Navi use drugs?-Now with Alcohol thread

[Tsu'roen]

There's no society or culture, which survives without any kind of addiction. Indians, Mayas, Aztecs, ...

The use of drugs in such cultures had never anything to do with addiction but was usually part of religious ceremonies. Drug addiction only started when they lost their purpose after the arrival of the Europeans and destruction of their culture.

[ShadowedSin]

Um, the Na'vi aren't special. They are not unlike other human societies who have close Kinship bonds.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

There's no society or culture, which survives without any kind of addiction. Indians, Mayas, Aztecs, ...

The use of drugs in such cultures had never anything to do with addiction but was usually part of religious ceremonies. Drug addiction only started when they lost their purpose after the arrival of the Europeans and destruction of their culture.

Well that's a gross generalization. I'm sure there was the occasional addict, they appear whenever there is drug use, Europeans don't have anything to do with it. Though I'm sure there was a growth in addicts after they arrived they didn't start it.

[täftxuyu]

Seems to me that they wouldn't have a need to become addicted, because they don't have to escape reality.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Once again I will repeat myself. The Na'vi aren't perfect. Every culture on Earth has found narcotics and has used them to alter their state of mind. Also, all cultures have reasons to escape reality other than religion. They have hardships just like the West does. No culture is better than another. The Na'vi are no different.

[Elektrolurch]

Once again I will repeat myself. The Na'vi aren't perfect. Every culture on Earth has found narcotics and has used them to alter their state of mind. Also, all cultures have reasons to escape reality other than religion. They have hardships just like the West does. No culture is better than another. The Na'vi are no different.

Is that so? Why would everybody prefer a Na'Vi life instead of living on Earth as Homo Sapiens?

[A. A. Aaron]

Once again I will repeat myself. The Na'vi aren't perfect. Every culture on Earth has found narcotics and has used them to alter their state of mind. Also, all cultures have reasons to escape reality other than religion. They have hardships just like the West does. No culture is better than another. The Na'vi are no different.

Is that so? Why would everybody prefer a Na'Vi life instead of living on Earth as Homo Sapiens?

Because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

[täftxuyu]

Maybe it's just our new drug ^_^ Escape from the crappy world that earth as become (in the future, Earths still ok atm) to the greener/glowing grass on the other side.

[Tsu'roen]

Once again I will repeat myself. The Na'vi aren't perfect. Every culture on Earth has found narcotics and has used them to alter their state of mind. Also, all cultures have reasons to escape reality other than religion. They have hardships just like the West does. No culture is better than another. The Na'vi are no different.

Probably not. But you also can't compare them to human high cultures or even our "rotten to the bone" type of society.
If you want to use parallels I would suggest the native tribes of North America before the arrival of the Europeans. There you find a culture that actually was the model for the Na'vi.

Drug abuse is a symptom of large urban cultures where individuals easily loose their place in society and drugs are a way to num the pain.
There are many people who try drugs but only a few become addicted - usually those who have lost already their foothold in society or individuals that want to escape worldly problems or pains they can't handle. Addiction is in most cases rather mentally so people that are mentally healthy are not very susceptible.

Tribal societies are in general small and closely knit and all members of the tribe know each other. Being isolated and getting lost is rather unlikely. So drug abuse in healthy tribal cultures is highly unlikely even though access is usually easier than in the city. Also tribal cultures have in general no access to the highly refined and powerful drugs we find in our society. Those drugs are in most cases specially engineered to create addiction. The drugs tribal societies have access to are in general naturally occurring.
And finally the tribe can't tolerate a rotten apple in their midst so if there is once in a while a rouge member that can't be salvaged it is usually expelled from the tribe - effectively a death sentence in most cases.

[ShadowedSin]

Tsu'roen.

You have some correct things in your info. But you are making a mass generalization on how tribal life works. There are thousands of forms of tribe, and not all of them run the same way. Many of the so called tribes of America were in fact advanced civilizations with empires and full nations states. Much of what you are describing was not found in the majority of Native Society. The extremity of how someone is treated in th tribe or clan depends upon the given culture. In some cases it is quite severe (note the Pashtuns and their code, Pashtun Wali) or it can be quite easy (high ranking members of the aristocracy in some clans are quite able to avoid punishment).

For instance the local tribe where I lived once controlled a highly stratified soceity with classes and slavery. They went to war with neighboring states and were raided by one of their northern neighbors.

The Na'vi are akin to what is basically a cross between a Band or Chiefdom. They exist in close knight small famlial groups united into an extended Clan group. (Note a Clan is not a tribe, there is quite a difference. Clans have more genetic membership, tribes are in general many Clans united under a singular banner or a larger group of smaller outlying groups under one common relation). Note also Tribe is highly inaccurate for what the Native Americans even practiced. It was applied to them by the English because it was the closest term they could come to describe the society they found.

For comparison I would point to the Iroquois Nation, groups like the Yanomami, the !Kung-San, the Mbuti and various Highland peoples of Paua New Guinea for common relation to the Na'vi.

However I do agree on the amount that a drug needs for addiction. Coca leaves barely affect the native Quencha people of the andes, chewing it gives a basic stimulant feeling. Cocaine is in fact several kilos worth of Coca distilled into a highly effective quantity. However, addiction just doesn't happen because of drugs, it can happen with other substances. I am more than sure that there are some within Na'vi Pan-Culture who are addicts to something.

[Tìng Eywatikìte'e]

Once again, I agree with Shadowsin completely. We need to stay far away from over generalization as it doesn't do any one any good.

While many native tribes do not have access to the highly potent form of drugs like those in developed societies, but that doesn't mean addiction couldn't occur. Psychological dependency is just as dangerous as physical.

[Tsu'roen]

Well, I guess if Tsu'tey had survived (with queue cut off and Neytiri and leadership lost to Jake) he would have been a candidate of drug abuse - I mean his life would have sucked beyond all means ...

[Java]

Tsu'roen.
For instance the local tribe where I lived once controlled a highly stratified soceity with classes and slavery. They went to war with neighboring states and were raided by one of their northern neighbors.

Where on Earth did you live in a tribe that still practiced slavery?

[Eywayä tsmukan]

Tsu'roen.
For instance the local tribe where I lived once controlled a highly stratified soceity with classes and slavery. They went to war with neighboring states and were raided by one of their northern neighbors.

Where on Earth did you live in a tribe that still practiced slavery?

You lived in tribe once?! 

[ShadowedSin]

Tsu'roen.
For instance the local tribe where I lived once controlled a highly stratified soceity with classes and slavery. They went to war with neighboring states and were raided by one of their northern neighbors.

Where on Earth did you live in a tribe that still practiced slavery?

Java, the Tribe was part of the Co-Salish speaking peoples. Known as the Lummi they and the local Haida in the Queen Charlotte isles were prolific slavers. None of them still practice this of course which is why I said, "once controlled".

Also I'm not a member of a tribe.

[Java]

Ah silly me.

[Zefanaya]

Kaltxi, I do not know if this has been discussed else where if it has let me know where and I will delete this thread.


I wanted to know if the Na'vi have alcohol for like a celebration or something it just seems that nearly every culture on earth has some sort of alcoholic beverage.

also (off topic) do the Na'vi have the concept of a bath because I know they swim but the they bathe on like a regular basis that's what I don't like about pretty much any movie things that are common place are always left out or left to our imagination.

Eywa ngahu ma aytsmukan ulte aytsmuke.

['Itan Atxur]

Yes, I believe both alcohol and some form of drugs made it into the original script but were cut.

[Tsa'räni]

The ASG mentions a mild intoxicant called kava used during celebrations and such.  So yeah, they've got it (it also mentions brewing as one of the things the Na'vi do).

Bathing...no idea from what I've seen.

[Zefanaya]

Kava sounds like a name for a coffee brew I wonder if it is their version of marijuana. but thanks for your input