# The Great Tyee — Legends of Vancouver character guide

> The Great Tyee in Legends of Vancouver by E. Pauline Johnson.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** the great Tyee, Tyee, Great Tyee

**First appearance:** 0004-the-two-sisters

## Snapshot

A towering war leader who steps onto a rock amid flying arrows and raises his palm for peace, daring his enemies to listen.

## Who they are

In the Legend of the Island of Dead Men, this greatest of southern chiefs watches his warriors fall until only a conference can save them. He is brave to the point of recklessness, mounting an exposed rock while a thousand weapons aim at his heart, and his gesture of parley becomes the pivot on which the battle turns. His presence gives the war story its human face and its moral weight.

## Relationships

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_psychological_

The Great Tyee, a legendary chief, is portrayed to the narrator as a symbol of authority and spiritual power.

### [Sagalie Tyee](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/characters/sagalie_tyee)

_psychological_

Sagalie Tyee and The Great Tyee are both supernatural or legendary figures, with Sagalie Tyee often acting as a higher power.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_psychological_

The Great Tyee, a legendary chief, is portrayed to the narrator as a symbol of authority and spiritual power.

### [Unknown Narrator](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/characters/unknown_narrator)

_psychological_

The Great Tyee, a legendary chief, is portrayed to the narrator as a symbol of authority and spiritual power.

## In the story

### [The Two Sisters](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters/the-two-sisters)

The powerful chief who hosts a peace feast in honor of his daughters, setting aside war to celebrate their womanhood.

### [The Recluse](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters/the-recluse)

The banished chief who fathers twins and lives in solitude for ten years.

### [The Lost Salmon-Run](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters/the-lost-salmon-run)

The chief who wanted a girl-child, valuing motherhood over tribal demands for a male heir; he warns the people of the consequences of their choice.

### [The Tulameen Trail](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters/the-tulameen-trail)

The old war-tried chief, father of the girl, who is defeated by the young Tulameen brave and later killed.

### [Deadman’s Island](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters/deadman-s-island)

The southern Tyee who proposes the exchange of captives for warriors willing to die.

### [A Squamish Legend of Napoleon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/chapters/a-squamish-legend-of-napoleon)

Referenced indirectly as the source of the Squamish 'charm' tradition; the dying warrior is a descendant of this lineage.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/characters/the_great_tyee
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/legends_of_vancouver_se/characters