Dathon, a Tamarian male.
The Tamarians or Children of Tama are an alien race, first encountered by the Federation in the 23rd century. Although the species was encountered a total of seven times in the hundred years after first contact, formal relations were unable to be established, due to the complexity and provincial nature of the Tamarian language - which is entirely composed of metaphors derived from their collective experience and mythology. The origins and context of several of the terms and persons referenced suggest that the Tamarian homeworld is Shantil III.
In 2368, a Tamarian ship sent a general hail towards Federation space, a standard mathematical progression interpreted as a request for communication. The USS Enterprise-D was dispatched to El-Adrel IV to establish contact. Whilst there, the Tamarian captain Dathon beamed himself and Enterprise captain Jean-Luc Picard to the planet's surface, in an attempt to establish a dialogue through the idea of "Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra" - the idea of cooperation against an enemy leading to mutual understanding and friendship. Unfortunately, Dathon was killed by the creature inhabiting the planet, but not before Picard was able to gain an understanding of the Tamarian language, and communicate with the Tamarian ship, which was engaged in combat with the Enterprise as a result of the misunderstanding over Picard's "capture". Dathon's sacrifice would be remembered as a new "word" in the Tamarian language: "Picard and Dathon at El-Adrel". (TNG: "Darmok")