Omoro Kinte
Kunta's father.
Binta Kinte
Kunta's mother.
Suwadu
Kunta's 3rd brother.
Kunta Kinte
Alex Haley's ancestor back seven generations. He grew up in Juffure, The Gambia, and was sold into slavery when he was seventeen. As a slave, he is known as "Toby."
Lamin
Kunta's 2nd brother.
Madi
Kunta's 4th brother.
Saloum and Janneh Kinte
Omoro's half-brothers and Kunta's uncles. Legendary travelers.
Nyo Boto
An old woman in Juffure, formerly a slave. She is a midwife and tells children stories.
Grandma Yaisa
Omoro's mother and Kunta's grandmother.
John Waller
Kunta's first master.
William Waller
Kunta's second master, and John Waller's brother. A doctor.
Missy Anne
John Waller's only daughter. Doted upon by her uncle William Waller. Childhood friend of Kizzy.
Bell
A house slave and cook for William Waller. Kunta's wife.
Kizzy Waller
Kunta and Bell's daughter. Grew up with the Wallers. Sold to Tom Lea when she was 16.
Tom Lea
Kizzy's new master. Rapes her and fathers Chicken George. A cockfighter who grew up "white trash."
The Fiddler
One of the slaves on William Waller's plantation. A friend of Kunta's.
Boteng Bediako/Pompey
A slave from Ghana.
George Johnson
A poor white boy who becomes the Murrays' overseer.
Martha Johnson
George Johnson's young wife.
Malizy
Tom Lea's cook.
Sister Sarah
Tom Lea's field slave.
Uncle Pompey
A field slave at Tom Lea's.
Uncle Mungo
The cockfighting trainer at Tom Lea's.
Chicken George
Kizzy's son. Also the illegitimate son of Tom Lea. A renowned cockfighter.
Matilda
Chicken George's wife.
Virgil
George and Matilda's oldest son.
Ashford
George and Matilda's second son.
George (Jr.)
George and Matilda's 3rd son.
Tom Murray
George and Matilda's 4th son. A blacksmith.
Irene
Tom Murray's wife. She is half Native American.
James
George and Matilda's fifth son.
Lewis
George and Matilda's 6th son.
L'il Kizzy
George and Matilda's 1st daughter.
Mary
George and Matilda's 2nd daughter.
Lily Su
Virgil's wife and Uriah's mother.
Uriah
Virgil's simple-minded son.
Maria
Tom and Irene's oldest child.
Elizabeth
One of Tom and Irene's daughters.
Cynthia
Tom and Irene's youngest child. Mother of Bertha; grandmother of Alex Haley.
Bertha
Alex Haley's mother. Married to Simon Haley. The first in her family to go to college.
Will Palmer
Cynthia's husband, and Bertha's father. Owns a lumber mill.
Simon Haley
Alex Haley's father.
Alex Haley
The author; Kunta Kinte's descendant by 7 generations.
J.D. Cates
The county sheriff of Alamance County, where the Murrays live.
Ebou Manga
The Wolof student who guides Alex Haley in the Gambis.
Dr. Jan Vansina
A Belgian linguist who helps Haley discern that Kunta was Mandinka.
Master Murray
The master who buys Tom and family from Tom Lea.
