Ellie is a 17-year-old Lipan Apache girl, the main protagonist, and the titular character in Elatsoe. Ellie lives in north Texas with her mother and her father, and like every eldest daughter in her family’s lineage, Ellie has the power to raise ghosts from the underworld. Her favorite ghost is her dog, Kirby, whom she has trained to be a companion and protector. Ellie is often told that she and her six-great-grandmother are very similar because they are both “remarkable ghost trainers” as well as “intelligent and brave” (44).

Ellie has two goals in life: to be a “paranormal investigator” as well as a “paleontologist” (54). She has a deep love for animals, living or dead, and she is a quick thinker with a knack for solving puzzles. When her cousin Trevor is seriously injured in a car accident, Ellie is visited by his spirit before he goes to the Underworld. Trevor “entrust[s] her with his family’s safety” (49). For Ellie, family and heritage are a vital part of her identity. She is proud to be a part of the Lipan Apache people, and when it comes to the people she loves, Ellie will do anything to help.