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No! She is not like the others! She is a friend of the People!
Sylwanin defending Grace Augustine from Rai'uk.

Sylwanin te Tskaha Mo'at'ite was the daughter of Eytukan and Mo'at and the older sister of Neytiri. As the eldest daughter of the Omatikaya clan's leaders, Sylwanin was trained to be the next Tsahìk and would become Tsu'tey's partner.

She was killed at the hands of the Sec-Ops mercenaries at Dr. Grace Augustine's school after she along with a group of students attacked one of their bases and destroyed RDA equipment. This led the Omatikaya clan to break their relations with the humans and ban them from their land, denying them any further entry.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Sylwanin was born as the eldest child of Eytukan and Mo'at, placing her next in line to be the next Tsahìk of the Omatikaya clan.

The Mysterious Disease (Avatar: Adapt or Die)[]

Sylwanin (young)

Sylwanin enthusiastic about the Na'vi teaching humanity their ways.

When Sylwanin was a young teenager, Dr. Grace Augustine was in contact with the Omatikaya clan and proposed the idea of a schoolhouse where Na'vi and humans could interact. Mo'at and Eytukan were against the idea but consulted Sylwanin, Neytiri, and the other children for their thoughts on the matter. They requested to visit Hell's Gate, and Mo'at brought them there to meet Grace and learn about human operations. Grace gave Sylwanin and the other children a tour of the base and taught them how to play basketball.

After they returned home, Mo'at discussed with the children what they thought about attending the human school. Neytiri was excited about the idea, and Sylwanin pointed out that at school, the Sky People will be able to learn from the Na'vi and not the other way around. Mo'at and Eytukan agreed and decided to open a school, but were interrupted when Tsu'tey's father, Ateyo, showed up with a sick child who visited Hell's Gate with Mo'at. The boy had had a fever since shortly after disembarking from the Samson aircraft. Soon, many other children came to Mo'at with symptoms of a mysterious illness, and Eytukan declared that the humans must have poisoned them. The illness spread through the clan as Grace and Mo'at desperately searched for both the cause of the disease and a cure for it. Thankfully, with the help of Mireya, Mo'at discovered a cure and Grace found out that the sickness was being caused by humans dumping chemicals into the local water supply. Together, they administered a cure made from the syekalin flower to all of the affected members, including Neytiri, whom Sylwanin teased for reeling at the bitter taste of the cure.

Later Life and Death[]

Neytiri and Sylwanin

Neytiri and Sylwanin at Grace's school.

Sylwanin later became a student of Grace Augustine after the establishment of her school house, along with her sister, Neytiri. Grace viewed the girls as her two best students.[2] At some point, she was betrothed to Tsu'tey, Eytukan's chosen successor. Although their marriage was arranged, Sylwanin was truly in love with Tsu'tey. After around a decade of being one of Grace's students, in 2152, Sylwanin stopped going to school because she was angry about the work of the RDA on Pandora.

One day she and a few other young Na'vi set a bulldozer on fire in protest of the organization's deforestation. They fled to Grace's school hoping that she would be able to protect them, but they were pursued by Sec-Ops soldiers and killed in the school before Grace could intervene.

Tsu'tey (young) holding the body of Sylwanin

Tsu'tey holding Sylwanin's body.

Sylwanin was shot to death in the doorway, right in front of Neytiri. Her body was also held by a heartbroken Tsu'tey. At least two other Na'vi, Anuk and Neytep, were killed as well. This incident led to Mo'at and Eytukan's decision to ban Grace and the humans from the Omatikaya clan, resulting in the closure of the schoolhouse and forcing Grace to study the Na'vi in secret. Due to her untimely death, Neytiri took her place as the new Tsahìk-in-training destined to become her fiancé's mate.

Post-Death (Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path)[]

In 2154, after the arrival of Jake Sully, Tsu'tey and Neytiri travel to the Tree of Voices in an attempt to commune with Sylwanin's memory. They discuss how much they miss Sylwanin and their concerns about Jake. While Tsu'tey firmly believes that humans only bring death, Neytiri believes it's an opportunity to learn from him and teach humans another path beyond the damage they've already done to the Na'vi and Pandora.

Sylwanin memory

Tsu'tey speaking with Sylwanin's memory.

Later, Tsu'tey visits the Tree of Voices again to commune with Sylwanin's memory and receive guidance as she understood "the spirit of the People" better than he did. Due to being a backed up memory within Eywa, she manifests without memories of how she died or any knowledge of what came after her death, even despite Tsu'tey telling her about her death in the past. After Tsu'tey's explanation about the current state of affairs and his requests for guidance, she tells him that while things had changed since she died, she is still stuck as a young girl. She insists he gets help from someone wiser than her among the living.

Grace Comic

Sylwanin happy for Grace and Tsu'tey's reunion.

Eventually, Tsu'tey is in the bushes hiding from Grace Augustine. After talking to Atan, he works up the courage to come out of hiding and speak to Grace. Grace, for her part, is busy with some children, and Tsu'tey kindly greets her with the traditional phrase "I see you". When Grace asks if he remembers his lessons, he says yes, calling her sa'nok, meaning "mother". Sylwanin's memory smiles as the Na'vi and the avatar join palms then disappears; it is not clarified what this means, as neither Tsu'tey or Grace are connected to a spirit tree, although it can be interpreted as a symbolic representation of Sylwanin's happiness for them, rather than proof of her being a ghost.

Sylwanin and Tsu'tey Reunited

Tsu'tey's and Sylwanin's spirits reunited.

After Tsu'tey's death during the Assault on the Tree of Souls, Sylwanin's memory finds his memory sitting alone by himself. Their memories joyfully reunited, they hold hands and Sylwanin leads him to be with Eywa.[3]

Personality[]

Sylwanin is shown to have been wise; she had learned early on that there was good to be found in humans and passed this knowledge onto her younger sister, and was sought after by Tsu'tey as a source of advice. Despite this, Sylwanin undermined her wisdom to Tsu'tey, stating she was unequipped to be helping him and advising him to seek aid from someone among the living.

She is calmer than both her sister and former betrothed alike, appearing unfazed by the news of what had happened in her absence as well as the knowledge that she had been killed by humans. Unlike Tsu'tey, she was naturally empathetic and understanding of the emotional and spiritual needs of the People, a skill likely passed down from her training with her mother.

Although she believed that humans could be good, she also condemned the immoral among them, describing their practices as "foolish destruction" [4] and resorting to setting an RDA Bulldozer on fire in protest of them.

Abilities[]

Sylwanin was training to become a Tsahìk and successor to her mother Mo'at. It is unknown how skilled she became in this area before her untimely death. Mo'at remarked that Sylwanin understood the duties of a tsahìk better than her sister, Neytiri.

Relationships[]

In the Games[]

iOS & Android (non-canon)[]

IMG 0047

Sylwanin in the game.

Sylwanin appears in James Cameron's Avatar (iOS/Android). Years before Jake Sully's arrival, she told Neytiri the story of an avatar driver named Ryan Lorenz. Sylwanin first met Ryan when he was unarmed and anonymously threw a staff at him with which Ryan was able to survive and even defeat an enraged Hammerhead Titanothere. She, with the help of the Ni'awve Clan, brought an unconscious Ryan, who had passed through the Dream Hunt, to the Valley of Origins. There, he stayed for a while and Sylwanin taught Ryan about the ways of the Na'vi.

Sylwanin In Prison

Sylwanin imprisoned at Hell's Gate.

In the story's final chapters, Sylwanin was kidnapped by a group of humans and held at Hell's Gate, eventually being rescued in a heroic attack by Lorenz and a group of Na'vi. After the rescue, Sylwanin met Dr. Grace Augustine for the first time and was impressed by her knowledge of the Na'vi. Among others, Sylwanin along with Ryan and the Ni'awve Clan participated in the attack on the human base, but after Ryan Lorenz's sudden death, the attack was thwarted and Sylwanin apparently returned to her native clan.

Wii & PSP (non-canon)[]

Sylwanin also appeared in the Wii and PSP version where she is voiced by Catherine Taber. Several years after Ryan Lorenz's death, Sylwanin was inspired by the bravery of Rai'uk, one of the few surviving members of the Anurai Clan seeking revenge on the humans, and sought his help. As he spoke of a Metal Village destroying his home, the land of the Omatikayas, he mentioned something that sparked his fury. She told him about the humans who wore the skin of the Na'vi and were teaching the People their ways and language. Humans called them avatars.

Rai'uk, Grace And Sylwanin

Sylwanin disheartened by Rai'uk's poor view of Grace.

Driven by hatred, the warrior agreed to meet Sylwanin at the school where the avatars taught the People. Sylwanin told Rai'uk the location of the human base. Dr. Grace Augustine then left the school, and Rai'uk became angry at Sylwanin and confused as to why she was dealing with humans. Grace explained that humans are not all the same and some want to live in harmony. Rai'uk then left and told Sylwanin to prepare.

Trivia[]

Grace's school

One of the photographs.

  • Two photographs of Sylwanin, standing alongside Neytiri and Grace Augustine, can be seen hanging on the fridge at Site 26.
  • Sylwanin and her death are only mentioned in the director's cut edition of the film and a handful of deleted scenes later included in the Extended Collector's Edition.
  • Sylwanin's name does not follow the traditional Na'vi phonetics system, wherein the letter "y" is never used as a vowel. The correct spelling of her name is "Sìlwanin".[5]
  • Grace Augustine's avatar appears to wear the same necklace Sylwanin wore while alive.

Gallery[]

Memorable Quotes[]

  • There is good in all. Even among the Sky People, there is sometimes good. - Sylwanin to her sister Neytiri.
  • We stand ready to hear, and to consider. But shouldn't we wait for Neytiri? She attempts something new. - To her parents after they summon the children to get their opinions on the schoolhouse.
  • So small! The sky people are all the size of children! - After visiting Hell's Gate and seeing the humans.
  • Then it is up to us to guide them! They need us more than we need them, isn't that right? - Explaining her opinion on the schoolhouse.
  • It is such a small amount, Neytiri. Don't be such a-- - After Neytiri complains about the taste of the cure.

Appearances[]

Title Format Release date Details
James Cameron's Avatar: The Game (Wii/PSP) Video game December 1, 2009 Voiced by Catherine Taber.
James Cameron's Avatar: The Game (iOS/Android) Mobile game December 15, 2009
Avatar Film December 18, 2009 Seen in a photograph.
Avatar: Tsu'tey's Path Comic book January 16, 2019
Avatar: Adapt or Die Comic book May 11, 2022

References[]

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