Do the Na'vi cook food ?

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

Thank you, I haven't read all the flora of the ASG yet, this is very useful. If there is something similar to flour that they can get easily than it is a high possibility that they have a bread like substance.

I think both sides have a good argument here. I agree that Eywa would provide everything the Na'vi need in terms of food, with little to no preparation required. However, unleavened bread does not require much work, and you wouldn't need an oven to cook it, just a large flat stone over, or at the edge of a fire. As the ASG says that they have a flour-like substance and we know they use a communal cooking firepit, it's not a massive stretch of the imagination to think that they might make something like that.

True. Thing is, most breads are baked in ovens, not open firepits. Although you could certainly bake on an open firepit. I think the Na'vi could easily bake. I'm not 100% sure, but some of the open area just below Hometree almost looked like they were growing things, like a farm. I may be mistaken though. Even nomadic tribes of today cultivate, if so on a rudimentary basis. The Na'vi could be growing a limited number of plants they need to eat. A river runs near Hometree, so there's an ample supply of water.

The ASG references tribes that specialize in pottery. That may indicate kilns, and thus ovens, and thus baking--at least by the pottery tribes.

Also, Eywa is no mother-hen "goddess." Life on Pandora (by Earth standards) is harsh, and Eywa protects the "balance of life," which would not encourage weakness. Not being able to prepare food would be a weakness, and baking is no harder than frying, or weaving complex patterns. Eywa does not provide ready-made food. Eywa allows you to figure out how you will make weapons, interact with the other animals (banshees, nantang, toruk, et al.) and go GET yourself some food.

[Tsawla Eltu Tsamsiyu]

The Survival Guide talks about the Na'vi using fire pits to cook their food.

[Technowraith]

The Survival Guide talks about the Na'vi using fire pits to cook their food.

That it certainly does. 

The entry states that the fire has never been allowed to go out, and has been burning at the ember level (at the minimum) for over two or three generations. The fire is kept ready to accept a successful hunt. LEtting the fire go out may be a sign of disrespect for the hunter and/or the animal.

[Tsa'räni]

The Survival Guide talks about the Na'vi using fire pits to cook their food.

That it certainly does. 

The entry states that the fire has never been allowed to go out, and has been burning at the ember level (at the minimum) for over two or three generations. The fire is kept ready to accept a successful hunt. LEtting the fire go out may be a sign of disrespect for the hunter and/or the animal.

Actually, it says the lore of the fire pit is that it's been kept going.  That's an important ditinction, because it then goes on to imply that might not be the literal truth.

[Technowraith]

Actually, it says the lore of the fire pit is that it's been kept going.  That's an important ditinction, because it then goes on to imply that might not be the literal truth.

True. a point i failed to pick up on until now.

I think it would be possible, but not practical in some sense. From reading the entry, it says "a layer of damp earth insulates Hometree from the fires heat." So is that to imply that the fire pit itself is on a wide, flat area of a huge branch? Or down in the communal area as we see the communal area in the film? Not entirely sure to be truthful. But in terms of practicality, keeping the fire at least at ember level allows you to stoke the ashes with wood and get a fire burning right away. Letting the fire go out completely means you must re-light the fire from scratch. Maybe we'll learn more as time goes on.

[Tsa'räni]

Yeah, that is something odd about the entry.  We have...  "Rocks arranged around a sunken earthen pit."  And, "Packed, wet earth insulates Hometree from the pit's heat."

Perhaps there is a main fire pit along with smaller ones?  The first time we see Jake in his new Na'vi clothing, the Omatikaya are around a fire and it's up in the branches, isn't it?  At least that's how I remember it.  So maybe they have fires both on the ground and up among the branches.

It's definitely ambiguous.

[Txur’Itan]

The fire pit was above the place where Jake and Neytiri enter the scene where it is in the film.

There are fire "POTS" around near the Toruk Skull totem.  They have the glowing bioluminescent things everywhere, so they don't seem to use fire for lighting as much food preparation.

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

The fire pit was above the place where Jake and Neytiri enter the scene where it is in the film.

There are fire "POTS" around near the Toruk Skull totem.  They have the glowing bioluminescent things everywhere, so they don't seem to use fire for lighting as much food preparation.

well, also my friend, damn near everything lights up at night, and the Na'vi have this superhuman night vision thing going on But yeah--just saw Avatar again. Fire pits below the hammocks, and a big one up high in the branches (the scene where Jake steps on that chick's tail), and I think on the ground, but that part I honestly don't remember. I was trying to remember a dozen new/verified facts at once. next time I will bring a pen. And when the DVD comes out--watch this place explode in analysis!

[kintìomum]

There was no firepit on the ground level. And having filled several pages of my trusty notebook...
Three or four fire bowls around the Toruk totem which is not totally clear due to the limited angles and one level up the large fire pit for the communal meals. Almost like the mess hall at Hell's Gate but without sawtute food and helmets

[Technowraith]

It might make perfect sense for the communal firepit to be off ground level. No pesky palulukan taking your nicely cooking roast while you're rummaging through the pantry for some spices and marinade. I think it's better for security and of course keeping uninvited hungry critters away from the oven while dinner cooks.

[magne]

Yeah, that is something odd about the entry.  We have...  "Rocks arranged around a sunken earthen pit."  And, "Packed, wet earth insulates Hometree from the pit's heat."

Perhaps there is a main fire pit along with smaller ones?  The first time we see Jake in his new Na'vi clothing, the Omatikaya are around a fire and it's up in the branches, isn't it?  At least that's how I remember it.  So maybe they have fires both on the ground and up among the branches.

It's definitely ambiguous.

I believed the main fire was on ground level but could easy be mistaken. But the wet earth parts don't mix with not letting the fire go out as you would have serious problems keeping it wet. A 10-15 cm layer of porous rocks would insolate better against the heat anyway.
And it makes sense to have multiple fires even is one is used for most of the cooking, the tribe is large.

[AuLekye'ung]

Well, you also have to look at the size of their meals: proportionate to their size, the meal they had when Jake first got there was minuscule.

The volume of cooked food would alter the number of fires needed; so, if my theory of smaller diets than those of humans is correct, they wouldn't need THAT many fires.

[Kaltxì Palulukan!]

There was no firepit on the ground level. And having filled several pages of my trusty notebook...
Three or four fire bowls around the Toruk totem which is not totally clear due to the limited angles and one level up the large fire pit for the communal meals. Almost like the mess hall at Hell's Gate but without sawtute food and helmets

Yeah, after tonight's viewing I stand corrected: Fire bowls around Toruk and one fire pit high up in the tree. Poor Toruk, He got burned up in the fall of the tree. I really hate that colonel.

[Technowraith]

I really hate that colonel.

You're not the only one.

So i guess they are two main communal areas: the one on ground level (around Toruk's skull, and then what appears to be the communal fire pit higher up. I don't know if the area at ground level really constitutes communal though. It appears to more or less be "the front door" for hometree more or less.