A loyal person, Karana is more than ready to run to Rontu’s rescue, if he needs rescuing. Finding him in this specific location, in a place where Karana’s ancestors used to congregate, again reminds readers that Karana is the last of her tribe left on the island. Even as she’s surviving, making friends, and even thriving, she can’t escape the fact that all signs point to her being the last of her tribe to ever reside on the island. This is, again, the result of colonial forces pushing Karana’s tribe off the island.