Na'vi Rituals

Mating

The Na'vi are monogamous creatures who mate for life. The mechanics of reproduction are similar to that of humans and other Terran mammals. However, their unique physiology provides the Na'vi with a level of intimacy unknown on Earth. Cultural anthropologists believe that when an appropriate mate has been selected (which can take many years), the male and female Na'vi will connect queues (called Tsahaylu) to create an emotional bond that lasts a lifetime. The intertwining of queues is both highly erotic and profoundly spiritual, but does not in itself lead to reproduction.[1]

Traditionally, once a Na'vi male has passed the tests on the path to manhood and has been accepted into the clan as an adult, he is not only allowed to make his bow from the wood of the Hometree, but he is also expected to choose his woman. After the woman has been chosen, the new couple are mated before Eywa.

Jake Sully chooses Neytiri to become his mate, and she accepts and mates with him under the Tree of Voices following his acceptance into the Omaticaya clan as 'One of the People'.

Once Tsahaylu is made between the couple, the ultimate in intimacy, pleasure that is unfathomable to humans, causes the somewhat unwillful sharing of the couple's good memories, and is a sign of Eywa's acceptance. If a couple can be foreseen to not have a pleasant or happy future, Eywa has been known to reverse the feeling produced by making Tsahaylu, a sign to the couple that mating would only, in simple words, ruin their lives together, and therefore prevents the mating, because of it's life-long span. After the resulting embracing and kissing, the couple is sent to sleep by Eywa, and the two dream hintings of their future together. The couple will experience the pleasure of Tsahaylu from the moment of connection, until they awaken and have completed mating, when they disconnect and return to the clan, mated for life.

more after the Jump...

The Na'vi People

The Na'vi are the only known species outside of Earth to have human-like intelligence. Although their society is essentially Neolithic, they have developed a vibrant, complex culture based on a profound spiritual connection to their moon, to one another, and to the deity they call Eywa. They are superb artisans who celebrate the interconnectedness of nature through storytelling, song, dance and crafts. 

The Na'vi are a race of sentient extraterrestrial humanoids who inhabit the lush jungle moon of Pandora. Humans are known to refer to them as "Blues," "Savages," "the locals" or "the natives." Parker Selfridge at one point in the movie refers to them as "blue monkeys."

more after the Jump!

Avatars

Under strong pressure from the UN, scientists and the general public, the RDA agreed to set up a program to enhance communications between humans and Na’vi. At first, this consisted solely of an Indigenous Terrain program to study Na’vi culture and language and to attempt to establish communication between man and Na’vi. Practical difficulties soon showed a need for a more profound means of communication between the human and Na’vi species.

RDA research had already established the possibility of direct mental communication between humans, and RDA scientist Dr. Cordell Lovecraft was given the task of carrying his “Dark Dreamer” project, which sought to transmit mental processes – “thoughts” – to humans at a distance, to interspecies communication.

Initial dissection of Na’vi specimens found that although Na’vi show a surprising degree of external convergent evolution, internally they are quite different from humans. The Na’vi brain in particular, with its external tendrils and three-lobed structure was a daunting obstacle.

Building on work with brain-wiped primates and condemned criminals, Dr. Lovecraft was able to demonstrate that full sensory bonding could be established between human twins, human-animal hybrids that shared common DNA, and eventually human-Na’vi hybrids with common genetic blueprints.

more after the Jump

Fabulous Fan Fictions

So I'm a huge fan of Fan Fiction. Especially when they're written WELL. I never have the proper time and dedication to actually write down any of my stories. Wish I did, but for now I'll just have to dream at night and appreciate others' works by day.

For kicks I wanted to post a list of links to some of my favorite stories and authors.

"Pandora's Hope"
Jake finally awakens from his paralyzed slumber to a fulfillment he never expected or felt deserving of. Fleeing into the stars, the Sky People leave for their ruined home. Behind, some choose to remain, mending bridges that were burned so terribly. (Good epilogue - answers a few interesting questions, like, how long do you think Jake Sully will live as an Avatar?)
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5619887/1/Pandoras_Hope

"Shadow of a Giant"
Generations of Omaticaya live and die under the leadership of their Olo'eytkan, guided by the wisdom of the former dreamwalkers, merging together to become something greater than either. Series of one-shots following the movie and my earlier Avatar fic.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5649740/1/Shadow_of_a_Giant

"Terra's Tears"
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5685848/1/Terras_Tears
Years have passed since the exile of the Sky People. Communication with Earth has been lost and all dare to hope that mankind has abandoned any attempt at reconquest. The appearance of a heavily armed warship in orbit changes everything.

(the author of the three above stories is pretty good and makes good suppositions for the future of the characters and Pandora.  Very well written. I teared up a couple of times)

"Between Worlds"
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5681641/1/Between_worlds
Jake, Neytiri, and Norm's lives as they move on after the Great War. But Humans aren't gone from Pandora forever, and when they return, they'll have a secret weapon that could change everything.
(I like this one. It's got some really interesting plot twists and details into everyday Na'vi life that will make you smile. Also has some great scenes between Jake and Neytiri.)

"I See You"
I am a paralyzed marine, and yet I am Toruk Makto. Only she knows who I am now. JxN POST MOVIE. Character exploration.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5616660/1/I_See_You
(I like this because the first chapter has some really interesting interactions between characters - how Neytiri finds out about Jake's real legs - how she interacts with his human self....etc. It covers the gap between when Neytiri saves Jake from Quaritch and the end of the movie.) COMPLETE (Beautifully written. WONDERFUL Epilogue. I love it love it love it)

 "Hybrid"
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5611650/1/Hybrid
Post Avatar. Jake Sully has a new life with the Omaticaya, and his life mate Neytiri. Humans have left. But he knows they will come back, and he'll be ready when they do. (This is also a fun story. I'm really enjoying it. Has some great character interactions and details of Na'vi life. Lovely)

"Incarnate"
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5683500/1/Incarnate
I am Olo'eytkan to my people. I am skxawng and Jake to Neytiri. And I’m starting to suspect I will soon be sempul to someone I’ve only ever met in my dreams - Father. Neytiri/Jake; One shot.

 "Hold Me Until Dawn"
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5713627/1/Hold_Me_Until_the_Dawn
short vingette portraying a romantic moment between Jake and Neytiri the night before they go to war.

"A Pale Blue Light"
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5637178/1/A_Pale_Blue_Light
Another story covering the gap between the battle with Quaritch and the end of the movie. Pretty decent so far.

"Spirits of the Sky" by Steven M. Booth
http://www.stevenmbooth.com/
A well written and inventive continuation of Jake and Neytiri's story. The RDA is gone from Pandora, but when a sickness begins killing Na'vi, our intrepid couple have another life-threatening adventure ahead of them. (I'm on the edge of my seat!!)

The Na'vi Language

The language of the Na'vi is a hauntingly beautiful thing, constructed by master linguist Paul Frommer of USC.  He based it off of 30 or so character, place and creature names provided by Cameron and Co.  They had some Polynesian/Maori influence because of the time Cameron has spent in New Zealond and similar places. So Frommer used Polynesian roots, with some African, Native American and Latin influences, all mixed up with German sentence construction, where the verb comes last. Frommer's next step was to create a sound system, a palette of consonant and vowel sounds in various combinations that would be unique to the Na'vi. "It's not based on any particular human language," Frommer said, "as the Na'vi live light-years away from earth and are humanoids, not humans."

Klingon, the full-fledged language developed for the fictional warrior race in the Star Trek universe, explains Frommer, is currently the gold standard by which all constructed alien languages are compared. There's a Klingon dictionary and even Hamlet has been translated into Klingonese.

But while Klingon is rough-sounding, Frommer intended his language, which is spoken by the Na'vi, the humanoid race who live on Pandora, where the action of Avatar takes place, to be "musical and mellifluous."

Frommer began working with Cameron on the language in the summer of 2005, after representatives from Cameron's production company Lightstorm Entertainment, emailed USC's linguistics department, where Frommer received his Ph.D., about developing an alien language.

Linguistics professor Edward Finegan, with whom Frommer wrote Looking at Languages: A Workbook in Elementary Linguistics, passed the request on to Frommer, who ended up meeting with Cameron and landing the job. "It's probably the most exciting thing that's ever happened to me," Frommer said.

"From an acting standpoint, the hard part was speaking English with a Na'vi accent," says Cameron, "Zoe Saldana had the most lines, so we let her create the accent, and then everybody had to match her."

Well, I give Zoe major props, because Na'vi is not exactly an easy language to learn. But if you're interested, like I am, you definatley want to go to Learnnavi.org. There's all sorts of great downloads there that can help you. For kicks, I'm going to show a few sample phrases I got from the Na'vi pocketguide.

Hello, how are you?

Kaltxi  ngaru lu fpom srak?

(Greetings. You be well.being)

I apologize for this moron.

Fi-skxawng-iri tsapxalute si oe

(this moron. apology. make I)

My nose is full of his alien smell!

Oe-ri ta peya fahew a-kewong ontu teya lu

(Me. from his smell. alien nose. full be.)

Fun Trivia: Did you know, the Na'vi do not have a word for "lie." It is a completely alien concept to them. 

And here are some great pick up lines in Na'vi:

Oel ngati kameie. (I see you.)

Nga yawne lu oer. (I love you.)

Ke lu kawtu a nulnivew oe pohu tireapivängkxo äo Vitrautral.

(There's nobody I'd rather commune with under the Tree of Souls.)

If you want a swear word, though, you could say "Pxasìk." It means, "Screw it! No way!"

Nga za'u fìtseng pxìm srak? (Do you come here often?)

Well, OK, that's a little lame.

Better, maybe: Oeyä ikran slivu nga, tsakrr oeng 'awsiteng mivakto.

(Be my ikran and let's ride together.)

[Ed. note: Only if it's the third date. Ikran are giant beasts the Na'vi like to, um, ride.]

more after the Jump....

Behind the Scenes

If you're as big a fan of Avatar as I am, you want to know all the tiny, itsy-bitsy, teensy-weensy details - both on screen and off.  So I've been doing my research, and I've found some really great stuff. Where to start? Well, how about some fun facts? I got these from the latest Entertainment Weekly interview with James Cameron.

Q: Do the Na'vi need Unobtainium, or is it just another rock to them?
A: "It's just a rock to them," explains producer Jon Landau. "But it's also sort of what enables the floating mountains. They don't know that, though - well, maybe spiritually, they know it."



Q: How did they make Sam Worthington's legs look so atrophied? Is it all CG?
A: John Rosengrant at Stan Winston's studio took a mold from the legs of a paraplegic who had about Sam's skeletal size, and then they created rubber legs. Sam's actual legs are tucked down through the wheel chair.





more PICTURES, VIDEOS, AND INFO after the jump!