Clear depiction of how colonialism impacts natives and the world
I recently got the chance to see the epic science fiction film, Avatar: The Way of Water, which has earned the adoration of loyal fans and anticipation from its predecessor (the first movie in the sequel, Avatar), and it no doubt has made a hit at the block box as everyone has gone to watch. Director, James Cameron, has opened Pandora’s magical, enamoring realm and invited the audience to learn of its inhabitants, the Na’vi. In this sequel movie, we get to see and learn further how other Na’vi people live in other tribes, the water tribes. Although we see this other equally wondrous and unique place in Pandora, this fictional movie has become too realistic to the history of the world. It has started to resemble the many issues that indigenous people face and the plague of colonialism.
Although I have watched the first Avatar film, I must admit the second movie evoked anger. The first movie was almost sweet, had a happy ending, and the action was excellent and very well produced, but after watching this second movie, it made me think more. No one is indigenous until the settler colonizers arrive. The Na’vi and many other indigenous are the owners of their land until colonialism happens. We can draw many parallels to the past impacts colonialism has a hand in, especially of the historical erasure of black people in the landscape of post-colonial Americas. Also, the Queen of England’s death has reignited conversations about colonial history. While some mourn her, others can’t separate her from colonial rule. In many places, Britain extracted wealth from those colonized lands (just as the colonizers were trying to profit off the Na’vi), for example, India, and took their wealth through the trading system. The scars of that colonization remain even after Britain left India 70 years ago. Another example of colonialism from the British crown is Kenya, in which British settlers came and subdued the colony by taking land, implementing forced labor, and passing laws that made natives subjects to Britain. One cannot discuss colonialism and not mention the gross display of colonialism domestically in our own backyard, natives in the United States. European settlers came with diseases, killed natives off, oppressed them and used violence, moved them from their land, and sent native children to boarding schools to eliminate their American Indian way of life and replace it with American culture. And we can even see how indigenous people are disadvantaged regarding technology in some aspects. Sadly, in many cases, the indigenous do not have enough technology to fight against colonizers with far more advanced weapons such as guns, bombs, planes, etc.
Another critical topic I observed in the movie that goes beyond colonialism (still an aspect) is the disrespect for the beauty of nature and animals. Within the first movie, we see the colonizers who are greedy for their own agenda but, in the process, violent and destructive to the land and the animals that inhabit the land as well. It is painful to see, especially Pandora, an extremely special, connected ecosystem. In the previous movie, Neyturi teaches Jake Sully how to kill an animal with the appropriate respect, always say a prayer after, and thank it for giving its life. Not to mention how colonizers strip the land it is colonizing of its natural resources. We can see the disrespect for the animals and the taking of their resources for colonial gain in this new sequel. The movie shows us the poaching of the Tulkan (highly intelligent whale-like creatures who maintain a close relationship with the Metkayina tribe). We feel the absurdity of the actions of our species for poaching when Spider asks if that is all they killed the magnificent creature for (the oil in their jaw). This ties into forest and water conservation ideals and even shows the horrible effects of poaching and species extinction. We are not living on planet earth alone, and this is an important message that should not go unnoticed.
Upon discussing it with my sister, she mentioned, “It was not a good ending; it did not leave me satisfied the way I should after a movie.” I later reflected on this; the directors or writers did not want us to feel this way. For me, it left me angry and bitter. I felt helpless about what past indigenous people have dealt with and what they still deal with today. The slightly unresolved resolution of this plot and the unsatisfying, almost chilling ending are intentional and essential. There is nothing happy about what took place and nothing easing about the regular occurrences of colonialism that still occur today. The producer of this movie shows us a wonderful land with excellent production and acting but also maintains its horror while we sit and move through one of the worst spells (colonialism) cast on its land and people. However, the ending was a Segway into Avatar 3, and I cannot wait to see the Na’vi people beat the impending white intervention of colonialism coming their way.
“It was not a good ending; it did not leave me satisfied the way I should after a movie.”