"The people of the Water Tribe are capable of adapting to many things. They have a deep sense of community and love that holds them together through anything."
— Iroh to Zuko on the nature of the Water Tribe".
The Water Tribe is a collective term for the nation of people who practice the art of waterbending. It is one of the four nations and its members, for the most part, inhabit the polar regions. There is also a small population of waterbenders located in the swamps of the Earth Kingdom, although they were isolated from their sister-tribes for generations and others were not aware of their existence until stumbled upon by Avatar Aang, Katara, and Sokka of the Southern Water Tribe.The people of the Water Tribes are peaceful. They strive to live in harmony with nature and with the other nations of the world. There are two primary groups of Water Tribes, the Northern and the Southern. However, once the Fire Nation's attack began, contact between the two tribes came to an end.
Waterbenders use their abilities for defense, never for aggression. Despite their peaceful nature, their goal was to do whatever it took to stop the Fire Nation from taking over the world. The Water Tribe is less powerful than both the Earth Kingdom and the Fire Nation, due to its population size, geographic location and economy. Its economy is very small and is dependent on ocean resources, which can be attributed to the relatively small population of the Water Tribes as the third most populous nation. The Water Tribe joined a global conflict known as the Hundred Year War against the Fire Nation during the life of Avatar Aang. The Southern Tribe was driven to the brink of extinction through a series of devastating raids, and the Northern Tribe proved to be unable to provide any resources for the War beyond its borders. With the War's conclusion, a reconstruction effort began for the Southern Tribe, consequently restoring contact between the two tribes. Seventy years after the end of the Hundred Year War, the Water Tribe gained significant influence in world affairs, with two representatives on the United Republic Council, one for the Southern Tribe and another for the Northern Tribe, the latter representative most recently being Councilman Tarrlok. |