Shandia

The Shandians are a tribe of people playing a major role in the Skypiea arc.

History
Long ago the Shandians inhabited the island of Jaya. They used to be one of the more powerful societies on The Grand Line, but due to events that, as of yet, have been unexplained, most of their people have been killed off leaving only a relatively small tribe. Since then, the tribe has made it their duty to guard their capital, the city of gold Shandra, killing all intruders. However, four-hundred years before the present timeline, the tribe caught an epidemic that was slowly killing off their people and it seemed as if all hope was lost until Montblanc Norland and his crew arrived. Norland was an explorer from Lyneel and, despite rejection at the beginning, he and his crew managed to cure everyone in the village.

Years later due to "Knock-Up Stream", a large part of the island, including the area where everyone lived, was sent flying into the sky, landing in the White-White Sea. In the sky, soil is considered holy, so the land was taken over by the Sky People, who called it Upper Yard, forcing the Shandians out. Since then, the Shandians and the Sky People have been in constant warfare over control of Upper Yard. After Eneru destroyed Angel Island and was defeated by Monkey D. Luffy, the war ended and the two societies began to live together on Upper Yard, which was more than large enough to support both as they found. Both are currently ruled by Gan Fall.

Beliefs
Orginally, the Shandians believed largely in ancestor worship. A large part of their religion centers around a golden bell in the city of Shandra. By ringing it, the spirits of their ancestors can follow its sound back to their island and live in a species of white trees that lives there. In addition to this, they also once worshipped many gods, some of which being a race of giant snakes that inhabited Jaya. Human sacrifice was once practiced, they believed sacrificing their people to their Gods would cure dieases as well as lift many other Omens.

The modern Shandians still worship their ancestors, however much has changed over the passing centuries and they have abandoned many of their tradional beliefs.