13 years ago, the first “Avatar” film appeared on the big screen. The sequel “Avatar: The Way of Water” was released on December 14, 2022 – and once again director James Cameron is under the scrutiny of indigenous audiences. The franchise has been criticized for its “white savior” narrative, alleged use of stereotypes, and under-representation of indigenous people, among other things.
Anti-colonial, anti-imperialist and environmentally conscious: According to critics, there is still more to be done
Yuè Begay, a Navajo artist and activist, tweeted a call for the film to be boycotted and has since garnered more than 47,000 likes. Twitter user Autumn Asher Blackdeer, scholar of the Southern Cheyenne Nation, posted a list of Indigenous sci-fi films viewers can watch instead:
Don’t wanna watch the colonial glorifying blue people movie? Check out these sci-fi films by actual Indigenous people telling our own stories instead. ?
— dr BlackDeer (@DrBlackDeer) December 16, 2022
Avatar: The Way of Water: A White Savior Story?
The Way Of Water pays no special attention to the ethnicity of the protagonist Jake Sully, who has turned from a human into a Na’vi by the end of Part 1. What is clear is that he represents an outsider in the community of which he ultimately becomes the leader.
The original 2009 film follows this same Sully who is sent to the moon Pandora as part of an Imperialist mission. There he inhabits a new body that mimics the appearance of the Na’vi, the blue humanoid species native to this environment. When Sully bonds with the Na’vi and falls in love with Princess Neytiri, he must choose between two worlds.
In the sequel, Sully is now the head of the Omaticaya clan when he and his family are once again confronted with the people’s colonial ambitions.
“Through the White Man’s Lens”
The decision to put Sully at the center – whose origins are not explicitly mentioned, but whose outsider status clearly parallels white settlers – plays into the role of the “white savior”. It’s a missed opportunity, says Crystal Echo-Hawk, president and CEO of Illuminativean indigenous women-led organization based on core values and community of indigenous people.
“[Cameron]may be telling the story of colonization, but he’s telling it through the lens of a white man,” she told CNN.
How could Cameron have solved this problem?
Perhaps by involving more indigenous people at all levels of production. That would have told a more authentic story that would have resonated with audiences—or so Echo-Hawk is sure. She also says her organization, which aims to improve media portrayal of Indigenous people, is in talks with Disney about how the “Avatar” franchise could avoid similar pitfalls in its third installment, due out in 2024 .
This is how James Cameron reacts
The filmmaker responded to criticism of Avatar in early December: Cameron was ready to face those issues in an interview with UNILAD before the release of The Way of Water, saying, “I think the most important thing is to listen and be sensitive to people’s problems.” And further, “That’s my philosophy in general. The people who have been victimized in the past are always right. It’s not up to me, if you will, to speak from a perspective of white privilege to tell them they’re wrong.”
Regarding the allegations of cultural appropriation, he says: “I hope the indigenous people recognize my intention to celebrate their wisdom. I see the indigenous peoples that still exist in our world today as the people who are more connected to nature than we are in our industrially urbanized civilization and we need to learn from them. My films should celebrate these philosophies, this spirituality. If we offend anyone, I can only apologize, but we’ll do our best.”
+++ This article first appeared on rollingstone.de +++
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