Ephraim Black

"My great grandfather, the Chief, found them hunting on our land. But they claimed to be something different, so we made a treaty with them. If they promised to stay off the Quileute lands, then we wouldn't expose them to what they really were... to the pale-faces."

- Jacob Black on his great grandfather

Ephraim Black was a Quileute chief and Alpha of a pack of three shape-shifters: himself, Levi Uley, and Quil Ateara II. He is the husband of Martha Young, the grandfather of Billy, Nora, Jennie, Connie and Emmie Black, the grandfather-in-law of Sarah Black and Kevin Littlesea, the great-grandfather of Jacob Black, Rebecca Black, Rachel Black and Collin Littlesea, and the son of Joseph Black and Jane Clearwater. He also had three sisters named Dorothy, Deborah and Susanah Black.

Biography
Sometime during Ephraim Black's life, the Cullen family, came to live in Forks, near the Quileute reservation of La Push. They were the traditional enemies of the Quileute shape-shifters, and the vampires' presence in the area made those who were of the right age phase into wolves, in the preparation of a fight. Carlisle Cullen managed to negotiate a peace treaty with them: as long as the Cullens didn't bite any humans or come on to the Quileute's land, the shape-shifters wouldn't attack them or reveal their presence to the humans.

Ephraim's great-grandson, Jacob, was the one who violated the treaty Ephraim made when he revealed that the Cullens were vampires to his friend Bella. In Breaking Dawn, the treaty was broken once again with Jacob's permission, to allow Edward Cullen to save Bella from death by turning her into a vampire. It's unclear what happened to the treaty after Jacob Black imprinted on Renesmee Cullen.

Film portrayal
While Ephraim doesn't make an appearance in the book series, he was the Quileute warrior who appeared in the flashback sequence forming the treaty with Carlisle in the Twilight film.

The part was credited only as "Quileute Warrior", however, it is known from the book that the lead Quileute who formed the treaty with the Cullens was, in fact, Ephraim Black. The actor who portrayed the role in the film is Rick Mora.

Appearances

 * Twilight (mentioned)
 * Twilight (film) (flashback)
 * Midnight Sun (mentioned)
 * Breaking Dawn (mentioned)
 * Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (mentioned)