Kaya’aton’my, 1764

Kaya is a young girl from the Nimíipuu (Nez Perce) tribe in the 1760s. She was the eighth Historical Character, introduced by American Girl in 2002.

She represents the pre-colonial era of American history.

Kaya is a very active and adventuroes girl, who dreams of riding her horse and being a great warrior like her hero Swan Circling. She often acts before she thinks and gets in trouble, leading to her gaining the nickname Magpie from the other children. She is very close with her sister Speaking Rain, who is blind, and often acts as her eyes.

As American Girl has yet not created any other Native American characters or dolls, Kaya is often used to represent both herself, in her pre-colonial time period, as well as modern Native American girls. American Girl has produced multiple modern Native American outfits, and they are considered part of Kaya’s collection.