Hometree still burns, Arvok. It was our home for generation after generation. Now it is our graveyard.Ateyo looking at the remains of Omatikaya Hometree.
Ateyo is a Na'vi originally from the Omatikaya clan. He is the mate of Artsut, and father to Tsu'tey and Arvok.
Biography[]
Early Life (Avatar: Adapt or Die)[]
Ateyo shows up with a sick child who visited Hell's Gate with Mo'at. The child has had a fever since shortly after disembarking from a Samson aircraft.
Avatar[]
After the destruction of the Omatikaya Hometree, Jake Sully arrives via Toruk at the Tree of Souls. Jake respectfully recognizes Tsu'tey, son of Ateyo, as the new olo'eyktan in an attempt to earn his trust before begging for the clan's help to save the life of his friend, Grace Augustine, who's dying.
Planning with Artsut (Avatar: The Next Shadow)[]
Ateyo was the father of Tsu'tey who succeeded Eytukan as Olo'eyktan following his death. Tsu'tey's leadership was ultimately short lived, as he was killed in the battle at the Tree of Souls. His dying wish was for Jake Sully to succeed him and become the leader of the Omatikaya; Jake obeyed, but Ateyo and his mate Artsut were outraged by this, as they felt their younger son, Arvok, was the rightful heir to Tsu'tey. Two weeks following the battle, Ateyo and Artsut hatched a plan to make Arvok the new Olo'eyktan by convincing him to challenge Jake to First Blood.
Ateyo waited until Neytiri had left the Omatikaya to assist the struggling Olangi clan, then presented the plan to Arvok. Initially he refused and became distraught over the idea of killing Jake, but Ateyo assured his son that he would only need to lightly injure Jake in order to win, and that Jake being the clan's leader was detrimental to their clan's wellbeing. Arvok hesitantly agreed, and Ateyo returned to Artsut to deliver the news. Unbeknownst to Arvok, his parents' plan had another layer: Artsut had laced Arvok's knife with a deadly poison to ensure Jake would perish following Arvok's victory, and they intended to pin the blame for Jake's death on Arvok and make Ateyo the new clan leader instead.
First Blood[]
After preparing for the ritual, Arvok met with Ateyo to confront Jake. The two interrupted him as he was in a healing area, and with Ateyo's encouragement, Arvok formally invoked First Blood against Jake. Jake initially did not understand what First Blood was, but after learning from Mo'at it was a combat-based ritual, he agreed to fight despite her advice.
The clan gathered around a small arena, and Ateyo and Artsut helped prepare Arvok for the fight. Ateyo handed him the poison-laced knife and, despite the victor of the challenge only needed to draw blood once to win, encouraged Arvok to continue striking Jake with it even after he'd won to humiliate him.
Jake's experience and skill in combat allowed him to easily evade Arvok's attacks, and he swiftly got the upper hand and slashed Arvok lightly on the arm, winning the challenge to Ateyo and Artsut's dismay. Arvok was still furious at Jake's arrogance and carelessly threw his knife towards him; Jake caught the blade in his hand, and collapsed as the poison entered his system.
Mo'at confronted Arvok about this, him still unaware that his knife had been poisoned by Artsut. Artsut swiftly declared Ateyo the new clan leader and pinned the blame on Arvok for poisoning his own knife, and a group of warriors pursued him into the forest.
Jake's Coma[]
With their newfound power, Ateyo and Artsut turned their attention to Mo'at, bringing up her supposed betrayal and convincing the other Na'vi in the crowd that they should be the new leaders of the Omatikaya. Ka'ani interfered before they could be sworn in as the new leaders, and Mo'at soon realized that Jake was still alive and was thus still Olo'eyktan, revoking the two mates' authority. She immediately suggested he be rushed to the Tree of Souls to be healed, but Artsut refused to let her, claiming that the poison would destroy the tree and all of the plants surrounding it. Jake was still brought to the sacred site to fight off the poison on his own. In order to save him, Mo'at required a rare flower only found underground; no Na'vi among them could retrieve it, as the entrance to the cave where it grew was only small enough for a human to fit through. Called to the situation by Norm Spellman, Katherine Hale arrived to help and eventually agreed to retrieve the flower for Mo'at, to the protest of Ateyo and Artsut.
Artsut eventually tracked Arvok down and convinced him to return and face punishment for his alleged crimes, after promising that Ateyo would be merciful to him. Meanwhile, Hale had successfully retrieved the flower necessary for Jake's antidote, and Mo'at administered it to Jake, saving his life. Ateyo and his family returned just in time to witness Jake awaken, shocked and angered that their plan had failed. Learning of their crimes, Ka'ani and his clanmates called for Ateyo and Artsut to face punishment, to which Jake assured them they would, but that he would be merciful. Artsut was disgusted and insisted they did not need Jake's charity, but Arvok remarked that she did not speak for him.
Banishment[]
The family was ultimately exiled by Jake and began traveling to the Mangkwan clan, a clan Artsut had mentioned would accept Arvok despite his crime of killing Jake. As night fell and the group made camp, Arvok declared he would not continue the journey with them, instead deciding to follow his own path. Ateyo was upset by this and distraught to see Arvok go, but Artsut was indifferent and stated their son was only slowing them down. Arvok took off on his direhorse, while Ateyo and Artsut presumably continued their journey to the Mangkwan clan alone.
Personality and Traits[]
Ateyo concerned about the children in Adapt or Die.
Like his mate Artsut, Ateyo is domineering, confident, and easily able to convince others to his cause. As stated by Tsu'tey, Ateyo is well-meaning and always has what he believes to be his clan's best interest at heart, though his ends do not always justify his means. Of the two, Artsut appears to be more confident, outspoken, and strong willed; she was the mastermind of their plan, although Ateyo still dutifully went along with it. He loved both of his children, but his older son, Tsu'tey, was still favored by him, and he was willing to sacrifice the wellbeing of his younger son in order to secure power for himself. Despite this, he still harbored affections for Arvok, and was distraught when his son left him behind to pursue his own interests.
Relationships[]
Romance[]
Artsut[]
Ateyo and Artsut proceed to overthrow Jake Sully.
Despite her actions, Ateyo loved and was deeply loyal to Artsut. Artsut seemed to have a degree of control over her mate, as she was ultimately the mastermind of their plan. After their plan had failed he was still loyal to her and went into exile with her, while his remaining son, Arvok, said that Artsut does not speak for him and later left their side.
Family[]
Tsu'tey[]
Of the two brothers, Tsu'tey was always favored by his parents, leaving Arvok to live in his shadow. Ateyo was deeply upset by his son's death, especially after he felt Tsu'tey's legacy had been tarnished by Jake becoming olo'eyktan. Tsu'tey apparently had always known of his parents' controlling nature, and learned to ignore and go against it.
Arvok[]
Ateyo manipulates his youngest son into challenging Jake to First Blood.
Despite manipulating him and using him to become Olo'eyktan, Ateyo still seemed to love and appreciate his youngest son whereas Artsut was indifferent to him. Ateyo promised Arvok a merciful punishment, and after being left behind by him, Ateyo grew upset and remorseful and encouraged him to stay saying that he couldn't lose his other son too.
Trivia[]
- Ateyo's art design is interesting in that he wears an elaborate shoulder piece (similar, yet lesser, in design to that worn by Eytukan). In Na'vi culture, clothing items such as this are usually reserved for high ranking members / clan leadership, such as the Tsahìk and Clan Leader. Ateyo is the only known non-olo'eyktan seen to be wearing a shoulder piece (in the films and comics).
- This design could make the audience assume that the plumage indicates that Ateyo would likely be second-in-command of the Omatikaya Clan, however, this would be incorrect, as Ateyo's older son Tsu'tey was actually in-line as future clan leader after Eytukan. Tsu'tey though while second-in-line, didn't wear ornamental shoulder pieces. After Tsu'tey died Jake Sully became olo'eyktan, yet instead of directly wanting to promote himself to power publically, Ateyo and his mate Artsut secretly pushed for their younger son Arvok to challenge Jake and for him to become leader (to take over Tsu'tey's rightful role) in order to ascertain increased influence and standing in the clan for themselves by way of proxy. Though obviously a valuable member that carried some community weight (before being exiled due to the coup), Ateyo's actual position in the clan was unknown - though he acted as if he were equal in leadership to the second-in-command regardless of the fact that he didn't actually have that social rank (which may explain his wearing of a shoulder piece; representing Ateyo's outward display of his inward personally believed standing within the clan, to visually claim more than he realistically has).
Memorable Quotes[]
- „Our son understands his part, Artsut. He will play it.“ - Ateyo to Artsut.
- „We cannot surrender to bleakness, my love.“ - Ateyo to Artsut.
- „Do not stop after you cut him, Arvok. Keep going. Humiliate him.“ - Ateyo to Arvok before First Blood.
- „We have already lost everything--I cannot lose you, too.“ - Ateyo as Arvok leaves him behind.
Appearances[]
| Title | Format | Release date | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avatar | Film | December 18, 2009 | Mentioned only by Jake Sully. |
| Avatar: The Next Shadow | Comic book | January 6, 2021 | Issue 1 (digital) - Page #: 19-22. |
| February 3, 2021 | Issue 2 (digital) - Page #: 14-18, 20, 22. | ||
| March 3, 2021 | Issue 3 (digital) - Page #: 3-4, 6-7, 9, 12, 14, 16-17. | ||
| April 14, 2021 | Issue 4 (digital) - Page #: 14-16, 19-20. | ||
| September 1, 2021 | Trade paperback (digital) - Page #: 3, 23-26, 38-42, 44, 46-48, 50-51, 53, 56, 58, 61, 78-80, 83-84. | ||
| Avatar: Adapt or Die | Comic book | May 11, 2022 | Issue 1 (digital) - Page #: 20. |
| March 22, 2023 | Trade paperback (digital) - Page #: 24. |
References[]
| Omatikaya Clan members | |
|---|---|
| Avatar | Atan • Eytukan • Jake Sully • Ka'ani • Maru • Mo'at • Na'vi Child • Neytiri • Neytiri's great-great-grandfather • Ninat • Peyral • Saeyla • Sylwanin • Takuk • Tsu'tey |
| Avatar: The Way of Water | |
| Comics | |
| Games | |
| Other | |