Final Draft

Avatar Position Essay

Brett Rider

Introduction

The Na’vi in Avatar were treated similar to the way first nations people in North America were treated when the Europeans first arrived in North America.  In my paper I will talk about the significance of cultural contact, colonialism, ethnocentrism, and marginalization and how it was represented in the movie Avatar. 

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Cultural Contact

The way the Sky People interact with the Na’vi when they first get to Pandora was similar to the way the Europeans and First Nations people of North America interacted.  The Sky People are only there to get the resources, so they try to push the Na’vi away. 

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Ethnocentrism (White Man’s Burden)

The movie Avatar shows a lot of evidence of ethnocentrism.  The Sky People think they are better and are just there to get the resources.  White Man’s Burden is another example of ethnocentrism.  The Europeans thought that they needed to take care of the First Nations.  One way they did this was by having residential schools for natives.  They also did this in Avatar.  The Sky People think they are helping the Na’vi by doing this but really they aren’t. 

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Colonialism and Marginalization

The Na’vi have already colonized Pandora but in a different way then we are used to hearing about.  When we think about colonization you think that you have to build houses and try to get any resources possible.  The Na’vi live in a tree and the Sky People think this is weird because they are use to houses and having all your necessities were the Na’vi hunt for all their food.  As the Sky People try to get the minerals they marginalize the Na’vi for their own benefit.  This is a lot like what happened in North America when the Europeans came they wanted the resources but the natives were in the way.  When the Sky People push the home tree over they are marginalizing the Na’vi and hoping to push them away so they have access to the resoures they want.