Nehtan Kon

* Current
* Child
* Child High Quality

**Nehtan Kon** (meaning **Lightning**, better known as "**Nat Kidelee**" and credited as "**Grandpa Nat**"), is the father of Layla Mabray, making him the maternal grandfather of series protagonist Molly Mabray and the father-in-law of Molly's dad Walter Mabray.

He is quite a spry man and can even feel younger than he really is, despite still having issues like arthritis, and is a good grandfather to Molly, able to keep pace with her energy.

He is a volcanologist and is still active in his field. He spends most of his time with his family, helping out with the Denali Trading Post, playing with his granddaughter, and teaching her the traditions of their ancestors.

## Appearance

Nat is an elderly Alaska Native man of Gwich'in descent, with white hair and black eyes. He typically wears a blue shirt with dark blue jeans and brown shoes. He also wears a necklace shaped like a crescent moon around his neck. As a boy (shown in flashbacks), he looked somewhat similar to Tooey, with black hair and tan skin. He wore typical tribesman type clothes when attending boarding school.

In “First Fish”, the child version of him has the same clothing that he usually wears at present.

## Personality

    Nat is a fun loving, big hearted man who loves his granddaughter Molly. He also loves to sing songs and play music, as seen in the episode "Grandpa's Drum." As a child, he was sent away from his home in Beaver to a boarding school in Tiritchik, where he was forced not to sing in his own indigenous language, and was made to only speak in English. The mandatory boarding schooling and assimilation traumatized him to the point that he refuses to talk about that part of his childhood. Because of his experiences, he gave up singing altogether for many decades, and gave away his drum to his friend (Shyahtsoo) before each went their separate ways. It wasn’t until Molly found his old drum and proudly performed her ancestors' songs that Nat's songs returned to him. After that, he began to sing and play his drum regularly again, teaching his songs to Molly and Tooey.

He is an important source of traditional knowledge for Molly, and has taught her many words and phrases in Gwich'in. He loves to tell stories, especially tall tales, and isn't above scaring children with spooky stories about made up monsters, particularly since he knows Molly will always do her own research instead of just blindly believing everything he tells her. He encourages Molly's research and vlogging, and teaches her to look to many different sources for knowledge and wisdom.

As a scientist, Nat can be very technical minded and is a good problem solver. He is able to fix a damaged wing on a tourist's drone, and can come up with many on-the-spot solutions to technical problems. If there's something he's not an expert on, he has several colleagues on call that he can ask for help.

Nat is also a dreamer. Despite his difficult childhood, he has accomplished many goals in life, and still strives to achieve the goals he was not able to reach in his youth. When he was in his 20s, he attempted to summit Denali, but had to turn back because of bad weather. He did not get another opportunity until Molly convinced him to try again. He and Walter were able to reach Denali's summit on the anniversary of the first successful summit expedition.

## Relationships

##### Molly Mabray

Molly is very close to her grandpa, and he to her. Molly has proven she will go to tremendous lengths for her grandpa's happiness. She restored his lost songs to him, healing a decades-old wound. She inspired him to pursue and accomplish his dream of summiting Denali, and he was promoted to chief because of it. Thanks to Molly's profound impact on his life, Nat refers to Molly as his "strength," and keeps a picture of her close when traveling or speaking in public. Despite his age, Nat doesn't have much trouble keeping up with Molly, and loves teaching her new things, especially as they relate to their shared cultural heritage. He has entrusted his secret nivagi recipe to her, and when Suki's antics necessitated changing that recipe, he gladly accepted the changes and renamed the recipe to share credit with Molly.

##### Layla Mabray

Layla's relationship with her dad is a strong one. She relies on him to watch over Molly when she and Walter are away, and she encourages him to pursue his dreams. She is aware of his painful childhood and doesn't press him on it. She's deeply touched and happy when she sees her dad take up the drum again and regain his songs. She enjoys reminiscing with her dad over places they've traveled. When Nat tells the kids spooky stories that they start to believe could be true, Layla's not afraid to subtly scold him for it.

##### Walter Mabray

Nat and Walter have a strong friendship. They frequently travel together, and Walter helps Nat summit Denali. They are Molly's primary guides in the outdoors, both teaching her how to navigate and listen to the land. They love to joke and laugh together.

##### Midge Elik

Nat and Midge have been friends for at least as long as Nat has lived in Qyah. They are both Gwich'in elders and both hold the title of chief, giving them roles of similar importance in the lives of the village children. Their relationship is strictly platonic, and they enjoy attending community events together as friends. Nat also sometimes pesters Midge to go hiking or rock climbing with him, and Midge responds by teasing him about the time she broke her toe on a hike with him, which caused her to lose a dance contest the next day. Midge is the one who bestowed the title of chief on Nat, although she remains the official tribal leader of Qyah.

##### Shyahtsoo

Nat met Shyahtsoo during his time at boarding school, and the two became close friends. When Nat gave up singing, he gave his drum to Shyahtsoo, who kept it tucked away safely for him for several decades. Nat did not see Shyhatsoo at all during that time, but he kept a picture someone had taken of the two of them in their regalia before they were stopped from celebrating their culture. When Molly came looking for the drum, Shyahtsoo gladly returned it with the sincere hope that Nat would get his songs back. Since then, Nat has kept in touch with Shyahtsoo, and she attended the potlach that celebrated his ascent of Denali. She became close enough to Nat and his family that Layla felt comfortable asking her if she had a pair of beaded slippers Molly could borrow. Shyahtsoo's character model has been reused in several episodes, but she has yet to be shown directly interacting with Nat.

##### Cliff Kidelee

Nat has a strong, healthy relationship with his younger brother. He is willing to travel to help Cliff out when he needs it, and the two love to exchange stories of their travels and adventures. While they get along very well, they are also very competitive with one another, arguing in a good natured way about which of them got their first moose in a given location. They both love dried king salmon, and will even steal a bag of it out of one another's hands. They share the philosophy that "if you take care of the land, the land will take care of you."

##### Catherine Kidelee

Nat had at least two children with his wife Catherine. During her lifetime, she taught him how to properly tan and sew caribou hides. He and Catherine frequently took their daughters to visit Catherine's hometown of Old Crow, Yukon. These trips were frequent and special enough that Layla considered returning to Old Crow to be "like coming home."

##### Tooey, Trini, Oscar and Vera

Nat is very fond of all the village children, and they in turn all refer to him as Grandpa Nat, despite having no blood relation to him. He looks after Tooey just as readily as he does Molly, and he is friends with Tooey's father Kenji. He is a regular source of wisdom and advice for Trini, and she loves dancing with him. He taught Oscar how to rock climb, and helped Vera figure out the secret ingredient in her mother's lumpia recipe in exchange for being allowed to be a taste tester for the Filipino treats.

## Trivia

* Nat's birth/Native name is "Nehtan Kon" (which he says means “lightning”), as revealed in Name Game.
	+ "Nat" is probably an anglicized version which he has adopted in modern usage, as it's a common diminutive of Nathan, a western name that happens to sound similar to Nehtan.
	+ It is unknown how he got his Native name.
* Nat's surname is revealed to be Kidelee in Wise Raven and Old Crow.
* Nat holds the status of a chief in Qyah, which was awarded to him for his achievement in summitting Denali on the anniversary of the Stuck-Karstens expedition. This makes him one of two known chiefs in Qyah, the other being the tribal leader Midge Elik.

## Gallery

*Click here to view the gallery.*

Dogs:Anka • Tukoni • Skippy • Jax • Luka • Laika • Rascal • Kiwi • Kobi • Atsoo • Sasha • Cali • Balto • Dolt'ol • Brownie • Thor • Lord Pinklefloss • Snoozle • Chinook • Four Spots • Kih Dhidii • Arluk • Esnu

1. ↑ By Sled or Snowshoe
2. ↑ The Worm Turns
3. ↑ Happy Trails
4. ↑ Suki's Bone
5. ↑ see Molly and the Great One
6. ↑ Climb Every Mountain
7. ↑ Wise Raven and Old Crow