The Sign of the Beaver characters

Appears from the start

A twelve-year-old settler left to guard his family's new cabin in the Maine wilderness while his father returns to Massachusetts for the rest of the family. Proud of the responsibilities entrusted to him but still inexperienced, he must learn how much he does not know about surviving alone.

Appears from the start

Matt's father, who builds the family's cabin with him and then leaves to fetch Matt's mother and siblings. He gives Matt his rifle and expects to be back in several weeks, trusting his son to protect their claim and maintain the homestead.

First appears in chapter 2

A wandering white stranger who arrives at the isolated cabin and presses Matt for food and shelter. His rough familiarity makes Matt uneasy, but Matt is too young and alone to turn him away confidently.

First appears in chapter 6

An elder of the local Beaver clan who rescues Matt after a dangerous encounter with bees. Dignified and observant, he proposes an exchange: food and protection for Matt in return for teaching his grandson Attean to read English.

First appears in chapter 6

Saknis's grandson, a boy near Matt's age who is ordered to take English reading lessons. Attean is an accomplished hunter and woodsman who initially resents both the lessons and the assumption that white ways are superior. His competence and guarded pride expose Matt's ignorance of the land around him.

First appears in chapter 18

Attean's grandmother and Saknis's wife, an elder of the Beaver clan. She receives Matt cautiously and judges him by his conduct rather than by Saknis's goodwill alone.

First appears in chapter 18

Attean's younger sister, a capable girl in the Beaver village. She treats Matt's unfamiliarity with everyday tasks as something to be corrected and helps him see skills and responsibilities that his lessons with Attean had not shown him.