliance against themselves
Allies	None
Enemies	Tribes of Spherus Magna
Status	Active

The Earth Tribe is a tribe on Spherus Magna whose deceitful diplomacy brought about the Core War and the Shattering.

History

The Earth Tribe resided in the Great Jungle of Spherus Magna.

More than 100,000 years ago, the Great Beings selected an Earth Tribe warrior and granted her Elemental Powers. She ruled over her tribe as the Element Lord of Earth.

The Earth Tribe, aware of what went on beneath Spherus Magna, discovered Energized Protodermis before it appeared on the planet's surface. The Element Lord of Earth contemplated claiming the substance, but she reconsidered as such a powerful resource would make herself and her tribe a valuable target. Instead she waited for Energized Protodermis to rise to the planet's surface so that others would discover it. Then, the Element Lord hoped, she could foment conflict among the other tribes and claim the substance for herself.

Eventually, the Ice Tribe found a spring of Energized Protodermis. The Earth Tribe subtly encouraged the Ice Tribe to claim the well and, in so doing, underhandedly kickstarted the Core War. The Earth Tribe abstained from the war, preaching peace all while subverting attempts to end the conflict.

Spherus Magna grew unstable as the conflict waged on, and before the Earth Tribe could claim the Ice Tribe's well, the Shattering brought the Core War to an end. Although a few Earth Agori were on Bara Magna at that time, the Element Lord of Earth and the rest of the surviving Earth Tribe were stranded on Bota Magna.

While the Core War raged, many did not realize the Earth Tribe's schemes. After the Shattering, however, it became common knowledge that the Earth Tribe was responsible for the Core War. For its treachery, the Earth Tribe was effectively exiled from the rest of Spherus Magna society.

Over 100,000 years later, Mata Nui used the Prototype Robot and the Mata Nui Robot to reunite the three fragments of Spherus Magna. The Earth Tribe now resides on the restored planet. They plan to seed discord among the other tribes to prevent a worldwide alliance against themselves.

Known Members

Villagers

• A few Agori that were stranded on Bara Magna after the Shattering

Warriors

• A female warrior who became the Element Lord of Earth (transformed)
• At least one Great Being

Social Structure and Interactions

The Earth Tribe's people are farmers, and their tribal colors are brown and black. While male members prefer to work in farms, female members such as the Element Lord of Earth tended to rule Earth Tribe territory until the Great Beings became Spherus Magna's scientist-kings. The Earth Tribe has greater numbers on Bota Magna than on Bara Magna. The Earth Tribe is extremely tied to nature, and they justified their neutrality in the Core War by claiming that they feared the conflict's effects on the planet. While the Earth Tribe generally feels regret for the harm they did to Spherus Magna in indirectly causing the Shattering, they do not regret starting the Core War.

Prior to the Shattering, the Earth Tribe had enough influence to sway the other tribes into war. However, when the other tribes realized the Earth Tribe's treachery, the Earth Tribe was outcast from Spherus Magna's society.

Trivia

• In 2009, product descriptions erroneously identified the Zesk and Vorox as members of the Earth Tribe.
• Initially, "Earth Tribe" was a placeholder name for the Iron Tribe, as used in one of Raanu's lines in Glatorian Arena and Greg Farshtey's treatment for the cancelled fifth BIONICLE movie. Farshtey had previously denied the existence of other tribes besides the primary six and Iron. In 2014, a user again asked whether there were other tribes, to which Farshtey said there were. Several users then followed up with questions about the Earth Tribe mentioned in his movie treatment, to which Farshtey confirmed that the Earth Tribe exists as an eighth tribe on Spherus Magna. Though questions and discrepancies started to emerge, such as whether the Earth Tribe fought in the Core War and why they were never mentioned in the story previously. In 2017, Farshtey posted a backstory for the Earth Tribe and Lord of Earth to explain these apparent contradictions, that they were blamed for the Core War and thus banished from society and never discussed. However, this backstory contradicts established canon. In Chapter 3 of The Crossing, Tarduk says the Great Beings were blamed for the Core War, and so no one discussed them, despite the Great Beings being mentioned by several characters throughout the story. The Earth Tribe or Lord of Earth are not mentioned in places where they ought to be, such as BIONICLE: Mata Nui's Guide to Bara Magna or "All Our Sins Remembered." Farshtey has stated on several occasions that it was not his intention to retcon previous canon. Because of this, the canonical status of the Earth Tribe is disputed.
• Tera, a character in Greg Farshtey's treatment for the cancelled fifth BIONICLE movie, was an Earth Glatorian and con artist trapped in the Valley of the Maze for thousands of years. Since this movie was never made, Tera never became an official character, nor was the name approved by the legal team.