Dreamwalker

In the movie Avatar written and directed by James Cameron, humanity has discovered a moon they named Pandora that has many reserves of a rare material known as unobtanium  The military wishes to mine for this material, but what’s standing in their way is a sentient race of humanoids called the Na’vi. Their home is the epicenter of where the military wants to mine, which starts a conflict between humans and Na’vi. Scientists have already been exploring a peaceful solution to the issue. They had developed human-Na’vi hybrid “avatars” that can be controlled by human consciousness to be sent as emissaries to eventually convince the Na’vi to leave their home. Progress has already been made in teaching the Na’vi English and learning their language and culture. Jake Sully is chosen to pilot an “avatar” in place of his brother to win their trust and clear the excavation site without bloodshed. On his way to the Na’vi home, Jake is becomes separated from the other “avatars”. He is almost killed by the wild animals of the forest before being rescued by Neytiri. As she escorts him to her village, she witnesses the seeds of Eywa land on Jake. She believes this to mean that he is being chosen by Eywa who is regarded as a god to the Na’vi. When they reach the village, Jake is treated with hostility from the other Na’vi, but Neytiri calms the situation by sharing that he was chosen by Eywa. Jake confesses he is indeed what the Na’vi call a “dreamwalker” and that his intention is to only learn of the Na’vi culture. They accept his request and is assigned to Neytiri as her student of sorts.

The reason the Na’vi were quick to accept Jake is because they hold very high regard for their god, Eywa. Being chosen by Eywa meant Jake has a pure spirit. This must have meant to the Na’vi that he was one who could be trusted. But why did Eywa choose him? Jake as a human was a paraplegic caused by some sort of accident in his past. Being an avatar allows him to walk once more, and he acts as though life has been brought back to him through the tremendous joy he expresses when he first wakes up in his “avatar”. He also expresses later on that his life as a human is beginning to feel like the dream, while controlling his “avatar” feels more like real life. It becomes clear that Jake is neglecting his duty that he was sent to do by the Resources Development Administration, but instead truly immersing himself in Na’vi culture. Perhaps Eywa had predicted that he would react this way and that is why he was chosen. Either way, Eywa’s decision seems to be respected by the Na’vi even though they may not entirely agree.