Kelnacca the Wookiee was one of the new Jedi introduced in The Acolyte, but when the story starts, he has banished himself to the jungles of Khofar.
What’s interesting is that Kelnacca's self-banishment doesn’t only come from his guilt for the events on Brendok; it’s a result of a piece of Wookiee culture that was part of Star Wars Legends.
Kelnacca and the ‘Madclaw’ Dishonor
As confirmed by The Acolyte showrunner Leslye Headland, Kelnacca’s banishment was due to him using his claws against another sentient being—a forbidden act in Wookiee culture that was introduced in Legends.
This comes from @StarWarsExplain:
Though many fans think Kelnacca was generally innocent when it came to the events of Brendok, it seems that his hurting Torbin—even unconsciously—was enough to make him exile himself, regardless of what the Jedi thought.
It still doesn’t explain why he had the coven glyphs scrawled all over his hut, but that could be an explanation for the second season. Some speculate it had something to do with the witches possessing him and them being stuck in his mind when Indara snapped Kelnacca out of the possession.
Wookiee Madclaw from Legends
The concept of ‘madclaw’ for Wookiees was invented to fix a plothole introduced in the now-Legends book Heir to the Empire. Author Timothy Zhan introduced the idea of Wookiees having retractable claws so they could climb trees, but then they realised that if Wookiees had claws, why wasn’t Chewbacca using them in the movies whenever they got into fights?
In the Heir to the Empire Sourcebook, they then introduced the Wookiees' concept of ‘Madclaw,’ in which it became a mark of dishonor for them to use their claws as weapons. In their culture, these claws were only supposed to be strictly for climbing/tools, honouring the Wookiees' values of peace.
Other Madclaw in Canon
So far, the only madclaw in Star Wars are all in Legends, and Kelnacca is the only canon madclaw that fans have seen onscreen. There has been speculation online between fans that Black Krrsantan (The Book of Boba Fett) was a madclaw, and the reason why he can’t go home to Kashyyyk was that he was forced to use his claws for defence when he was turned into a gladiator slave.
While there isn’t any official confirmation on whether Krrsantan is a madclaw, it is highly plausible that he would use any tools in his arsenal to survive. And until Lucasfilm says otherwise, this is a firm headcanon for a lot of fans.
The Acolyte and Legends
Despite online complaints, showrunner Leslye Headland has proven herself very well-versed in the deep lore of Star Wars. Besides canonising ‘madclaw’, she had also introduced the anti-lightsaber metal ‘cortosis’, which is what the Stranger’s armour is made of.
She had also made the first onscreen depiction of ‘Bleeding a Kyber Crystal’ where Osha accidentally forces Dark Side energy on Sol’s lightsaber crystal—causing it to turn red when she ignited it. This canon concept was introduced in 2017 and was how Kylo Ren got his red lightsaber.
It’s unclear if a second season has been greenlit yet, but fans are eager to see more deep-cut lore inclusions in the future.
Catch the complete first season of The Acolyte, which is now streaming on Disney+.