#37. Kaya

Lore

The Natural

"Kaya, daughter of Kiviuk, the fate of all People is in your hands. If you fail, the sky will fall, the sun will vanish, and world will be consumed by monsters. This is your destiny."

– Great Owl Spirit


"Got it, no problem."

– Kaya

As the story goes...

When Kaya was six she could put an arrow through a falling snowflake. At eight she brought down two bison with one spear throw. At ten she was visited by an owl spirit who told her she would decide the fate of her world. More interesting to her, the spirit also showed her how to befriend the wooly mammoth.

Atop her great mammoth, Blue, Kaya became the beloved icon of her tribe, the People of the Lights. Kaya and Blue stalked every corner of the frozen tundra, finding adventure and amassing a huge supply of lost mittens.

In Kaya's fourteenth year, the Ice Titans, thought to be only a legend, brutally attacked Kaya's village. The Titans pillaged or destroyed every store of food, skin, or kayak. Though still a child, Kaya and Blue led her people through the Northern Lights, straight into the heart of Jotunheim. In the Titan homeland, Kaya fought with the reckless bravery and tactical brilliance of one far beyond her years.

The valkyrie Hypernia saw Kaya's unconquerable heart and offered her a place in the warrior's heaven. In Valhalla, Kaya rejoiced in exploring the strange world of Asgard with her best friend, Hypernia's young daughter Brynn. Now, as Brynn has grown older, Kaya has begun to take an interest in the Grand Tournament as well, and she thinks perhaps she and Blue will give it a try.

Connections

• Dusk had to make it clear to Kaya that his use of elf magic will not result in free cookies or presents
• Wu Shang says that Jiro is hiding behind the grand tapestry in the Great Hall as a part of the yearly hide-and-seek tourment with Kaya and Caspian
• Rayman is especially good friends with Kaya
• The year Jaeyun won the Grand Tournament, he wagered a large fortune that he would be the first to greet his opponent on the final match. He lost all that money because Kaya was quick and in a good mood that day. 
Munin and Kaya use precious gemstones, rare beads from each of the nine realms, and colorful bits of string (all won by Munin from the Grand Tournament) to make friendship bracelets.

Context

Kaya is a member of the Inuit people, who live in the Arctic areas of Alaska, Canada, and Greenland. There are different names for different tribes and regions (such as Yupik and Inupait), but they accept "Inuit" as a general term, as far as I could tell. You might also think of the word "Eskimo," but the Inuit people have shunned the label.

Speaking of names, does Kaya have any surnames or anything else besides "Kaya"? Possibly. Before Christian influence came in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Inuit people had complex naming conventions. Without more clues, we don't really know what Kaya's full name could be. Maybe she's named after her legendary father, Kiviuk, or an animal she tamed or communed with (owl, mammoth).

The Inuit people have survived and thrived in the Greenland/northern Canadian area for a very long time, even before the Vikings came in contact with them sometime between the late 8th and late 11th century (perhaps Bodvar has met some of them?).

Like most (if not all) aboriginal peoples, the Inuit have their own native belief system or mythology (whatever you want to call it) that is closely tied with the local climate and wildlife.

Due to the scarcity of plants, the Inuit people were hunters by necessity. This is why spear and bow are perfect weapons for Kaya. Along with these weapons, the Inuit people also made fishing lines and hooks, daggers and knives, and harpoons (which I guess is just a spear for fish).