The Great Mother Smiles Upon This ‘Avatar’ Na’vi Breakdown
The Na’vi, the tall, blue indigenous people of Pandora, have a long history and culture that you may need to review.
The release of Avatar 2: The Way of Water has come and gone. I While we might see a ton of new corners of Pandora in the future, some of us could probably use a refresher on the rich culture of the Na’vi.
The Basics
via 20th Century Studios
The Na’vi are tall, blue, alien creatures that are indigenous to the jungle moon of Pandora. They are mostly humanoid in appearance but easily distinguished due to their physical appearance. The Na’vi average at about ten feet tall with blue, striped skin, and proportionally longer, more slender bodies than the average human.
Na’vi have long hair growing on their heads, similar to humans, but their hair is often braided protectively around their queue. The queue is a tail-like “neural whip” that acts as an extension of their nervous system. Tendrils of the queue can be intertwined with that of another creature to enable mental communication. This connection is used for everything from bonding with a life-mate to communicating psychically with an animal. This is a spiritual link more than an erotic one, but queue connection is an important aspect of Na’vi mating.
There are an unknown number of subspecies of Na’vi. The Metkayina clan for example is a group who have evolved to an oceanic lifestyle. They will likely be strongly featured in The Way of Water.
Culture
Living all across Pandora, the Na’vi live in territorial clan societies. They worship Eywa, an all-encompassing goddess who protects the balance of life. To worship Eywa is to work towards harmony with each other and the environment. All Na’vi live by the Three Laws of Eywa, also known as the Na’vi way. “You shall not set stone upon stone. Neither shall you use the turning wheel. Nor use the metals of the ground.”
Na’vi clans are usually about three hundred members strong and are led by a central leader known as the Olo’eyktan and a spiritual leader, the Tsahik. Other members of the clans fall into roles that are helpful to the group as a whole such as hunters, gatherers, artisans, and warriors. Though fighting is almost never the Na’vis first choice and they only engage in battle when they need to for their survival. These roles are fulfilled based on the group’s needs and survival and are not assigned based on gender but on ability, necessity, and skill.
The Na’vi language has remained mostly unchanged for thousands of years, though different dialects do exist. Their history is passed down orally, and “songcord” musical mnemonic devices recount the personal history of individuals, families, or an entire clan.
Human Relations
Humans and the Na’vi have a tense history based on a completely mutual lack of understanding of the other. Humans first came to Pandora to mine for minerals. And to the Na’vi this destruction of the planet without need and for capitalism’s sake was appalling. Humans viewed the Na’vi as primitive life forms and refused to acknowledge their intelligence or culture until forced to.
Diplomatic ties between the two species were attempted, such as a school where humans and Na’vi children could interact and learn each other’s language and the Avatar Na’vi bodies. But neither of these programs went as planned. A shooting at the school resulted in multiple Na’vi deaths and the school’s closure. Later, avatar pilot Jake Sully comes to side with and eventually joins the Na’vi.
Which Avatar character is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!
Happy adventuring!
