Lily Pads of Ga-Koro: The Floating Foundation of a Matoran Village

The lily pads of Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. were the immense floating leaves that formed the physical ground of the Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. village on the coast of Naho BayNaho BayThe body of water that made up most of Ga-Wahi, named for a fallen Toa of Water and home to the floating village of Ga-Koro on its surface.. Each pad rested on the surface of the water, large enough to carry huts, public spaces, and groups of MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. at a time, and the village as a whole was built across a cluster of them rather than on solid land. The pads were neither ornamental nor incidental. They were the structural answer to a settlement that had been founded in open water and that had to remain afloat through storms, sieges, and the long Bohrok WarBohrok WarThe 2002 swarm that nearly destroyed Mata Nui when Teridax triggered the Bohrok's awakening ahead of schedule..

A village on water#

Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. was the floating village of water on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., located on the coast of Naho BayNaho BayThe body of water that made up most of Ga-Wahi, named for a fallen Toa of Water and home to the floating village of Ga-Koro on its surface. in the region of Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records.. The position was chosen by Toa NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras. when the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. first arrived on the island, and the architecture that followed was dictated by the place. There was no shoreline to build on. The settlement instead sat on a cluster of giant lily pads that rose to meet the Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. where they came ashore. Bamboo and extremely durable plants resembling seaweed grew alongside the pads, and the surrounding ecosystem of Naho BayNaho BayThe body of water that made up most of Ga-Wahi, named for a fallen Toa of Water and home to the floating village of Ga-Koro on its surface. supplied the village with most of its material needs.

The pads were enormous in scale. A single pad held a full hut, a workshop, or a stretch of public square. Smaller pads served as jetties, fishing posts, and footbridges, while the largest formed the floor of the central town square. None of the village rested on solid land. The mainland of Ga-WahiGa-WahiGa-Wahi was a region situated to the east on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by Ga-Matoran and various Rahi. The region once fell under the domain of Teridax, though that connection did not endure. Ga-Wahi no longer existed in later records. was visible from the village, and the road network of Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years. ran along the shore, but the houses themselves were always afloat.

The Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast., who swam as easily as they walked, treated the gaps between pads as ordinary geography. Visitors from the dry villages, particularly the Po-MatoranPo-MatoranThe Stone-element Matoran of Po-Metru and Po-Koro, carvers and quarry workers, the most athletic of the Matoran types and the population behind the Kohlii and Akilini circuits. and Ta-MatoranTa-MatoranThe Fire-element Matoran of Ta-Metru and Ta-Koro, forgers of masks and Kanoka, lava farmers, and the standing core of the Ta-Koro Guard during the war for Mata Nui., often found the layout slippery and unfamiliar.

Construction and properties#

The lily pads were biological structures rather than fabricated ones. They grew in the bay, were harvested by the Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast., and were anchored together with cord and woven plant fibre to form the larger surfaces of the village. The pads were buoyant enough to support MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. on foot and the small carts and canoes that supplied the settlement. They were durable, resistant to rot in the salt water of Naho BayNaho BayThe body of water that made up most of Ga-Wahi, named for a fallen Toa of Water and home to the floating village of Ga-Koro on its surface., and able to be cut, shaped, and stitched without losing their flotation.

Damaged pads could be removed and replaced with new ones harvested from the bay, and the village could be reconfigured by towing pads into new positions. The houses themselves were lightweight enough to be relocated when the cluster was rearranged, and the bridges between huts could be lengthened, shortened, or removed as the layout shifted.

The connection to the mainland followed the same principle. The central Ga-Koro BridgeThe Ga-Koro BridgeThe lily-pad bridge of Ga-Koro was the floating span that connected the Ga-Matoran village to the mainland of Ga-Wahi, raised in the village's defining battle against the Pahrak swarms. was built from interlocking pads anchored end to end across the surface of the bay and secured to the shoreline at the mainland end. Smaller spans, including Amaya's JettyAmaya's JettyA small lily-pad jetty extending from Amaya's Hut at the eastern edge of Ga-Koro, marked by three Bamboo Poles and a Ruki poem. at the easternmost point of the village, were made of single pads with attached walkways. The anchor system at the mainland end of the central bridge had a second feature beyond simple attachment: the bridge sections could be raised clear of the water on a hinge, dropping anything that stood on them into the bay.

Buildings and surfaces#

The buildings of Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. followed the same pattern as the bridges. Each significant structure was either built on top of a single large pad or distributed across a stitched cluster. The Ga-Koro Town SquareGa-Koro Town SquareThe central plaza of Ga-Koro, split into a north square inhabited by Nokama, Nireta, Macku and Nixie, and a south square inhabited by Okoth, Kotu and Kailani. sat near the centre of the village, and the surrounding pads carried NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras.'s hut, HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe.'s hut, MackuMackuMacku was a Ga-Matoran of Metru Nui and later Ga-Koro, attendant to Turaga Nokama, Kolhii partner to Hahli at the championship at Ta-Koro, and a member of the Chronicler's Company.'s hut, and the workshops of the village's craftspeople. The Ga-SuvaGa-SuvaGali's shrine in Ga-Koro, the floating village's repository of her Kanohi and the Nuva Symbol whose light broke the Pahrak siege., the shrine that housed Toa GaliGali, Toa of WaterThe Toa Nuva of Water and conscience of the Toa Mata, whose attunement to her element anchored the team across every campaign from Mata Nui to Karda Nui.'s KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. and later her Kanohi NuvaKanohi NuvaThe most powerful Masks of Power ever created, granting each Toa Nuva fundamentally enhanced abilities., occupied its own pad and was reached by short bridges from the square.

The Ga-Koro Kolhii FieldGa-Koro Kolhii FieldThe Ga-Wahi lily pad on which Hahli and Macku trained for the Kolhii championship the Ga-Koro team eventually won at Ta-Koro., the playing surface on which HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. and MackuMackuMacku was a Ga-Matoran of Metru Nui and later Ga-Koro, attendant to Turaga Nokama, Kolhii partner to Hahli at the championship at Ta-Koro, and a member of the Chronicler's Company. practised for the Kolhii TournamentThe Kolhii Championship at Ta-Koro: The Last Tournament on Mata NuiThe post-Bohrok-Kal championship at the Ta-Koro Kolhii Stadium, the upset victory by Ga-Koro, and the unveiling of the Mask of Light to the assembled population of Mata Nui., was constructed on a lily pad positioned between Shasa's HutShasa's HutShasa's Hut is a small Ga-Koro residence built from seaweed, holding a weaving loom for one of the village's working Matoran. and the town square. The pad's position made the game audible across the village, and the game itself, played on a buoyant surface that responded to the weight of the players, had a feel that distinguished it from the dry-ground variants of Po-KoroPo-KoroPo-Koro was the Po-Matoran village in Po-Wahi, led by Turaga Onewa and guarded by Toa Pohatu, reached through a single statue-lined road called the Path of Prophecies. and Ta-KoroTa-KoroTa-Koro was a settlement located in Ta-Wahi, home to the Ta-Matoran, Tahu, and Vakama, and formerly connected to Teridax. The settlement was ultimately destroyed..

The eastern edge of the village was anchored by Amaya's JettyAmaya's JettyA small lily-pad jetty extending from Amaya's Hut at the eastern edge of Ga-Koro, marked by three Bamboo Poles and a Ruki poem., which jutted out from Amaya's HutAmaya's HutAmaya's Hut was a small driftwood dwelling in Ga-Koro that housed a Flax Weaver, a jellyfish lamp, and the quiet labor of Matoran daily life. on a single pad ringed by three Bamboo PolesBamboo PoleA crafting material in MNOG II used to assemble Kohlii sticks from gathered bamboo.. The jetty carried a poem tacked to one of the poles and served as a private vantage point for residents looking out across the bay. The placement of the jetty marked the limit of the inhabited cluster and the beginning of the open water beyond.

The lily pads at war#

The lily pads proved to be more than passive flotation. They became the central weapon of the village's defence during the Battle of Ga-KoroThe Battle of Ga-Koro: The Pahrak Siege of the Floating VillageThe conclusive engagement of the Bohrok War, fought on the lily pads of Ga-Koro by Gali, Maku, and the Ga-Matoran Defense Force against a Pahrak swarm., the conclusive engagement of the Bohrok WarBohrok WarThe 2002 swarm that nearly destroyed Mata Nui when Teridax triggered the Bohrok's awakening ahead of schedule.. Besieged by a swarm of PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. and harassed by the Pahrak VaPahrak VaThe stone-element Bohrok Va were maskless support units that served during Mata Nui's 2002 invasion. playing mind games with the defenders, the Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. were outnumbered and outmatched. The PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. advanced across the bay using the central bridge as their approach route, attempting to compromise the structure and reach the village pads directly.

The defenders' response was to turn the lily-pad bridges against the attackers. Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. and the Po-MatoranPo-MatoranThe Stone-element Matoran of Po-Metru and Po-Koro, carvers and quarry workers, the most athletic of the Matoran types and the population behind the Kohlii and Akilini circuits. kolhiiKolhiiKolhii was the inter-village athletic contest of Mata Nui, descended from the earlier Akilini of Metru Nui and played by all six Koro until the island's evacuation. champion HewkiiHewkiiHewkii rose from Po-Metru carver to Mata Nui's foremost kolhii player, then served as Toa Inika and Toa Mahri through the late wars of the universe. forced the bridges up, dropping the non-buoyant PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. into the bay, where their dense protodermisProtodermisThe engineered substance building the Matoran Universe, protodermis exists in countless refined states from mundane metal to diamond-hard crystal to the destruction-or-transformation force of energized form. shells took them straight to the bottom. The Ga-Koro Defense ForceGa-Koro Defense ForceThe Ga-Matoran militia that patrolled Ga-Wahi with bamboo poles, motorized boats, and tamed Keras, and held the village during the Bohrok War. used Kolhii SticksKolhiiKolhii was the inter-village athletic contest of Mata Nui, descended from the earlier Akilini of Metru Nui and played by all six Koro until the island's evacuation. to destroy sections of the bridge at the start of the engagement, and the UssalryUssalryOnu-Koro's branch of the Mata Nui Military, made up of Onu-Matoran riders mounted on tamed Ussal crabs and led by High Commander Onepu.-tamed KerasKerasLarge coral crab Rahi native to the ocean of Ga-Metru and the reefs of Ga-Wahi, briefly tamed during the Bohrok War and later conscripted by Carapar. crabs from the bay were brought into the defence alongside.

The PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. eventually compromised the Ga-Koro WaterfallGa-Koro WaterfallThe Kaukau-shaped Naho Falls above Ga-Koro, concealing the southern approach to the Kini-Nui and rebuilt in the form of a Kaukau Nuva after the Bohrok War. and reached the central pads, but the Toa MataWho are the Toa Mata?Six warriors built to order by Artakha, stored in canisters, dropped into the ocean. This is the origin story of Bionicle's heroes and why their first week of work was entirely amnesiac. captured the BahragBahragCahdok and Gahdok were the twin queens of the Bohrok, sealed in a Protodermis cage by the Toa Mata and later released to finish their cleansing of Mata Nui. underground at the climactic moment. A bright light shot from the Toa SuvasToa SuvaThe shrine where six Matoran became Toa Metru by placing their stones and receiving their power. and every active BohrokBohrokHive-minded mechanical creatures designed to reshape worlds, the Bohrok represent a threat the Toa Mata never expected. on the island collapsed. The PahrakPahrakStone-aligned Bohrok swarm units that forced the Toa Mata to realize they couldn't win through isolated victories. on the village pads dropped where they stood, and the lily pads themselves, damaged but afloat, survived to be rebuilt.

Aftermath and the journey home#

The reconstruction of Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. after the Bohrok WarBohrok WarThe 2002 swarm that nearly destroyed Mata Nui when Teridax triggered the Bohrok's awakening ahead of schedule. was supervised by Turaga NokamaNokamaNokama served as Toa Metru of Water, endured the Hordika mutation, and led Ga-Koro and later Ga-Metru as Turaga through three eras.. The damaged pads were cut out and replaced with new ones harvested from the bay, and the central bridge was rebuilt to its pre-war configuration. The reconstruction was the setting for several of the village's later chronicled events, including the canoeing trip on which HahliHahliA Ga-Matoran scholar who rose to become Chronicler of Mata Nui, then Toa Inika, then Toa Mahri of Water during the final crises of the Matoran Universe. noticed MackuMackuMacku was a Ga-Matoran of Metru Nui and later Ga-Koro, attendant to Turaga Nokama, Kolhii partner to Hahli at the championship at Ta-Koro, and a member of the Chronicler's Company.'s absence and the gradual return of the Kanohi NuvaKanohi NuvaThe most powerful Masks of Power ever created, granting each Toa Nuva fundamentally enhanced abilities. to the village. The improvised technique that had saved the bridge in battle passed into the Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. variant of kolhiiKolhiiKolhii was the inter-village athletic contest of Mata Nui, descended from the earlier Akilini of Metru Nui and played by all six Koro until the island's evacuation., played on the lily-pad field as a deliberate echo of the action that had inspired it.

The pads served the village for the remainder of its time on Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years.. They carried the players of the Ga-Koro Kolhii TeamGa-Koro Kolhii TeamThe Ga-Matoran squad that won the Mata Nui Kolhii championship at Ta-Koro, after Turaga Nokama replaced Kotu on the roster with Hahli. to the Kolhii TournamentThe Kolhii Championship at Ta-Koro: The Last Tournament on Mata NuiThe post-Bohrok-Kal championship at the Ta-Koro Kolhii Stadium, the upset victory by Ga-Koro, and the unveiling of the Mask of Light to the assembled population of Mata Nui., supported the village during the journeys of TakuaTakuaAn Av-Matoran hidden on Mata Nui as a Ta-Matoran, who gathered the Toa Stones, served as Chronicler, and ultimately accepted the Avohkii to become Takanuva, the Toa of Light. and JallerJallerJaller served as Captain of the Ta-Koro Guard, led the Toa Inika to Voya Nui, and commanded the Toa Mahri through the recovery of the Mask of Life. in search of the bearer of the AvohkiiAvohkiiThe Avohkii is the Mask of Light, a golden mask that granted its wearer the power of Light and the ability to spread understanding. It was worn by Toa Takanuva., and finally bore the Ga-MatoranGa-MatoranThe Water-element Matoran of Ga-Metru and Ga-Koro, exclusively female, who taught the schools of Metru Nui and crewed the boats and bridges of the Mata Nui coast. on the day the population of the island departed for Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive.. When the MatoranMatoranThe most abundant species in the Matoran Universe, chosen by Mata Nui to inhabit and maintain his cosmic body. returned to their original city, the pads of Ga-KoroGa-KoroGa-Koro is a village on the island of Mata Nui, inhabited by the Ga-Matoran and associated with both Nokama and Gali. The settlement was formerly under the power of Teridax. were left behind on Naho BayNaho BayThe body of water that made up most of Ga-Wahi, named for a fallen Toa of Water and home to the floating village of Ga-Koro on its surface., still afloat, no longer inhabited. They were the only foundation the village had ever stood on, and they stood empty when the village was gone.