The Difference Relationship Between Human and Nonhuman Alien

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B. Data Analysis

Ecocriticism is known as the study of biological themes and relationships which appear in literary works. 2 Avatar raises the environment issues such as deforestation, exploitation toward nature, and the power of nature so that it can be analyzed using ecocriticism. However, ecocriticism is concerned not only with the attitude to nature expressed by the author of a text, but also with its patterns of interrelatedness, both between the human and the nonhuman, and between the different parts of the non-human world. 3

1. The Difference Relationship Between Human and Nonhuman Alien

Toward the Environment As mention before, this film shows different relationship toward the environment. The writer classifies the relationship of the environment into two different kinds of relationship: human relationship with the environment and non- human alien relationship with the environment. The contradictory relationships emerge from the different attitude and opinion about the environment from each character. Here is the complete analysis. 1 The relationship between human and the environment Human are the people who come from earth to Pandora. Unlike Na’vi, human consist of many different types of characteristics that represent different cultures and knowledge. Because of the background differences, there are also different attitudes and viewpoints toward environment among human. From a human perspective, environmental issues involve concern about science, nature, 2 Ibid, p. xx. 3 Terry Gifford, Pastoral New York: Routledge, the Taylor Francis e-Library, 2001 p. 5. 29 health, employment, profits, politics, ethics, and economics. 4 Thus the different point of view or perspective or knowledge brings the different understanding and attitude that lead into disagreement among themselves. But above all, human share the same main opinion about nature which is that the environment is the profitable thing. Later, this opinion leads human to do some explorations to the environment that often bring bad consequences to the environment itself.

a. Human Opinion about Nature

Human think that the wild environment or nature is menace and hideous place. They see nature as the enemy that should be taken over. They prepare themselves to do invasion with the high technology brought from Earth so they could control them. From the beginning of the film when new people are coming to Pandora, Colonel is welcoming them with a warning about how cruel the Pandora is. Colonel Quaritch : You’re not in Kansas anymore. You are on Pandora ladies and gentlemen. Respect that fact, every second and every day. If there is a hell you might wanna go there for R--R after a tour on Pandora. Up there beyond that fence, every living thing that crawls, flies or squads in the mud want to kill you and eat your eyes for jujubes. 00:06:16 He says that Pandora, which is wildlife, is worse than a hell. He uses the sentence that means people would prefer to go to the hell than to Pandora. He even says that every living thing on Pandora; animals, plants, and the indigenous 4 Eldon D. Enger and Bradley F. Smith, Environmental Science: A Study of Interrelationship, 9 th ed, USA: McGraw-Hill, 2004, p. 5. 30 want to kill them. This explanation shows explicitly that Pandora, from human assessment, is menace and hideous. Pict.1 Colonel Quaritch with his scratch on the face The colonel’s appearance with scratch wound on his face is strengthening what he says. He is not the kind that easy to get hurt and wounded, not even after attending several big wars such as three times on Nigeria. But in Pandora, he got the wound at the first day he came. It shows that even Colonel, the very strong person by the appearance, attitude, and thought, can easily get hurt because Pandora is so much danger. Colonel Quaritch, represents the military perspective, says that the wildlife is dangerous. The only thing he wants to do is to dominate the environment by force. Environment, for him, is like the old conception of nature for man. Nature is gendered female, while women, from the men viewpoint, are territory for adventure, wildness to be tamed, owned and controlled. 5 He talks for several times about his wish to vanishing Pandora with the power, strength, and gun rather than to use diplomatic solution. He does not think that the environment, the strange one, and other creatures that live on it are deserved to be preserved but his own creature, human, and his own profit. 5 Richard Kerridge Neil Sammells, Writing the Environment: Ecocriticism and Literature USA: Zed Books Ltd, 1998 p.6 31 Pic.2 Jake sees big arrows on Tank’s wheel The description of Pandora’s environment as hostile and alienating environment even more is strengthen in many ways at beginning of the film. Jake Sully, when he first time came down to Pandora’s land on human barrack, is passed by the company’s tank that it has many big blue arrows on its wheel. It shows explicitly, whether to Jake or to the viewer, that there is warfare out there between human and alien or the indigenous of the planet. Moreover, from the scientific perspective, nature is something to be learned. Nature is something that should be preserved for it can be explored and gives so much knowledge. But they do not see nature as the equal fellow inhabitant but as the object to explore. It is presented by Dr. Augustine character. Norm: Grace Augustine is a legend. She’s the head of the Avatar program. She wrote the book. I mean literally wrote the book on Pandoran Botany. Max: Well that’s, she like plants better than people. 00:10:20 Max, her scientist colleague, is described Dr. Augustine as plant lover that she likes plants better than people. She respects nature on her own way, different from the Omaticayan Na’vi. She admires Pandora’s environment so that she keeps learning on it because it is amazed her. But above all, human share the same thought that nature is a profitable thing that means a lot for them if only they can exploit it. 32 Parker: I care what I care. Parker to Augustine: This is why we’re here, unobtanium. Because this little gray rock sells for 20 million a ki lo. That’s the only reason. It’s what pays for the whole party. It’s what pays for your science. Comprendo? Now those savages are threatening our whole operation. We are on the brink of war, and you’re supposed to be finding a diplomatic solution. So use w hat you’ve got, and get me some results. 00:13:00 Differ with Colonol Quaritch that represents the military perspective and Dr. Augustine that represents scientific perspective, Parker Selfridge represents the economic perspective, that nature provides money. People should take as much as they can from nature for their own benefit because nature is there for human. Parker says further that it, unobtonium, is what pays for the whole operation they do on Pandora. So, the only important thing is the unobtanium which produces a lot of money. Because money can make people’s dreams come true, like the unbelievable avatar program that scientists do. This is what makes Dr. Augustine as plants lover can do nothing about but follow along with him. Finally, the right wing accuses environmentalists of putting nature before people or the opposite is true. Gaylord Nelson, the founder of Earth Day, understood that we are not protecting nature for nature’s sake. We are protecting nature because it enriches humanity. Nature enriches us economically. it enriches us culturally, recreationally, aesthetically, spiritually, and historically. It connects us to one another, to our history and our culture, and to common experiences that give us identity as a people. 6 Parker: Their damn village happens to be resting on the richest Unobtanium deposit within 200 clicks in any direction. I mean. Look at all 6 Gaylord Nelson, Beyond Earth Day: Fulfilling the Promise USA: The University of Wisconsin Press, 2002, p. xvi. 33 that chatter. Jake: You’ll get them to move. What if they won’t go? Colonel: I’m betting that they will. Parker: Okay. Look. killing the indigenous looks bad but there is one thing that shareholders hate more than bad press and that’s a bad quality statement. I don’t make up the rules. So just find me a carat. Then get them to move. Otherwise, this is gonna have to be all stick. Okay? Colonel: you got three months. That’s when the dozers get there. 00:48:05 The only thing Parker cares about is money. He worries a lot if the shareholders who invest their money will get disappointment and take their shares. It will be a loss for him. He doesn’t really care what way it takes to get what he wants whether it is a diplomatic way by persuasiveness or the hard way using violence. The viewers can feel the hatred and dismissed the native from Parker’s dialogue and the word choices he uses. Environment for human, generally, is only the tools to gain money, benefits, and might as well be used for the betterment of the human community than die neglected. They feel that to not do so would cause economic hardship. It was money that mentions first in this film as the reason to do this job for Jake Sully, the main character, and take a flight away to Pandora. Beside he already had nothing left to do after dropping out from military because of his injury. Man: … It would be a fresh start on a new world. And the pay is good. Man: Very good. 00:03:00 The man from the company convinced him that it is a good and promising job by mentioning about the good, and even the very good payment. The repetition of the word „good’ from payment is to emphasize the word. They mention it twice because money is the important reason for someone to do something. Thus Jake Sully will not refuse the job. 34 More than that, Jake, the main character, implies that human does not doubt to take other’s life only for money. To make it more dramatically, Jake mentions money as “the paper on his wallet” as if it does not really precious at all when narrate his t win murdered’ story. Jake: Back on earth, these guys were army dogs, marines. Fighting for freedom. But out here, they are hired guns. Taking the money, working for the company. 00:05:34 Moreover Jake implies that human marines on Pandora are changing their habits because their reference there is only gaining money for the company by following the Colonel’s or company’s order. Jake does the same as well. Money is the major reference for human being. It can change people and can make people to do something that is not supposed to be done. Jake: …. They can fix the spinal if you got the money but not on dead benefit. Not in this economy. 00:05:16 Furthermore, Jake gives more emphasize that economic is the main problem at that time. Economical problem seems as the most preeminent matter that the writer can assume it as the major cause of all the damage and the problem comes after in this film. This is reasonable because economy affected all term of life and subjects, including ecology. Economics informed by ecological awareness, and an ecology that is economically viable. The two activities are intimately and intricately interconnected. They are deeply coloured by the politics of their particular historical moment, too. 7 7 Richard Kerridge Neil Sammells 1998, op.cit., p. 158 35

b. Human Exploitation of Environment

In most of the Western religious and philosophical tradition, the nonhuman world is thought to exist for the sake of human beings. The anthropocentrism sees that human beings have needs and the nonhuman world exists to satisfy these needs. 8 This believe and understanding lead human to do an exploration and exploitation into other or nonhuman world. In Avatar, when viewers come to see Pandora for the first time, the film shows first the place on Pandora where human live. It presents the damage planet or forest that viewers can assume that it is what human did to the Pandora’s environment. Pict.3 Pandora’s mining Pict.4 Human station The shot on picture 2 shows the plan is passing through the barren land caused by mining in the middle of the green land. This is an evidence that human affect harmfully to the environment. It changes the environment badly. In addition, in the picture 3 there is also a barren, dry, and dusty land where human decided to take it as their place to live. Human need land or place to build their barracks, offices, laboratories, and airbase to advocate their civilization. But this development affects and changes the environment mostly into bad condition. 8 Terry Gifford 2001, p. viii 36 Pict.5 The Pandora’s forest view As comparison, the film then shows very different scenery in the Na’vi place on the forest. It looks extremely unlike to the landscape where human lived. It is still prosperous, green, and fertile. From those pictures above the writer can see the difference of the environment or landscape view and mood between where human live and where non-human live. The scene which shows human place is dark, dusty and busy, while the indigenous place or forest is green, calm and harmonious. It shows that human brings damage to the land that changed the environment a lot in extreme ways from the way it should. Pict.6 Neytiri and Jake in the Tree of Voices Pict.7 Cutting the Tree of Voices down Pict.8 Jake is trying to block the tank from driver’s view Pict.9 Omaticaya’s warriors sees cutting process 37 The film also demonstrates deforestation. It happens when RDA corporation send out their huge tanks to cut down the holly tree, tree of voices, in the morning right before Jake and Neytiri’s eyes. Tree of voices is the place where the Na’vi believe their prayers will be heard and sometimes be answered. Eventhough avatar is trying to block the deed, the drivers of the tanks keeps their way to cut the tree down after getting the permission from Parker pict.7, the chief of the companies at Pandora. Human tyranny to the environment that represents by their lumbering deed makes the indigenous feel bad, sad, and angry but they could not do anything but looking infuriately when the tanks vanishing their holly trees from far on their hors e’s back pict.8. This event of lumber leads the viewers into the real conflict in the film. Pict.10 The home tree is falling down. Pict.11 Neytiri is screaming beside her father’s body. Pict.12 The staffs are looking sadly at the monitors Pict.13 Colonel drinks coffee. 38 The deed continues the day after that. The company brings more troops and tools to cut more important tree which is the huge home tree of Omaticaya, the tree where the tribe lived pict.10. Many indigenous died in this accident including the clan leader, Eytukan who is also Neytiri’s father pict.11. This is the very touching scenes. The director presents this accident on the miserable mood supported by sad background song and Omaticaya ’s scream and sob. It also focuses on the human sympathy-but-cannot-do-anything ’s faces which are looking the cutting process from monitors pict.12. It creates some compassionate response for them. But human do not really care about it, especially Parker and Colonel Quaritch, because on their mind they think that they already gave them enough time to go and already sent messengers to warn them. It explicitly shows in pict.13 that Colonel looks nature and the indigenous down by drinking coffee while doing cutting tree process. Before this accident happened, the company sent Jake Sully and Dr. Augustine to warn the Na’vi people to get off their home because human, the sky people, were approaching on a mission to cut their home tree down. But Na’vi decided to fight back with their arrows. They were tied up Jake and Dr. Augustine instead. Eventhough their messengers were failed and the Na’vi was still there, human keep going on their mission without doubt. They are only focused on their mission, their job, and their ambition to take over the land. But this crime is not stopping there, days after this, they come again to destroy their biggest sacred tree where N a’vi owe its existence and hope. But this time, Na’vi, lead by Jake Sully as Toruk Macto, comes with the new plan of 39 resistance. They were gathered all the tribes over the Pandora to help them confronting human ’s coming attack. Jake: Probably, I’m just talking to the tree right now. But if you there, I need to get you hands up. If Grace is with you, look into her memories. See the world we come from. There’s no green there. They killed their mother and they gonna do the same here. 02:03:26 Moreover, Jake mentions that human already destructed their own home which is Earth and they will also do the same to Pandora’s environment. It explains that destruction is what human tend to do to the environment. They are already vanished their own land and then they come to seek another land to vanish and explore, so they come to Pandora. Furthermore, Pandora offers them a promising profit. 2 The Relationship between Non-Human Alien and the Environment The Na’vi have a unique relationship with their environment. They lived harmonically with all organisms in the forest; animals, plants, and the deities. To analyze the relationship between non-human alien Na’vi and their environment, the writer gives more attention to how Na’vi treats and behaves toward nature. They respect nature and worship it. They believe that nature have power and connection that connected all organisms in their world. Na’vi ways of life and relationship with nature are resemble to the one of ancient history of religion called animism. Today it commonly refers to perceptions that natural entities, forces, and nonhuman life-forms have one or more of the following: a soul or vital lifeforce or spirit, personhood an effective 40 life and personal intentions, and consciousness, often but not always including special spiritual intelligence or powers. 9

a. Respecting nature

Differ from human, the Na’vi believe all life is sacred and should be honored. This attitude includes paying respect to the plants and animals that harvested or killed to provide their sustenance. When Na’vi should kill an animal whether it is a self defense or a hunt for eating, they not mere kill them but feel sad and thank them for their sacrifice. The Na’vi have a unique ritual after killing an animal by praying for the animal they killed or hunted the peace and praying for they own salvation. This ritual is only one from various rituals the indigenous culture have. Rituals affirming the interconnectedness of the human and nonhuman worlds exist in every primitive culture. 10 Pict.14 Neytiri is praying beside the murdered dog Naytiri prays beside the dying wild black dog one by one after killing them in order to save Jake. After running off from the big monstrous wild dog called thanator, Jake was lost in the forest. When the night came, the wild animals surrounded him because he was noisy, according to Naytiri. So that he fought 9 Bron Taylor, Dark Green Religion: Nature Spirituality and the Planetary Future California: University of California Press, 2010, P.15 10 Ibid. p.21 41 them. Then Naytiri came for helping him by killing some of the small wild dogs in order to repel them after getting a sign from her God about Jake. But then, when Jake said thanks to her, she was angry instead. She was angry because she thought that those animals were not deserved died. Jack : Hey, wait I just wanna say thanks for killing those things. Neytiri : Don’t thank You don’t thank for this. This is sad. Very sad only. Jack : Ok. I’m sorry. Whatever I did I’m sorry. Neytiri : This is your fault. They don’t need to die. 00:36:46 For Na’vi who live peacefully with nature, killing animals or any organisms are unnecessary and disturbs the balance of life that their deity, Eywa, is trying to protect. They understood that even animals have spirits that should be respected. Soon after three months living together with the Na’vi, Jake is used to be with the Na’vi lifestyle and also with this ritual. So, when he is hunting an animal, he prays for it, just like what is done by Neytiri before. By using Na’vi native language, Jake prays “I see you, brother and thank you. Your spirit goes with Eywa. Your body stays behind to become part of the people. ” Pict.15 Jake is killing then praying an animal It means that he feels sorry for killing it but he has to do that for the sustenance of his clan, Omaticaya . In Artic Dreams Lopez writes, “. . . , the hunter 42 saw himself bound up in a sacred relationship with the larger animals he hunted. The relationship was full of responsibilities – to the animals, to himself, and to his family”. 11 In this film, this ritual seems like Jake makes some permission to kill him and convince him that he will not die in vain. Moreover for Neytiri, this attitude shows that Jake was ready to the next step of the Na’vi warrior. Because it means that Jake is understood enough about a sense of taking responsibility for the stewardship of the environment. A. Dionys de Leeue, a professional biologist specializing in sport fisheries man agement, gives the following definition of respect: “behavior with regard to an interest that shows consideration for the holder of the interest and avoids degradation of it, negative interference with it, or interruption of it”. 12 Because the Na’vi is well understood that all life is sacred, so they take responsible and take care for it. They also understand that the environment is what they rely on to provide them with the sustenance they need. The Na’vi acknowledged their need of other creatures but did not take them greedily.

b. Worshiping Nature

The Na’vi worship the mother goddess, Eywa, whom they believe keeps and creates the souls of all the Na’vi and other living creatures on Pandora. Norm: Who’s Eywa? Only their deity. Their Goddess made up of all living things, everything they know. 00:49:25 11 J. Claude Evans, With Respect for Nature: Living as Part of the Natural World USA: State University of New York Press, 2005 p.11 12 Ibid. pp.5-6 43 The Na’vi obey what Eywa says to them without ask or doubt. Eywa gives them sign about what should they do and they should not do through a pink-flying thing like jellyfish that Neytiri explained as “seeds of the sacred tree, very pure spirit .” Pict.16 The sign of Eywa When Neytiri is about going to kill Jake with her poisonous arrow, suddenly a seed is passing trough before her. That makes her postponed the deed. For the Na’vi, the seed presence means a sign from Eywa. It is explicitly explained by Neytiri when she brought Jake Sully to Omaticaya’s village for the first time in front of the chief and all the people. Neytiri: I was about going to kill him but there was a sign from Eywa. 00:43:13 Furthermore after helping Jake, the seeds are making appearance again. Neytiri was chasing Jake away because Jake was following her and coercing her to take him home with her. Then the seeds come and cover Jake’s body. Soon after the seeds went, Neytiri changes her attitude and mind then hurriedly takes Jake to her village. 44 Pict.17 The seeds are covering Jake’s body This obedience attitude can also be seen from Tsu’Tey character. Eventhough he is rough and hate the sky people a lot until he called them „demons’, but when he acknowledges that it is Eywa who gives order, he do nothing but obey. Tsu’Tey : These demons are forbidden here. Neytiri : There is a sign. There is a matter for the Tsahik. Tsu’Tey : Bring him. 00:41:18 When Neytiri and Jake are on the way to the village, Tsu’Tey and the people block their way and bind Jake. His gaze is so upset and disgust that he wants to kill Jake. But then when Neytiri says that there was a sign from Eywa, Tsu’Tey argues no more and gives her permission to bring him and continue the walk together to the village. Beside Eytukan who is the clan leader, The Na’vi also has the Eys Tsahik, Neytiri’s mother. Tsahik is the one who interprets what the meaning of the sign Eywa is giving to them. She interprets the world of Eywa. She has also the important part in the tribe as the matriarch leader and the spiritual leader. Her words are supposed to be heard and cannot be objected, eventhough with her own daughter. Because her words are came directly from Eywa. 45 Tsahik : My daughter you will teach him our way to speak and walk as we do. Neytiri : Why me? This is not fair. Tsahik : It is decided. My daughter will teach you our way. Learn well, Jake Sully. Then we will see if your insanity can be cured. 00:44:55 It means that the Na’vi is worshiping Eywa full of their heart with no doubt. Because they believe all energy is only borrowed. Eywa is the only thing the Na’vi owe their existence and hope to. When there is nothing left for them, they go and wish nowhere but to Eywa. When they have no place to go, nothing to hope, they will run to Eywa. Jack narrator: Na’vi says Eywa will provide life. But with no hope, no home, there is only one place they could go. The Na’vi also believe that after death, the souls of all living thing on Pandora return to Eywa. They believe the souls of their departed ancestors rest with Eywa on the sacred tree. This tree is their direct link to Eywa and the ancestors. A s the evidence, Na’vi can hear their voices through the tree of voices by linking their bond. Moreover, this is proven explicitly by Dr. Augustine when she is going to die. Dr. Augustine : I’m with her, Jake. She is real. 01:56:12 At the dying condition, Augustine was taken by Jake into the tree of soul asking for help to heal her. She said arrogantly before that this kind of talk is fairy tale and impossible. She is a scientist and scientists only believe in something that provable in science. But at last, she admitted this spiritual thing when she finally meets Eywa herself. 46

c. Dependent on nature

Pict.18 Omaticaya are sleeping on home tree Pict.19 Neytiri drinks from the flower The Na’vi lives and life with and by nature. They are using every utility the forest gives them wisely. They use the huge tree for the place to live in colony. They sleep on the net they made on the branches pict.18. They eat from the animals they hunt on the forest but not greedy that they make a ritual when killing an animal. They drink from the leaves and flowers in the forest. They make the weapon from the wood surround. Moreover they have their own rules that prevail on every member of the tribe even to use wood from their home tree. They always have to listen and obey the rules of their mother goddess. Instead they never even think about breaking Eywa’s rules. Their lives are supported by the environment nicely. Thus they understand enough how dependent they are to nature so that they respect and protect them so that their lives will continue supported. They realize they depend on planet as much as it depends on them for survival. Environment, people, and all organisms are dependent on one another to keep exist and viable. Jack: I try to understand this deep connection people have to the forest. She talks about a network of energy that flows to all living things. She says all energy under borrowing and one day has to give back. 01:01:34 47 The Na’vi believe that if they cherish and care for nature and environment then the environment will continue to provide them with the nourishment to survive. They believe that all energy as they live is only borrowing, so someday they have to give back.

d. The deep connection with nature

Na’vi has a special bond that connects them with other species on their planet. There is a unique bond, which is the nerve ending growing from their heads, in the end of their braided hair. This bond is called tsahaylu. Pict. 20 Tsahaylu It is formed for mutual benefit. Its function is to connect the na’vi and the mind of the other creatures they want to r ide. To make the bond work, Na’vi should first match their tsahaylu with the tsahaylu of animals they want to connect or ride. By connecti ng the bond, Na’vi are able to ride or fly on the back of the other creatures, such as horse and ikran, the flying animal like prehistoric birds Pterodactyl. It can give orders without words but only need to think of what they want to do on mind. It is like they are thinking together. Neytiri: That is Tsahaylu, the bond. Feel it. Feel her heart beat, her breath. Feel her strong legs. You may tell her what to do inside. For now, say where to go. 00:50:35 48 Tsahaylu is the most important part of Na’vi’s body. So after Neytiri got command from Tsahik to teach Jake their way of life, Neytiri first acknowledge Jake to Tsahaylu an d teach him how Na’vi ride a horse. Because of the important of the Tsahaylu, Na’vi threat other Na’vi by cutting off their hair, where the Tsahaylu is. Pict.21 Treated to cut the tsahaylu The first time Jake Sully came into the village of Omaticaya, a warrior of Na’vi, upon Tsu’tey command, guarded Jake all the way to the Village. He gripped Jake’s braided hair and treated to cut it with a knife to make Jake calm and obey. He treated to cut Jake’s Tsahaylu instead of cutting Jake’s neck like human being usually do. This shows that the bond is important t hat the Na’vi fright to lose them. Pict.22 netiri matches tsahaylu to the tree of voices Pict.23 Omaticaya are praying on the tree of souls The bond can also be made with the Tree of Voices pict.22 and the Tree of Soul pict.23 so that the Na’vi are able to commune with Eywa, their deity and their ancestors. Sometimes Animism involves communication andor even 49 communion with such intelligences or lifeforces, or beliefs that nature’s intelligences and forces are divine and should be worshipped andor beseeched for healing or other favors. 13 Proving Neytiri’s words about the voices, Jake was bonding his tsahalu to the tree of voices at the night after the ceremony to become one of Omaticaya. He then can hear the voices, that Na’vi believe, are the voices of their ancestors. Furthermore, all Na’vi can altogether match their bond on the Tree of Soul’s fringes or roots. All Omaticaya, who is left after the cutting down of their home tree, are sitting together praying to their deity by connecting their tsahaylu with the roots of the tree of soul, Yvetryar Ramounom. By the bond, they can feel the other creatures. They also feel like they are becoming one with them. Thus they can understand nature more than human. From understanding, they also can respect them. Because they are also the same creation of their deities and they do need each other to keep the world balance. In this complex ecosystem, the Na’vi understand that all of the flora and fauna on the planet, including them, are connected to a central of all that encompassing spiritual existence. Tsahaylu shows that the Na’vi relied on intimate connection with the other living creatures to comprehend their world. Its connections are not only happened between each people of Na’vi but also between the Na’vi and the animals, and between the Na’vi and their ancestors. This intimate connection with the ancestors gives them the ability to make wiser decisions that allowed them to live 13 Bron Taylor 2010, p.15. 50 harmoniously with their surroundings. This is shown when the Na’vi finally decided to let Jake Sully live with them and learn about them. This decision is influenced by the sign of Eywa, their deity and also whom their ancestors live with, with the help of Tsahik. The connection is also being made by each living things to another on Pandora’s forest. This connection is proven by Dr. Augustine from her scientific analysis . She explains that the trees, that Na’vi worshiping on and all the trees all over the Pandora, have an incredible connection to one another. They link together and communicate each other on their own way. She uses an analogical explanation by comparing the way of communication the trees have with the connection be tween the synopses between human being’s chromosomes and brain. Augustine : I’m talking about something real, something measurable in the biology of the forest. Parker : Which is what exactly? Augustine : What we think we know is there is some kind of electro chemical communication between the roots of the trees like the synopsis between your own chromosomes. And each tree has ten to the four 10 4 to the trees around it and ten to the twelve 10 12 on Pandora. It’s more connection than human brain. 01:28:37 Brain is the most amazing thing that differ human beings with their entire fellow inhabitant. But Dr. Augustine uses brain for comparison. Indeed, she says that the connection between the roots of the trees on Pandora is more powerful than human brain. It shows that the other living things can communicate with each other through special way that even human cannot compete with. It also shows how powerful the power of nature that human being look down on to. 51

e. The power of nature

In many mythical cultures, nature usually describes having a powerful force. The writer also finds this believed power in the film. After helping Jake Sully expelling the dogs, Neytiri threw out the made torch into water to put it off. Jake was using the torch to help him saw his way on the forest in the dark night. The forest was on the absolute dark that Jake hardly to see the way. But as soon as his torch was off, Jake was shocked because all of sudden, all flora and fauna on Pandora’s forest were glowing colorfully. They have their own ray to enlighten the forest at night. Pict.24 Jake is using the made torch Pict.25 The forest is enlighten itself Jake that represents the arrogance of human being made the light himself. Yet this attitude leads him into trouble and being apart from nature. But then when his arrogance, which represents by the torch, was off, the environment is going to be hospitable with him and serving him light. It represents that nature has its power to choose whom to help. And the environment has also the power to enlighten other creatures and organisms if only they want to respect them. 52 Pict.26 On trying to heal Grace Pict.27 Omaticaya’s healing ritual. Na’vi believe that nature they worship on have a special power for healing the wounded person. Indeed this believes affected Jake, who has already lived with them three months in order to learn their way of life. When Dr. Grace got shot by colonel Quaritch on the stomach, Jake Sully takes Grace to Na’vi on the tree of soul to ask for help. At first, Jake and Augustine are doubt the idea but they have no choice except to try it. Then after the ceremony or ritual, Augustine ’s confession convinces Jake that Eywa is true. The ceremony is required all member of Omaticaya’s tribe. They all gathered in one place, the most holy place for them, the tree of souls. Then they made the neat rows and matched their bonds to the roots of the tree then holding on each other’s hand. Together they pray to Eywa on Tsahik’s lead. They repeated Tsahik words, sentence by sentence. They pray on their language : “Hear us please, all mother. Eywa help me. Take this spirit into you and breathe her back to us. Let her walk among us as one of the people .” Tsahik : The great mother may choose to save all that she is in this body. Jake : Is that possible? Tsahik : She must pass through the eye of Eywa and return but Jake Sully, she is very weak. Jake : Hang on, Grace. They gonna fix you up. 01:55:08 53 This implies that in order to get help from nature, a person should first fight for own self. In this case, if Grace wants to get help from Eywa, she should first have to try passing through the eye of Eywa and then return. This condition has to be fulfilled unless Eywa cannot help. Grace : The tree of Souls, Yvetryar Ramounom, is their most sacred place. See the flux Vortex on the screen? Trudy : Yeah, that messed up my instrument. Grace : There is something really interesting going on there biologically. 01:11:51 Moreover, Pandora has its own power that human intelligence cannot defeat. Some areas on Pandora cannot be tracked by human’s technology. These areas are mostly the place where Na’vi believes as sacred, such as in the Hallelujah Mountain which is the floating mountain and in the tree of souls. Those areas are called the flux vortex. The flux vortex confounds the instrument of a plan so that the pilot can only depend on their own ability to see manually where to go. It also disturbs the radar and missile tracking so it could not be worked in the area of the flux vortex. The force of nature can also be shown when Jake Sully and his team are about going to give up and lost in the last war. Jake Sully is losing some of their important members on the war such as Tsu’tey, who is in charge on the chief of Omaticaya replacing Eytukan, and Trudy, the only marine pilot supporting protection resistance of nature. 54 Pict.28 the wild animals are trying to help Pict.29 the wild ikran are coming in massive Pict.30 the wild animals are coming to attact Pict.31 Neytiri on Thanator’s back The na’vi is about to lose from human troops until the wild creatures of nature are coming to help all of sudden, showing its power. All wild animals which even Na’vi cannot tame of before, such as thanator and the wild ikran, are coming, gather together, and offer for help to fight against human. The nature’ power is also implicitly shown by the end of the movie. Human go back to their barren planet, Earth, empty-handed after losing on the final battle against the primitive indigenous. Only few who choose to stay on Pandora that is they who take a side to the environment. This show that human with their intelligence and civilization are not strong enough compare with nature. They, who want to take over nature, are defeated by nature instead. Pic. 32 Na’vi guard human back home 55 In the end of the film, Avatar presents the obvious fail result of human invention on Pandora by driving them out from there. After defeated by nature and the indigenous in the final war, the survival human are forced by the Na’vi to get out from Pandora and back to their own land on Earth. But few of them, like Jake, Norm and Max or they who take a side on nature in the war, keep staying on Pandora. These strengthen the statement that nature has its own power to select and choose who can stay and live peacefully together and who should go.

2. Avatar’s statement regarding environmental issues from the represent