"I said "The Eagle of Guidance?" What's that mean?" But now that I'm older, I know it's about being a leader, and keeping an eye on you two.
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~ Sitka's advice to Kenai about his totem
Sitka is one of the two dueteragonists (the other being Koda) of the 2003 Disney film Brother Bear and a very minor character in it's 2006 sequel Brother Bear 2. He is the older brother to Denahi and Kenai and parental figure since the death of their parents, the brother-in-law of Nita,
He is voiced by D.B. Sweeney who also voiced Aladar.
Biography
Brother Bear
Sitka loved his younger brothers and would do anything for them. He is first seen at the start of the film with Kenai and Denahi to collect fish, before returning to their tribe's village for Kenai's manhood ceremony. At the ceremony, Sitka and Denahi watch on as Kenai is given the bear of love totem by their tribe's shaman woman Tanana, much to Kenai's disappointment as he dislikes bears. Afterwards Sitka comes across Denahi teasing Kenai over his totem and tells him to check on the fish, before telling Kenai about his own ceremony and how his totem is the eagle, which represent leadership. Just then the two discover that a bear stole the basket they kept the fish in, after Kenai (in a hurry to get to his ceremony) didn't tie the basket's rope properly and caused it to fall to the ground. Denahi (who had made the basket) gets mad at Kenai for not tying up the basket, to which Kenai leaves to retrieve it. Sitka and Denahi follow Kenai to make sure he doesn't end up getting killed. They see Kenai fighting the bear from a distance and race to help. When Kenai is dangling off a cliff, Sitka comes to help him and is warned by him about the bear being behind him. Luckily, Denahi throws stones at the bear to distract her, giving Sitka time to help Kenai back up the cliff. Kenai is knocked to the ground and Denahi defends him, but the bear knocks the spear out of his hands and it looks like it's over for them when Sitka, deciding there is no other option, stabs the ice around the bear with his spear, causing the ice to crack and break, off causing the bear to fall and Sitka falls with her.
Kenai and Denahi search for him, but only find his pelt and his spirit assumes the form of a bald eagle. Later that night, a funeral is held for Sitka and his pelt and totem are cremated. Kenai is enraged that the bear lived and Sitka died and feels responsible for what happened, so he goes out to kill the bear to avenge Sitka. After a battle, he succeeds, but Sitka was very disappointed with him. Feeling that it wasn't necessary for Kenai to kill the bear, as Sitka gave his life to protect them, Sitka's spirit decides to punish Kenai and turns him into a bear. Thinking the bear killed Kenai, Denahi decides to avenge his death and tracks him down and Kenai escapes and has to look after a bear cub named Koda whom he finds annoying at first, but eventually grows to love him. At the end of the movie, upon seeing Kenai nearly give his life for Koda, Sitka decides to change him back into a human and visits him and Denahi in his human form before departing to the spirit world with Koda's mother (who was the bear Kenai killed to avenge Sitka) but, before he leaves, Kenai wishes to be a bear again so that he can look after Koda, because he can't talk to him in human form.
Brother Bear 2
Sitka does make a cameo in eagle form near the end of the film with the spirits transforming Nita into a bear. Also, while Nita and Kenai are traveling, an eagle flies to a nest to bring some chicks food.
Abilities
Ethereal Physiology: After death, he transformed into an ethereal being, one impervious to death & a spirit of guidance with great supernatural powers.
Metamorphosis: He can shift from his ethereal human-like form into an eagle form for flying mainly.
Transmutation: He is able to transform Kenai & Nita into bears on a cellular level.
Clairvoyance: As a spirit, he was aware of everything going on in the valleys.
Immense Wisdom: He is immensely wise, turning Kenai into a bear so as not only to punish him, but to also make him realize that what he sees a monsters are not different from humans. He also taught his brothers that killing mercilessly is unnecessary.
Hunting: While he was alive on earth, he was an amazing hunter.
Trivia
Sitka is similar to Mufasa as both are wise and both are related to the protagonist (Sitka is Kenai's older brother and Mufasa is Simba's father). Both also die saving the protagonist from a threat (Sitka dies protecting Kenai and Denahi from Koda's mother whilst Mufasa saves Simba from a wildebeest stampede only to be thrown back into it to his death by Scar). Both later appear to the protagonist as a spirit.
