Avatar, a film by James Cameron, provokes the viewer into a sense of cultural appreciation through a series of emotional themes and conflicts between characters and species. The movie challenges the viewer to look beyond their own purpose, beyond their own society's master narrative, to discover the power of ecocentrism over anthropocentrism. This is seen through the imperialism used for the humans to take the unobtainium from the moon Pandora. Pandora is habitated by a species of alien called Na'vi. The military force used to take the unobtainium from Pandora is a direct driver leading to extinction of experience or even ultimately the entire genocide/extinction of the Na'vi species (an indirect driver would be the fact that the humans have turned their own planet into a wasteland). The direct drivers stated in the film are the implementation of medicine, education, and roads "but they like mud". To contrast this, scientists attempt to assimilate themselves into the Na'vi culture by learning the language of the Na'vi, as well as creating a Na'vi avatar body for themselves to live in to attempt to fully assimilate with the alien culture. As stated in the film, "Look like them, talk like them, and they'll start trusting us". The ethnocentric minds of the military cause them to fully separate the alien culture from their own culture. They refer to Pandora as a location worse than Hell. The military notes that "everything wants to kill you", and they would want to "go to Hell for R&R". This is an example of the military using the human society master narrative as leverage. However, when protagonist, Jake Sully, is introduced to the Na'vi people by Neytiri (a Na'vi woman Jake encountered in the wilderness), Tsu'tey called Jake a "demon". This strikingly contrasts the human analogy of Pandora and Earth, to Humans being demons from Hell. Which places Earth as a "Hell-ish" planet in contrast to Pandora, in the eyes of the Na'vi. Unobtainium is endemic to Pandora. It is even implied that it is only found in this one area of Pandora near this particular tribe of Na'vi. The scientists are biocultural conservationists in contrast to the military who are destructive to the culture. The military prefer mineral over cultural conservation. The military's view represents the paradigm between cultural differences and worldviews. However, the separation is even more distinct as it is "other" worldly. Jake Sully is not like other scientists on his team. He is a marine. Therefore, his language is different than that of the scientists. He is once told in the film "Try to use big words". Perhaps this is connected with the idea that the Na'vi accepted Jake because he was different. Jake did not fit in with the scientists, however, he adapted to the life of the Na'vi and they were fairly welcoming to him. Jake did not pretend he knew the language of Na'vi or pretend he knew anything about the culture (as the scientists did). So perhaps he seemed less threatening and invasive. His simple handshake was rejected, and his blatant lack of knowledge of their culture was evident. The Na'vi believed they had an advantage over him. Neytiri's mother stated "we will see if your insanity can be cured". This separates the human/alien dualism. Humans are alien to Pandora, but Pandora is alien to humans. In both situations, aliens are "bad" and/or rejected for their different societal views. The Na'vi are deeply rooted to nature through their culture, bodies, and beliefs. Their language also reflects this. Their culture does not kill savagely. They basically bless their killings. They also connect themselves physically to nature, which roots them to their ancestors and also to Eywa. Their God-like nature deity. Na'vi also physically connect themselves to their animal which they fly with. Their connectivity to nature, plants, and their tribe contrasts the separations between humans and nature. There is no dualism between Na'vi and nature. They are one. Their language reflects a deep connectivity, for example when they state "I see you", it is more than just the physical seeing. It is deep and intimate. Since Na'vi have so much physical connectivity their spiritual connectivity is so much more in sync with everything around them. I think perhaps humans are more aware of the narrative self, however the Na'vi are more aware of their place in nature as a whole. Jake Sully soon discovers this. Grace tells Jake to "hear what she (Neytiri) says, try to see the forest through her eyes." Eventually Jake states "but there is the real world" (in reference to Pandora). Jake has fully assimilated at this point and his master narrative is becoming that of the Na'vi as he connects himself deeper with the people. He is eventually accepted completely into the group. This is seen as almost a baptism. A rebirth. Jake states "every person is born twice, the second time is when you become one with the people forever." The deep effectiveness of Jake putting himself in the shoes of the Na'vi on all levels has caused him to change his selfish views towards the desires of the humans, to the desires of the Na'vi. The desire to be one with nature, and experience the environment hands on. Jake eventually addresses the humans as "sky people" and calls them "a great evil". When Grace dies, Eywa becomes real to her. Grace states "she is real", meaning she is not existent in only one master narrative, she becomes real to humans as well. However the military still only see the Human/alien dualism like the Human/animal dualism. The colonel states "Scatter the roaches", In reference to the Na'vi. When the big tree falls, it is very similar to the Native American buffalo situation. They lived and thrived off of the Buffalo, however the Americans killed off of the buffalo in order to wipe out the culture. In Avatar, the military is using the destruction of the tree as a direct driver to wipe out the Na'vi. To the Na'vi nature is God, nature is life, and even so for the Native Americans the Buffalo were a sustaining part of their religion, their entire ecology, and life. Memories were stored deep within the tree, and it was religious in such a way as they prayed to it. "Historically, the main waves of colonial and imperial expansion, have often come not only to the detriment of local people's sovereignty and control over their ancestral territories and resources, but also to the detriment of their ancestral languages and cultural traditions. Whenever assimilation into the dominant culture has been the goal, as it has mostly been, this assimilation has been effected crucially by way of linguistic assimilation..."(5, Maffi). This concept is displayed when it is evident that the scientists have tried to teach the Na'vi english, but they do not have a "home planet" advantage. Na'vi are in the majority and despite imperialism, they continue to have dominance. Even by just the fact that the scientists were so interested in preserving the language, set them up for destruction because in the past imperialism has worked most effectively when the language is ripped from the society/ culture. Will we ever be able to reach a biocultural cooperation? This is addressed by Norgaard on page 36 of the Maffi reading. The ideas of "progress, development, and growth, are being questioned while the notion of sustainability is taking center stage". If we can get off of our materialistic horse and understand the importance of sustaining life, culture, nature, and understand that there is more than one "right way of knowing." We will stop leading towards "global homogenization via economic globalization". This involves seeing how this phase of the "western story" plays out. Will we realize the importance of biocultural conservation?
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