Karura

was the wife of the Fourth Kazekage, the older sister of Yashamaru, and the mother of Gaara, Kankurō, and Temari.

Background
Against her wishes, her husband had the spirit of Shukaku sealed within Gaara before he was born. During his birth, her life was used to power the sealing process. Before she died, she cursed Sunagakure, hoping that her son would avenge her death and the horror she had been put through. Due to Yashamaru's words concerning the nature of his powers, Gaara became confused and came to view Shukaku as an extension of his mother, and the sand as a manifestation of her love.

Chūnin Exam arc
During his battle with Sasuke, Gaara tried to talk to her, but his words strongly indicate he was speaking with Shukaku.

Trivia
Name::
 * Karura's name is written with three kanji: the kanji for, the kanji for , and the kanji for . The last kanji is the same as the final kanji in Gaara's name and can be taken as an abbrevation of the word or the word . Together, the name can be interpreted as "the demon who adds to the flow [of sand or hatred]".
 * When written as 迦楼羅, "karura" is the Japanese name for Garuda.