Thoughts on Avatar (A Native American's point of view)
Watching the movie AVATAR we are held captive by the technical advancement of the mind of man along with the aid of the modern computer. The sounds, the colors, the story line all combine to capture our imaginations and our spirit however does AVATAR represent more than simply a western taking place in the future or is it a "feel good" movie to rid our souls of the pain felt from the wrongs we have committed against nations that were too weak to defend themselves against the onslaught of modern warfare?
Some think the scenario is typically Hollywood where once more it is the "great white hope" that rescues everyone from a bleak and hopeless outcome. I have to admit that is true although our hero is transformed and accepted as a member of the clan. Don't we have countless stories of such things happening in our Native American history?
Others have talked of the strong female characters portrayed in the story, women that not only ruled but defended the others as warriors causing me to think that James Cameron the creator of Avatar, had either a good understanding of our culture or had very good advisors because the similarities didn't end there. I felt the movie successfully depicted the reverence the NA'Vi had for all living things as well as their connection to each other featuring clever symbols using Sci-Fi magic to explain aspects of our culture. In the end the only way the inhabitants of the planet Pandora could save their civilization was to unite with all of the tribes from the four corners of their planet.
Just as in the movie when the NA'Vi fought to save their Mother the planet of Pandora we must fight to save our Mother the Earth. After all, are we not facing the same enemy, a corporate society where greed and money are all that matter? Our war is more subtle but is it any less real? Is it too late? Can anything be done to change people's hearts and open their eyes to the inevitable? What are we willing to do to win? Are we willing to put away the poisons that have for so long rendered us weak and incompetent? Can we be disciplined enough to indulge only in those things that will strengthen our bodies and spirit? Are we determined to seek knowledge from any and every source that is available and help to provide others with opportunities to do the same? Will we earnestly ask of the spirits of the great ones to bless us with guidance, influence and inspiration recognizing that the "old" ways are no longer old but new and providing the path needed to accomplish this great feat!
Although injustice still prevails we seldom have to give of our physical lives to defend our people, our culture and this planet yet one could assume that doing so would be far easier than sacrificing those things this society uses to keep us bound in chains. Can we give up our SUV's, our addictions not only to substances but to the brainless entertainments of celebrity dramas and useless pursuits of what this so called "civilized" culture considers valuable? Can we exist without our regular trips to the mall, our latest fashions along with the poor body images they imbed upon our psyches? Most of all, can we come together for the common good and support one another as members of one great, united people?
Ah, there's the problem! There's the elephant in the room that no one wants to admit exists yet for as long as we continue to be separate bands, existing only to serve our immediate needs we will not prevail. Do we not believe in the words "mitakuye oyasin"? Can we really all be related and one in purpose when we have some of our relatives making obscene amounts of money through various casinos and from having negotiated better deals with the Government while others are literally freezing to death in subzero temperatures and subhuman conditions? Are these inequalities for anyone other than us to rectify and can anyone deny that until these ills are remedied we have no hope of having the unity necessary to save not only our people but our planet as well? Are we also willing to do as the NA'Vi and invite others to join our struggle or do we push them aside because they are neither full blood or enough part blood to be considered worthy not realizing that perhaps they are more Native in their hearts than we know and can be a mighty asset in a battle that requires all of those willing to give?
What I take from this movie is a hope that someday we can truly be one, that we can put aside our differences, our egos, our senseless dependencies and the desires this society dictates, leading the way for others to follow along a path that will create that more highly evolved civilization that has been proven to have once existed amongst our people.
Globally many people now dream of a way of life that would be in harmony with the earth providing all that is needed not just physically but spiritually and emotionally as well. There have been reports of widespread depression over the concepts portrayed in this movie, so much so it has been labeled the "Avatar Syndrome" where people morn the loss of thinking such a world can never be, that we have destroyed the very possibility of such an existence yet I have hope for our future and movies like this "AVATAR" is a very needed component stirring a noble desire within our hearts to want what the Great Spirit has always intended for us to have. Bravo to James Cameron for having the will to work so hard to create such a movie and my hope is that everyone can take from it the message that Pandora had once existed on this planet and it is within our power to create it again.
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