She also meets Nikanj, their ooloi child, who has almost reached maturity. Lilith meets Tediin (female) and Kahguyaht (ooloi), Jdahya’s mates. Lilith is horrified at the prospect of having half-Oankali children and says she cannot accept this fate. It is necessary to their survival to constantly change and adapt. This is how the Oankali have evolved over millennia, by traveling through space and adopting traits of other species. Jdahya further explains that humans and Oankali will “trade” genetic material, creating offspring with elements of both. Lilith is overwhelmed by the idea of this Jdahya reassures her that she is best suited for the task out of all the humans that the Oankali saved. Lilith will also be responsible for helping her human group accept and become accustomed to the appearance and difference of the Oankali, so that the two races may live together. In turn, she will Awaken and train the first humans to be taken out of suspended animation, so that they may be returned to the Earth. Lilith will be trained to survive in conditions like those of Earth in its current wild state, with only simple tools. He explains the role that Lilith will play in the resettlement of the Earth. The Oankali have three genders, male, female, and ooloi, who are the Oankali that have developed the strongest connections to humans. Some humans were not kept asleep and the Oankali learned much about their species from these humans.

The humans that the Oankali have saved from Earth have mostly been held in suspended animation, with intermittent Awakenings. Lilith is so repulsed by Jdahya’s appearance that she can barely look at him. The tentacles covering Jdahya are sensory organs with functions that go beyond human understanding. The Oankali come from very far away from Earth and their ship, which is where Lilith has been kept for over 250 years, is a living organism. It introduces itself as Jdahya, and is a member of a race called the Oankali. Food is provided for her a disembodied voice asks her questions, but then refuses to answer her questions in return.ĭuring this latest Awakening, Lilith meets an alien being with tentacles all over its body. Each time she has Awakened, she has been unable to determine where she is or why she is being confined. Lilith wakes in a featureless room, as she has many times before.

Dawn book octavia butler