Who is Jantu from The Clay Marble: And Related Readings and what is their importance?

Jantu is Nea's younger cousin, about the same age as Dara. More outspoken and excitable than Dara she is, for the most part, the dominant partner in the friendship, leading the generally more submissive Dara in the quest for food and in the playing of games. She often comes across as being more mature and more sensitive than her years, wiser and more in tune with her spirit and her sense of identity. This last is particularly evident in narrative descriptions of how she looks and how focused she seems while she's creating toys and miniature works of art, although narration also comments that she doesn't see anything particularly special about what she does. The most significant element of Jantu's character, however, and her primary purpose in the narrative, is to teach Dara the value of courage and faith in oneself.