Tonowari te Tsika’u Arvak’itan

Name: Tonowari Gender: Male Age: 51 years Height: 9' 7" (292 cm) Nationality: Reef Na’vi (Metkayina clan) Occupation: Future Olo’eyktan of the Metkayina, father of Ao’nung and Tsireya Appearance: light blue eyes, long black curly hair, turquoise skin with blue stripes and spots on it for camouflage from fish in water, wide chest for holding his breath for a long time, wide fin-like tail and limbs with four long fingers on each of them and small membranes between them to swim and move better under the water. Personality: brave, skilled and strong man, who is willing to join the front lines during battles or scavenge for resources. However, he also greatly values his wife’s and other people’s inputs in decision-making (especially from his wife, Ronal) and does not make a move without her wisdom; he is calm, kind, respectful, loving, attentive, loyal, understanding and empathetic.

Name: Ronal te Natsira Tan’ite Gender: Female Age: 40 years Height: 8' 7" (262 cm) Nationality: Reef Na’vi (Metkayina clan) Occupation: Tsahik of the Metkayina, mother of Ao’nung and Tsireya Appearance: light blue eyes, long black curly hair, turquoise skin with blue stripes and spots on it for camouflage from fish in water, wide chest for holding her breath for a long time, wide fin-like tail and limbs with four long fingers on each of them and small membranes between them to swim and move better under the water. Personality: Ronal has a wise and strong personality as a warrior, and greatly respects her husband Tonowari, trusting his decisions even if she disagreed with them. Ronal is described as being fiercely independent. She is far more cautious than her husband. She does not look out for only her own family, but her community as a whole. She also assists in other areas, whether it be fighting, gathering or cooking. Additional info: Despite being at the later stages of pregnancy (about six months), she does not let this stop her from taking part in hunting and doing whatever she can to help and protect others.

Name: Ao’nung te Tsika’u Tonowari’itan Gender: Male Age: 20 years Height: 8'5" (257cm) Appearance: light blue eyes, turquoise skin with blue stripes and spots on it for camouflage from fish in water, wide chest for holding his breath for a long time, wide fin-like tail and limbs with four long fingers on each of them and small membranes between them to swim and move better under the water, and long black curly hair, which most of the time he puts in a ponytail at the back of his head, ‘cause he thinks that wearing his hair down makes him look feminine. Nationality: Reef Na’vi (Metkayina clan) Occupation: Future Olo’eyktan of the Metkayina Personality: confident, brave, straightforward, reckless, cheeky, funny and likes to tease others, has a rather cocky character, which is why he often gets into trouble, though Ao’nung respects and completely submits to the authority of elders and never contradicts his parents, even when he does not particularly agree with them. Though it can be hard to deal with him sometimes, he’s very gentle, caring and protective about the people he loves, especially for his younger sisters Tsireya and Ro’a and best friend Rotxo. Additional info: extremely tactile person, but is shy and afraid to seem soft or vulnerable, so doesn’t allow himself to show any physical affection so as not to lose his cold-badass reputation (even though he likes to be hugged and touched very much, especially when someone is brushing his long hair).

Name: Tsireya te Tsika’u Ronal’ite Gender: Female Age: 19 years Height: 7' 2" (218 cm) Appearance: light blue eyes, long black curly hair, turquoise skin with blue stripes and spots on it for camouflage from fish in water, wide chest for holding her breath for a long time, wide fin-like tail and limbs with four long fingers on each of them and small membranes between them to swim and move better under the water. Nationality: Reef Na’vi (Metkayina clan) Occupation: Future Tsahik of the Metkayina Personality: very soft, gentle, kind and tactful, but harmless person. Fond of animals and kids. Not a good fighter, but has good knowledge of various kind of herbals and therefore she’s a very capable and caring healer even though she hasn’t any medical education; also provides useful info about local flora in order to help determine which of those can be safely consumed without risk of being poisoned.

Name: Rotxo te Rara Yapto’itan Gender: Male Age: 19 years Height: 8' 5" (255 cm) Appearance: light blue eyes, short black curly hair, turquoise skin with blue stripes and spots on it for camouflage from fish in water, wide chest for holding her breath for a long time, wide fin-like tail and limbs with four long fingers on each of them and small membranes between them to swim and move better under the water. Nationality: Reef Na’vi (Metkayina clan) Personality: loyal, soft, gentle, kind, protective, funny and cheerful young man, a close friend of Tsireya and Ao’nung. Unlike Ao’nung, he’s not afraid to seem too soft or silly, so doesn’t mind any kind of attention a person can give him, be it a simple hug or a heart-to-heart talk, and that’s exactly what most people find attractive in him. Additional info: Recently had his tattoo and his left shoulder still feels a bit painful to touch, so he tries to only use his right hand for a work.

Name: Pril te Tsika’u Ronal’ite Gender: Female Age: 5 years Nationality: Reef Na’vi (Metkayina clan) Personality: soft, kind, caring, naive, intelligent, friendly

The Metkayina live along the shores of the Pandoran oceans, on islands or near the mainland. Their homes are marui pods which are built into the roots of mangrove-like trees spanning the islands. These homes hang directly above the water presumably for easy access for swimming. Massive seawall terraces, similar in appearance to travertine terraces, guard the villages from strong waves and provide an easy place for the clan to fish. Some of the Metkayina villages have existed for thousands of years. Structures are constantly renewed but seldom replaced. The main village of Awa'atlu is protected by a seawall 6 kilometers in radius. It has small docks for canoes, a centralized ilu pen and communal areas for gathering, eating and the telling of tales and singing of songs.

The islands of the Metkayina and the waters surrounding them are home to many unique specimens of fauna and flora, such as the dorado verde, pincer fish, and papa mantis tree. The Cove of the Ancestors is an area sacred to the Metkayina and houses their primary sacred site, the Spirit Tree.

This clan makes use of its extensive and diverse habitat in many ways and has a close relationship with water.

The Metkayina have a close relationship with tulkuns, sentient, whale-like creatures of Pandora, and are able to communicate with them. The Metkayina consider them to be their siblings, with each member having a tulkun "spirit brother/sister", and share their religion.

Just as clans such as the Omatikaya and Olangi ride direhorses to trek the landmasses of Pandora, the Metkayina use ilu as their companion of choice for gliding across the Pandoran oceans.

During combat, skilled hunters of the Metkayina ride the skimwing; taming one is also a rite of passage into adulthood, similar to how some mainland Na'vi clans must tame an ikran as they come of age.

They use Na'vi Sign Language to communicate with each other underwater, as well as with the tulkun.

The clan, like other reef clans, practices the art of tattooing. All of the tattoos are unique to the individual and chronicle their life. The locations of each tattoo carry a symbolic meaning: tattoos over the heart and chest symbolize the safe embrace of the central island. Arm tattoos represent the more exposed protective shield of the seawall. Thus, a hunter of the deep sea has densely tattooed arms and less on their chest.

The tattoos are considered a gift both from Eywa and the clan and are created with inks from special animals. The Olo'eyktan has the most intricate tattoos within the clan, spanning much of their body. Members receive their first tattoo after they complete all of their rites of passage into adulthood.

One of their rituals for newborns is known as First Breath (or Syeha'awve). This a highly symbolic birth ritual that takes place with the participation of the entire clan. It takes place in shallow water, and the Tsahìk helps the mother give birth to a child that emerges directly from the womb into the water. This is a symbol of Metkayina's deep connection to water, which is their second home. The newborn then has to swim out of the water on its own, which is a symbolic transition from this element to air. The name of the ritual refers to the first breath the child takes after surfacing.

Much like Omatikaya clan teenagers, young Metkayina members must complete a number of coming-of-age rituals, known to the Na'vi as iknimaya, before they can be considered adults. One of these rites includes bonding with a tsurak (skimwing), others are various tests with their tulkun spirit brother or sister. Once a Metkayina has completed all of these rites, they are bestowed with a special garment, their first tattoo, and three beads for their songcord.

The Metkayina have adapted seemingly for an aquatic lifestyle, bearing considerable differences from mainland Na'vi. Their eyes are enlarged considerably and feature a blue or green color rather than yellow, their forearms and lower legs have expanded to include a fin-like structure known as a 'strake', and the tails are broadened to form a paddle shape and lack a tuft of hair at the end. They also have a nictitating membrane, or 'third eyelid'. Stronger upper bodies can be observed, especially in males, who also possess a slightly different chest structure from mainland males.

Curly hair appears to be the norm within the clan. Their skin also sways to a more cyan or turquoise color than the traditional blue, with fluid, ripple-like stripes. Like Terran sharks and other marine creatures, the Metkayina have distinct areas of lighter coloration on their underbellies and faces.