Tiger Lily is the daughter of Great Big Little Panther, the chief of the Piccanniny tribe, the fictional tribe of Native Americans living in Neverland. Barrie describes her as "a princess in her own right. The most beautiful of dusky Dianas and the belle of the Piccaninnies, coquettish, cold and amorous by turns." She is apparently old enough to be married, but refuses any suitors because of her feelings towards Peter. She is jealous of Wendy and Tinker Bell. Tiger Lily is kidnapped by Captain Hook and his pirates but is rescued by Peter Pan.
In other media
In the 1924 silent filmPeter Pan, she is played by Anna May Wong. In the Disney animated filmof the same name, Captain Hook kidnaps Tiger Lily which leads her father Big Chief to suspect that the Lost Boys were responsible. Hook leaves her to drown at Skull Rock, but she is saved by Peter, who brings her back to her tribe. While the Indians celebrate, Wendy becomes jealous of how Tiger Lily is flirting with Peter. In Cheshire Crossing, an older Tiger Lily is responsible for saving Wendy's life after she is stabbed, both having previously been romantically involved. Tiger Lily appears in Peter Pan & the Pirates voiced by Cree Summer. She and her brother Hard-to-Hit sometimes tag along with and aid their friends Peter Pan, Tinker Bell, the Darling children and the Lost Boys on their many adventures. In P.J. Hogan's 2003 film, she is played by Carsen Gray. In this version Tiger Lily is attracted to Wendy's younger brother John. In Neverland, she is portrayed as Aaya, played by Q'orianka Kilcher. Aaya means "Lily of tiger" in her native language. Tiger Lily appears in Pan portrayed by Rooney Mara as love interest to a younger James Hook, a casting that created controversy due to claims of whitewashing. Tiger Lily appears in Once Upon a Time portrayed by Sara Tomko. In this version, she started out as a fairy that was the fairy godmother to a baby Rumplestiltskin and a friend of the Blue Fairy. At some point, Tiger Lily gave up her fairy wings and relocated to Neverland where she had a history with Captain Hook. She is the protagonist of the book Tiger Lily written by Jodi Lynn Anderson, told from the point of view of Tinker Bell.
Reception
The character has attracted controversy due to racism and Native American stereotyping.
