Tonkee/Binof Leadership Yumenes Character Analysis in The Fifth Season

Binof Leadership Yumenes is a member of one of the Stillness’s most powerful families, but she rejects her family’s way of life and is eventually disowned for it. She first meets Damaya at the Fulcrum, when Binof sneaks in among the other grits to try and find out more information about a secret hidden at the center of the Fulcrum—where the obelisks were originally built. In the years after the two girls are separated, Binof breaks the Yumenes Leadership’s traditions both by wanting to become a geomest and because she is a trans woman, and so her family sends her to the prestigious Seventh University and quietly disowns her. Binof then takes the name Tonkee, continues her studies of the obelisks, and eventually tracks down Damaya (now called Essun) once more because of her connection to the obelisks. The two meet again on the road as the Fifth Season begins, though Essun doesn’t recognize Tonkee at first. Tonkee decides to travel with Essun after seeing Hoa exhibit his strange powers, and they journey together all the way to Castrima, where Essun finally recognizes Tonkee as the girl from her youth. Overall, Tonkee is presented as extremely intelligent, curious, and talkative, fascinated to learn everything she can and lacking in social subtlety. At first very naïve about the world because of her privileged upbringing, in her middle age Tonkee lives as a commless (essentially homeless) woman and seems to have no perception of her own hygiene, as Essun frequently notices her odor and matted hair.

Tonkee/Binof Leadership Yumenes Character Timeline in The Fifth Season

The timeline below shows where the character Tonkee/Binof Leadership Yumenes appears in The Fifth Season. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

Disaster, Violence, and Survival Theme Icon

The commless woman now joins Essun and Hoa on their journey, introducing herself as Tonkee but not giving a comm or use-caste name. She claims to have joined them just... (full context)

Hierarchy, Oppression, and Prejudice Theme Icon

...sure that Hoa doesn’t eat at all. At one comm, she is surprised to see Tonkee produce a compass—a priceless item during a Fifth Season—and trade it for two pairs of... (full context)

Essun, Hoa, and Tonkee have finally reached the place where Hoa could sense all the orogenes gathering, but at... (full context)

The intimidating woman introduces herself as Ykka Rogga Castrima, and Essun and Tonkee are both surprised to hear “rogga” used as a use-caste name, considering its negative implications.... (full context)

History, Storytelling, and Knowledge Theme Icon

...them close their mouths at Ykka’s words, and then Ykka invites them all inside. Both Tonkee and the blond woman with the crossbow suggest that this might not be a good... (full context)

...“just another filthy, soul-rusted rogga” who never should have had children at all. She feels Tonkee pulling at her arms and realizes that she is weeping and screaming. Essun feels that... (full context)

Ykka now turns to Tonkee and Hoa and again invites them to come into Castrima, but she warns them that... (full context)

...and only when Damaya threatens to yell for the instructors does she introduce herself as Binof. Damaya starts asking her many more questions about what she’s doing here, but Binof hushes... (full context)

Though this seems nonsensical at first, Damaya actually knows what Binof means: the massive building of Main is circular in shape, but over time she has... (full context)

...Damaya asks again who the strange girl is, and now she offers her full name: Binof Leadership Yumenes. Slowly, Damaya realizes what this means: Binof is not an orogene and is... (full context)

Damaya again threatens to call an instructor, and in a panic, Binof offers her money and then privileges for the next time she leaves the Fulcrum. Cursing... (full context)

As Damaya leads Binof toward Main, she notices more adults looking at her than usual. At first, she thinks... (full context)

The two girls enter Main, and as they head toward the spot that Binof thinks contains an entrance to the secret inner room, Damaya grows uncomfortable because they’re now... (full context)

...how risky this is, Damaya knocks first, then tries the door but finds it locked. Binof now takes a tool from her pocket and begins to pick the lock. After a... (full context)

...missing gap beyond it, between the closet and the inner wall of the building itself. Binof searches the wall with her hands and finds a loose brick, which she removes to... (full context)

Though she says that only Leaders are supposed to know this information, Binof finally relents. She tells Damaya that she’s learned that there’s some kind of mysterious artifact... (full context)

...everyone feared, and centuries later, the Fulcrum was established on top of the thing itself. Binof says that this is the mystery she’s trying to solve, and Damaya now silently agrees... (full context)

Binof blunders ahead in the dark, and Damaya warns her to be careful, sessing that there’s... (full context)

...she even relaxes, feeling like her body is overwhelmingly heavy and ready to fall in. Binof catches her arm, and Damaya realizes that she wasn’t especially close to the pit’s edge... (full context)

...The Guardian calls Damaya by name and says that Schaffa will be disappointed in her. Binof then declares that she is the one who ordered Damaya here, and it’s her fault.... (full context)

...Guardian locks the office’s door. In the Guardians’ wing, the woman stops Damaya and leads Binof away. Binof looks back, but Damaya avoids her eyes, feeling that the strange girl has... (full context)

...walking down the steps with them, and seems surprised. They then enter another tunnel, as Tonkee wonders aloud at the ancient nations that must have built these mines and passages. Tonkee... (full context)

Tonkee, who has still been asking questions and looking around in wonder, now asks Ykka how... (full context)

...smell people ahead, they fully appreciate what Castrima is: an entirely underground comm. Essun and Tonkee are disbelieving at first, until they finally enter and fall silent in awe. They are... (full context)

...electric power with a turbine. Most of it was built before the Sanzed Empire began. Tonkee notices that the crystals themselves are glowing, and Ykka says that this is another thing... (full context)

...finally introduces herself, giving only the name “Essun,” which itself is a lie, she thinks. Tonkee and Hoa introduce themselves as well. Ykka then welcomes them to Castrima and says that... (full context)

...crystal. Amid her tiredness from the overwhelming day, Essun suddenly realizes that she actually knows Tonkee, and she says this—Tonkee is Binof Leadership Yumenes. Tonkee seems cowed and says that she... (full context)

Learning this, Essun grows angry and demands an explanation. Tonkee apologizes and tries to explain: she is a geomest and did go to the Seventh... (full context)

Backtracking, Essun learns more about what happened to Binof, who now prefers the name Tonkee. She disappointed her Leadership family by rejecting all their... (full context)

Tonkee says that she wasn’t obsessed with Essun on a personal level, but mostly had her... (full context)

...says that there should have been only one obelisk headed toward Tirimo, the amethyst, but Tonkee insists that there was another one, and it had picked up speed in the last... (full context)

...ever needs to sleep. Essun goes to bed. She wakes up next to Hoa, with Tonkee asleep in the other room. Essun has no idea how long she’s been asleep, or... (full context)

...roggas into a single underground chamber. Finally, they make it back to Essun’s chambers, where Tonkee is eating in the living room. Lerna introduces himself to her, and they are cautious... (full context)