Kanna

"water"

- It's been so long since I've had hope. But you brought it back to life, my little Waterbender.

Kanna, also known as Gran Gran, is Katara and Sokka's caring grandmother on their father's side.

Kanna is the oldest person in the Southern Water Tribe but is not a Waterbender. Although she had her doubts about Aang at first, when it was revealed that he was indeed the Avatar, she had regained hope, something she probably hasn't had for a long time. She cares deeply for her two grandchildren.

History


Kanna was actually born in the Northern Water Tribe. When she was still fairly young, it was arranged that she would marry Pakku, a Waterbender who was also rather young. Following the tribe's engagement tradition, Pakku carved a symbol into a betrothal necklace for her. Though he loved her very much and thought highly of their future together, Kanna did not, apparently due to the Northern Water Tribe's chauvinistic societal standards, to which Pakku himself adhered strongly. So, sometime before their wedding, Kanna ran away and headed for the Southern Water Tribe. She didn't even say goodbye to her friends, although she did take the necklace with her and married an unknown man from the Southern Tribe, with whom she bore her son Hakoda. The necklace was eventually passed down to her daughter-in-law, Kya, who in turn passed it down to Katara. But Kanna never told her grandchildren the history of that necklace, nor of her 'past life' in the Northern Water Tribe. She had probably been reunited with Pakku by the time of "The Guru". Her old friend Yugoda claims that Katara is a spitting image of her.



In past years, Kanna and Hama were friends.They were there when the Southern Water Tribe was first attacked by the Fire Nation. The Waterbenders tried to fight but were greatly outnumbered. Hama was the last Waterbender in the Southern Water Tribe until she too was captured. When she was taken onto the boat, Kanna was the last face of her friends Hama saw before she was locked away when she was still a young woman.

In the episode "Sozin's Comet, Part 2: The Old Masters", it is revealed that after Master Pakku returned to the Southern Water Tribe, he carved her a new betrothal necklace and the two were married. It is unknown if Pakku and Kanna settled after The War in either of the Water Tribes.

Relatives

 * Hakoda (son)
 * Kya (daughter-in-law, deceased)
 * Sokka (elder grandson)
 * Katara (younger granddaughter)
 * Pakku (second husband)
 * Unknown first husband (whom Sokka probably called "Gramp-Gramp")
 * Aang(grandson in-law)
 * Tenzin (great-grandson)

Connections
Gran Gran strongly resembles the wise elder women found in many of the works of Hayao Miyazaki—most notably, the Wise Woman who starts Prince Ashitaka on his quest in Princess Mononoke. The series' creators have professed their fandom of Hayao Miyazaki in many interviews.

Name Origin

 * Kanna's name may be derived from the Japanese word Kan, meaning cold.
 * "Kana" is also Inuit for "down there", "the one below", "downriver" or "in the direction of the sea", possibly referring to her traveling from the Northern to Southern Water Tribe.
 * Kanna can mean "river fish".
 * There is a river and lake by the name of Kanna.
 * "Cana", pronounced the same way, means "white hair" in Spanish.
 * In Telugu (Indian Language) Kanna means dear, or child

Trivia

 * Kanna's nickname in the Spanish version is "Gran Gran Abuela", which translates into great great grandmother. In the French version her nickname his "Mabouba", but the origins of this translation are unknown.
 * Kanna is portrayed by Katharine Houghton in "The Last Airbender".
 * Kanna (Gran Gran) is voiced by Melendy Britt, the voice actress who played She-Ra in the popular "Princess of Power" cartoon series from the 80s.
 * Kanna seems to have kept her same hairstyle, hair loopies, her whole life.
 * Kanna looks very much like Katara when she was younger.