EN110: Week 05 – Assignment: (What is the best movie you have seen this year?)
September 27, 2010
A box office hit, Avatar became the largest net grossing film ever released in theatres. Despite rave reviews regarding the films animation, my attention was drawn to the film’s vivid representation of tribal values, and western ideas and beliefs about tribal groups. Symbolism through the use of special effects and animation, the movie Avatar captured key cultural values shared by various tribal groups across the world and the Western world.
Historically, the Western world saw indigenous groups as uncivilized people. Their beliefs, life style, practices, and so forth were incomprehensible to the western world. They were continuously placed on the bottom of social classes in the Western world, and to some they weren’t even considered people. To distinguish this western belief, the people of Avatar are animated to be blue and have the physical characteristics of both humans and animal. Although the movie’s setting was fictional, I could relate the Avatar people to the tribal nations of the America’s and the Amazon. The plot of the movie historically represented the continuous fight between indigenous groups and the western world over land and natural resources. Also clearly shown in the movie Avatar was the western world’s ability to befriend and understand indigenous groups to gain the knowledge they needed to breakdown their communities. Their home’s and life revolved around the Earth. Their lives are supported by the provisions provided to them by the land. Life, to the Avatar was taken very seriously. The Avatar’s respect for the life was clearly dictated by use of customary prayers after killings to say sorry for taking a life, but thanking the Earth for providing food to the Avatar people.
Among many tribal nations, everything on Earth holds a spirit. Earthly creations hold the spirits of a community’s ancestor. Traditionally, there is a pre-dominate central figure or symbol that binds a community together. This figure will hold the communities knowledge, wisdom, provide guidance, and refuge. The Avatar’s spiritual connection to the Earth was most vividly represented through the illuminating tree that stood as the center of the Avatar people’s life. At first glance the tree looks plain and ordinary despites its enormity, but as the main character’s understanding of the tree’s sacredness to the Avatar people becomes apparent, the tree comes to life. The tree gains a spirit, as it illuminates with vibrant colors, unveiling the life that is carried within it. Animations of special flowers and lit pathways represent the spirit and souls of the Avatar people and their ancestry that bring the tree to life.
Symbolism is continuously used throughout the movie to represent the idea that both humans and the Avatar people are connected with all living things; a concept that for centuries has been shared by all people throughout time, but best practiced by tribal communities. For many groups of people, the movie clearly illustrates the connection of all souls (does this relate to only the dead, or the living as well?) by use of connecting one’s hair to that of another creature to become one with each other. The Avatar people literally synchronize their thoughts with thoughts of animals (and to one another to bring understanding between man and beast.) each other to understand each other and to work together to complete day to day tasks.
Through twenty-first century special effects and illustrations, Avatar has managed to bring a greater understanding to tribal traditions and the relationship between tribal groups of the world and the western world. Through the plot of the movie and the physical characteristic of the people of Avatar, one could gain insight on the perceptions the western world has about tribal cultures, and the realistic cultural differences between tribal groups and the western world. In its entirety, Avatar has elaborately displayed the continuous fight for the western world and tribal groups to understand one another and to coexist.