Avatar by James Cameron is the story of an
alien race known as the Na’vi that inhabit the planet Pandora. The story is
full of struggle, as humans try and understand and become a part of the Native
culture; while other humans use the planet and the natives for their resources.
The main character Jake is given the task of communicating with them in an
alien hybrid body. He is led by Dr. Grace Augustine who is played by Sigourney
Weaver. Dr. Augustine has had contact with the natives for a long time, and she
is a strong female. She has an understanding of the symbiotic relationship
between the natives and their planet, and she wants to help them no matter what
it takes.
The Dr. and especially Jake form a close bond with the Na’vi; Jake even
becomes one of their own. The Na’vi have a connection to their mother god whom
they call Ewya. Jake is taught of this strong connection by one of the female
warriors who is given the task of teaching him their ways by the Female Shaman leader.
This film embodies Ecofeminism; which is a philosophical and political movement
combining feminine ideas and ecological concerns. In the film one thing that
really stood out was when they stated that humans had already killed their own
mother (Earth), and now they are threatening to kill ours (Ewya). This is very
similar to the views of Ecofeminists who see our own planet as being a mother
who provides for us. The Na’vi are under the threat of humans destroying their
planet just for the profit of their resources. The sad thing was that only the
Na’vi and the scientists involved in communicating with them were able to see
how much stronger a bond they had with Ewya than us humans had with our own
mother (Earth). The Na’vi were truly connected with the planet and felt her
pain and shared with her; only taking what they needed for survival. This
connection is most evident with their Tree of Souls. The Tree of Souls had the
spirits of the deceased Na’vi flowing through its branches, and the Na’vi were
able to communicate with these spirits.
In the end the humans want to
destroy not only the home tree but also the tree of souls just so they are able
to obtain the “unobtanium” located under the trees. It is a horribly tragic
scene when the humans destroy the home tree and you see the Na’vi hysterically
scream and cry. There are four strong female roles in this film which really
capture the essence of woman in ecology. The Dr., the military pilot, the
female shaman, and the female warrior all have strong leading roles in
protecting Pandora and its people. They show how important it is that woman
take active roles in ecology, and how strong of an asset they can be in the
fight for environmental conservation.
