Early Na'vi

From the Early Pandora Wiki Canon Na'vi legend Wiki lore

The early Na'vi were the first clans of Na'vi on Pandora, living in the Age of the Great Swamps. They are the ancestors of every clan alive today, from the forest Omatikaya to the reef Metkayina. Most of what we know about them comes from old stories, songs and tools found in ancient riverbanks. Na'vi legend Wiki lore

The Na'vi body

The Na'vi are tall, blue people about ten feet tall, with tails for balance, four fingers on each hand, large cat-like yellow eyes and ears that move to show feelings. Glowing dots on their skin form patterns unique to each person. Canon

Their most important feature is the queue, a long braid with fine tendrils at its tip. By joining it to another creature's queue they make tsaheylu, the bond, which lets them share feelings and thoughts with animals and connect to Eywa at sacred trees. Canon

Unlike most Pandoran animals, which have six legs and four eyes, the Na'vi have four limbs and two eyes, like the prolemuris, a small tree-dwelling animal believed to be their distant relative. Canon

Origins

Wiki lore says the very first Na'vi came down from the tall trees to the edges of the great swamps, drawn by fish, fruit and fresh water. The oldest songs call them "the People of the Water's Edge" and say Eywa gave them the queue "so they would never be lonely in the world." Wiki lore

The first clans

Today there are many clans, each adapted to its own part of Pandora. Canon In the Age of the Great Swamps, wiki lore records three great clan groups: Wiki lore

Wiki lore says the Omatikaya are descended from the Root Dwellers, which is why they later made their home in a great tree. Wiki lore

Daily life

Homes

Early Na'vi homes were built to stay dry. Stilt houses stood above the water on poles of ironwood, linked by rope bridges, and families slept in woven hammocks. At night the swamps glowed so brightly that, the songs say, "no one needed a fire to see." Wiki lore

Food

The early Na'vi ate fish, river snails, fruit, roots and edible water plants. They thanked every animal they took, as Na'vi hunters still do today when they say "I See you, brother, and thank you." Canon Wiki lore says the early clans never hunted the tak, believing the ducks belonged to the Taktswìkyu, and that this is one reason no one noticed how fast the ducks were disappearing. Wiki lore

Tools and crafts

• Stalk rope: fallen Taktswìkyu stalks twisted into strong rope for bridges, nets and climbing. Na'vi legend
• Drinking straws: the hollow tubes of dried Taktswìkyu leaves, the very first straws. Na'vi legend
• Nectar lines: fishing lines dipped in a little Taktswìkyu nectar to draw fish. Wiki lore
• Glow-moss lamps: bioluminescent moss kept in woven baskets to light the way on dark nights. Wiki lore
• Bows and spears: for hunting and protection, made from wood, bone and plant fibre, as Na'vi still make them. Canon

One rule applied to everything: the early Na'vi never cut a living Taktswìkyu. Only stalks that had fallen naturally could be used. Wiki lore

Clothing

Early Na'vi wore loincloths and wraps woven from plant fibre, decorated with beads, shells and seed pods. Wiki lore says the Reed Weavers dyed their cloth with Taktswìkyu nectar, giving it a soft gold glow at night. Canon Wiki lore

Beliefs and leaders

The Na'vi believe Eywa, the Great Mother, keeps all life in balance, holds the memories of those who have died, and does not take sides. Canon Each clan had a Tsahik, a spiritual leader who listened to Eywa through her queue and guided the clan. The most famous early Tsahik is Ninat, who warned the Taktswìkyu before the Great Hunger. Canon Na'vi legend

Wiki lore says the early clans met once a year at a giant willow-like tree they called the First Listening Tree, where every Tsahik connected at once to share what the forest had told them. Wiki lore

Customs and ceremonies

• The greeting. "Oel ngati kameie", "I See you," means seeing who someone truly is, not just looking at them. Canon
• Thanks for food. Every animal taken is thanked, and its spirit is said to return to Eywa. Canon
• The story night. At every full moon of Polyphemus, the clan gathered to hear an elder tell one long story from memory. Wiki lore
• The first rope. At about age ten, each child twisted their first rope from a fallen stalk, a sign they were ready to help the clan. Wiki lore
• Returning to Eywa. When someone died, their body was returned to the earth among tree roots, so their energy could go back to the forest. Canon Wiki lore

The Great Hunger and what changed

The early Na'vi lived through the Great Hunger, when the Taktswìkyu ate every last tak and then died out themselves. The swamps went dark and quiet, and the Stilt People lost their rope-plants forever. Na'vi legend

Wiki lore says the clans changed their ways afterwards:

• "One for the mother, one for tomorrow." Hunters always leave the biggest and the youngest animals of any group. Wiki lore
• Remembering songs. Ninat's song for the lost creatures became the first remembering song, sung whenever an animal grows rare. Wiki lore
• Moving on. Many clans left the drying swamps for the forests, the coast and the mountains, beginning the many clans of today. Wiki lore

Stories and memory

The Na'vi have no writing. Their history lives in songs and stories passed from grandparent to grandchild. Canon The early Na'vi's most important story, The Duck-Suckers of Pandora, has been told for hundreds of generations, and is best known today through the storyteller Grandmother Ateyo. Na'vi legend

Legacy

Many Na'vi customs today, such as thanking animals, listening to Eywa, and taking only what you need, are believed to go back to these first clans and the lessons they learned beside the great swamps. Canon Wiki lore