Oiá:ner

They call me many things: Murderer. Cutthroat. Thief. But you may call me Oiá:ner. This article is about a subject that lacks an official name and is known only by its nickname, title, or alias.

"We are sworn to protect this place... But you are right as well. The world is changing, and we cannot hide forever."

―Oiá:ner to Ratonhnhaké:ton, 1769.

Oiá:ner (English: Clan Mother) was the leader of the Kanien'kehá:ka village of Kanatahséton. She and the other Kanien'kehá:ka in the village served as protectors of the sacred ground on which both their village and the Grand Temple stood. Oiá:ner was also the keeper of the village's Crystal Ball.

Biography

Oiá:ner: "For a very long time, we have stood apart from the Haudenosaunee. Apart from the Kanien'kehá:ka. Apart from all others, in fact. I will not abandon our duty, but some days I cannot help but question it."

Ratonhnhaké:ton: "There is a reason that we stand alone. It is natural to wonder... To worry. But we must stand strong. We must have faith."

—Oiá:ner and Ratonhnhaké:ton during one of his visits to the village.

In 1769, Oiá:ner showed Kanatahséton's Crystal Ball to Ratonhnhaké:ton upon his return from a hunt and allowed him to interact with it. The Crystal Ball forced him into the Nexus, where he communicated with Juno and learned of his destiny with the Assassins.

Over the course of the next years, Ratonhnhaké:ton would return occasionally and speak to the Clan Mother about various subjects, such as his own journey, the death of William Johnson, and the village's role in the American Revolutionary War.

Oiá:ner telling Ratonhnhaké:ton of Charles Lee's actions

In 1778, despite remaining neutral in the conflict, the village was threatened with similar destruction to the one it had suffered years prior. Seeing a chance to manipulate the villagers into sealing their fate, Charles Lee convinced Kanen'tó:kon and other Kanien'kehá:ka men to attack the Continental soldiers that had come to harm them. When Ratonhnhaké:ton arrived to prevent this, Oiá:ner informed him of Lee's actions. To prevent the villagers from giving the Patriots a legitimate excuse to massacre them, Ratonhnhaké:ton subdued the warriors but was forced to kill Kanen'tó:kon in self-defense, Lee having turned him against his friend.

Some time following Kanen'tó:kon's death, Oiá:ner spoke with Ratonhnhaké:ton once more, where she revealed to him that she planned to move their people to the west to avoid the war, like many of the other nations had been doing. After his unpleasant reaction, she told him that she would do what was best for her people, to which Ratonhnhaké:ton left the village. On his return some years later, he found the village deserted save for a frontiersman, who told him that his people had moved west.

Alternate timeline

"You must be careful. Respect the power of the tea, Ratonhnhaké:ton. Your mother was right to worry about the danger."

―Oiá:ner's dying words.

In an alternate timeline conjured by an Apple of Eden, Oiá:ner was also the Clan Mother of Kanatahséton. However, instead of being concerned with pacifistic protection of their lands, it was she who encouraged the people to resist King Washington's army.

Oiá:ner convincing Ratonhnhaké:ton to visit the Great Willow

In this regard, Oiá:ner suggested that Ratonhnhaké:ton drink the Red Willow tea to give him the power to defeat King Washington, against his mother Kaniehtí:io's wishes. The Clan Mother also led the Native resistance against the tyrant; however, despite her aims to safeguard her village by combating the threat, Oiá:ner and her fellow villagers were defeated in a Bluecoat raid. In her final moments, she advised Ratonhnhaké:ton to go after Benedict Arnold and warned him to be mindful of the Red Willow tea's power, before passing away.

Behind the scenes

Oiá:ner is the Kanien'keha word for "clan mother," and translates to "righteous" or "she is good." Aside from this title, the actual name for the Kanatahséton clan mother was not given in Assassin's Creed III.

During any of the floating conversations with Oiá:ner, Ratonhnhaké:ton could kill her with ranged weapons, although it did not affect the story.

In The Tyranny of King Washington, Oiá:ner spoke English like all the other Kanien'kehá:ka characters, despite her only speaking Mohawk in Assassin's Creed III.

Gallery

• 
  Ratonhnhaké:ton approaching Oiá:ner
• 
  Oiá:ner holding the Crystal Ball
• 
  Oiá:ner and Ratonhnhaké:ton discussing the Assassins
• 
  Oiá:ner arguing with Kaniehtí:io in the alternate timeline
• 
  Oiá:ner's final moments in the alternate timeline

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed III (first appearance)
  • The Tyranny of King Washington: The Infamy