Matoran (Earth-4001)/Ta-Matoran

Ta-Matoran are Matoran of Fire, and were one of the six prevalent types of Matoran living on Metru Nui.

Culture
Ta-Matoran of Metru Nui lived in Ta-Metru. Most worked as forgers, crafting useful tools and supplies such as precious Kanoka disks and Kanohi masks from purified protodermis heated into molten form. Mask-maker was one of the more coveted positions among Ta-Matoran, while most started out as toolmakers or factory workers. Most Ta-Matoran here avoided places like Le-Metru (which was altogether too cluttered and unorganized), and Ko-Metru (much too cold and unfriendly). Ta-Metru sent the majority of its products to Po-Metru, which needed massive amounts of disks and masks. The Ta-Matoran on Mata Nui were less isolated.

When the Ta-Matoran lived on Mata Nui, they lived in the village of Ta-Koro. There they focused on the virtue of Duty and its principle of courage. By lava farming, they created useful stone tools by directing molten lava into specially-shaped channels, where it cooled and later hardened. Many Ta-Matoran were members of the Ta-Koro Guard, the village's defense force against Rahi attacks sent by Teridax. In their spare time, they often surfed the lava flows of Ta-Wahi and raced each other in Ignalu. The main principles of Ta-Matoran life centered around diligence and responsibility. Other common characteristics included being quick to anger, quick to react, and great leaders when needed.

Ta-Matoran living on Voya Nui pulled together with the other Matoran groups to weather their harsh environment as a whole and had no specific jobs. The situation on Mahri Nui called for similar action. It is not known how Ta-Matoran elsewhere in the Matoran Universe behaved.

Locations
On Metru Nui, Ta-Matoran lived in the Fire-affiliated region of Ta-Metru. When Makuta Teridax caused the Matoran to flee to the island of Mata Nui, the Ta-Matoran settled in the area eventually known as Ta-Wahi. Generally, Ta-Matoran choose to live in hot places, but some have been known to live outside of such regions, such as Voya Nui on the Southern Continent and Mahri Nui - though not by choice.

Powers
Because of the miniscule amounts of elemental fire energy contained within them, all Ta-Matoran had a natural resistance to extreme heat. This trait made them ideal for working in the tool and mask forges of Ta-Metru and the lava-farming plains on Mata Nui.