Physically, they are quite big, tall, and massive, with an average height that easily exceeds 8 feet and a weight that can reach and exceed two tons. They have a sharply contrasted black-and-white body, being mostly black on the upper side and white on the underside. Their dorsal fins exhibit sexual dimorphism, with those of males being more than twice the size of females', shorter and more curved. They have good eyesight above and below water, excellent hearing, and a good sense of touch. They also have exceptionally sophisticated echolocation abilities. Their hands and feet are webbed, with fingers joined by a thick layer of skin, and a tail fin accompanies their legs.

The Orca people have their homeland in the two Elo Ekho Salii islands, even though their myths speak of a legendary homeland, Hawaiki, which sank into the ocean at the time of the first deities. Most of the Orca people live in villages, which are inhabited by several whānau (families) who collectively form a hapū (clan). Orcas' society is broadly stratified into three classes of people: rangatira (ruling families), tūtūā (commoners), and mōkai (serfs). Tohungas too hold a revered standing, as specialists of arts, fight, and magic knowledge. Many hapū with mutually-recognized shared ancestry formed iwi, or tribes, which were the largest social unit in their people before the coming of the great Queen, who now rules the whole people together with the other two Queens.

The pivot of their social and artistic life is the wharenui (meeting house), embellished with large sculptures that illustrate the varied pantheon of their Ancestral Princes' children. Art is highly developed among Orca people, and the common motifs are very often religious, representing most of all Teeje, Kalaukeke, and Ayrus. Their wooden houses are often decorated with complex polychrome carvings, and the artistic practice of moko (face and body tattooing) represents one of the most significant and well-known traditions. Warriors use it to tell their own story, while females carry the traditional chin-mark to indicate they're related to a warrior. Another important socio-cultural manifestation is the haka dance, a composition played with many instruments: hands, feet, legs, tail, voice, tongue and fins, all play their part in bringing to completion the challenge, the welcome, exultation, or contempt intended in words. It's a disciplined yet emotional art.