The Omaticaya was the primary subject of the original Avatar film; however, the series has since expanded its scope to include a wide variety of other Na’vi clans in its sequels and spin-offs.
All fifteen of the Avatar Na’vi clans each bring something distinct to the table since they were designed specifically for the expansive universe of James Cameron’s Avatar. The inhabitants of the faraway moon Pandora are a humanoid race with cyan skin who go by the moniker Na’vi, which translates to “the people” in the language of the Na’vi. According to James Cameron, who spoke with SFGATE, he got the inspiration for the Na’vi from a dream his mother had in which she saw a “12-foot-tall blue woman.”
After that, he combined his fantasy into a script that he penned in the middle of the 1970s and then sat on the concept for more than three decades before filming Avatar. The Na’vi were a fully realized cinematic sci-fi species when the first Avatar film was released in 2009, yet the Avatar trilogy has not even come close to uncovering all the mysteries behind the 15 different Na’vi clans.
When it was first released, Avatar ushered in a new era for 3D cinema technology, and it is still the picture that has earned the most money at box offices throughout the world, with a total of $2.84 billion. Having a series of Avatar sequels in the works, some of which have the potential to be even more successful at the box office than the Star Wars films. The Avatar franchise has a promising future, including the production of a sizable number of books, video games, other forms of products, and even attractions at amusement parks.
In addition to Wall-E, An Inconvenient Truth, and Happy Feet, Avatar is now considered a film of its time because of the prominent environmental topics it explores. To further demonstrate these ideas, every Na’vi tribe puts great importance on the intricate energy network that links together all of the living things on Pandora. In contrast to the ideals that are more associated with industry and capitalism, Pandora’s guests hold. They offer their prayers to Eywa, a goddess with whom they have a tangible relationship thanks to the holy Tree of Souls. All 15 of the Na’vi clans communicate with other living things via the use of nerve fibers that are encased in long braids called queues, which are also referred to as twins in Na’vi. To carry out, using their ponytails, a procedure referred to as “tsaheylu,” which is detailed in Avatar 2.
Orange clan
The Olangi clan, like the horse clans that reside on the plain, is present in Avatar despite not being named specifically. The dire horse is critical to their nomadic lifestyle. The Olangi have different resources than the Omaticaya, who live in the jungle and move according to game patterns. Avatars are helpful in ground combat in the final battle, fighting alongside Norm Spellman (Joel David Moore) in avatar form. Because Avatar 2 will focus on Pandora’s oceans, the Olangi are unlikely to develop further in the sequel.
Tayrangi Clan
In Avatar, neither the Tayrangi nor the Olangi clans are specifically named. They live on the East Sea cliffs and enjoy ikran travel, while the Olangi rely on draft horses. The Tayrangi will most likely be developed further because the Olangi may receive less screen time in Avatar 2. During Avatar’s final battle, the Tayrangi were useful in dog fighting. The Tayrangi clan is similar to the Kekunan clan of the north regarding ikran-horsemanship. The Tayrangi are also known for their swimming abilities and eclectic and independent nature.
Tawkami Clan
While Avatar introduced some other Na’vi clans, Avatar video games brought many more Pandora clans to life. While Avatar does not depict life on Earth, renamed Terran, the Na’vi resemble humans in many ways. The Tawkami expresses another human cultural trait that appears to be unrecognized by other clans. The Tawkami, also known as the Sky Seer clan, place a high value on knowledge, record-keeping, chemistry, and research. They create a writing system for the Na’vi language, which has yet to be seen in a film. They, like the Omaticaya, live in the jungle. A Green home is the name of his village.
Tipani Clan
The Tipani clan was the first of the Avatar Na’vi clans to establish contact with humans. This fact is explored further in James Cameron’s video game adaptation of Avatar, titled Avatar: The Game. They are renowned for their bravery and dexterity in combat and are held in high esteem as powerful and talented warriors. The clan is the only one of the Avatar Na’vi clans that are known to fight in battles wearing genuine armor. They also break themselves up into distinct settlements. They are also the most ferocious hunters, and their offspring begin their training as warriors at an exceptionally early age. The majority of what is known about them comes from a game that is no longer recognized as part of the canon.
Metkayina Clan
After Jake’s guerrilla effort against the RDA goes haywire and Spider is taken, he and Neytiri find refuge with the Metkayina, an ocean tribe on the eastern coast. They are worried that Spider has discovered their whereabouts. Jake and Neytiri get away from the Omaticaya and end themselves in the care of the tattooed Metkayina Chief Tonowari on the eastern coast. Tonowari and his warrior wife, Ronal, raise their children, Ao’nung and Tsireya, to ride into battle on their dire horses and take on the world.
Tonowari and Ronal are strong guardians of their tribe and way of life, and they are skeptical that Jake’s family will be able to adapt to their marine culture. However, the Metkayina, a coastal Avatar Na’vi clan, is compelled to interfere during The Way of Water when the RDA begins killing the peaceful Tulkuns, a whale-like, sentient species that the Metkayina consider to be spiritual kin. The RDA plans to kill Tulkuns to harvest amrita, a chemical believed to slow the aging process. The RDA is defeated in the final moments of Avatar: The Way of Water, and the Metkayina clan offers Jake and Neytiri a home before Jake recommits to his fight against the RDA.
Anurai Clan
The Anurai are a tribe of talented artisans who are experts in working with bones. They have a deep reverence for an animal on Pandora known as the Thanatos, and they make their homes in remote valleys there. Both the book “Avatar: The Game” by James Cameron and the show “Toruk – The First Flight” by Cirque du Soleil refer to them. Because of the precious relics that they possess, they are also in a perpetual state of threat from the Resources Development Administration. The surviving members of this clan were the ones who wanted retribution against Sean Wallen for the killing of their clan so that he could steal their treasures and sell them on the black market on Earth. This was the clan that was at the core of the game.
Omaticaya Clan
Jake and Neytiri are Omaticaya, members of the dominant clan in the world of Avatar. The Omaticaya were the only Na’vi clan given significant screen time in the first Avatar, but Avatar: The Way of Water extended the series by concentrating on the Metkayina clan. Unfortunately, this makes it easy to equate the culture of the Omaticaya with that of the other Avatar Na’vi clans.
Both Avatar and Avatar 2 feature the distinguished Omaticaya Neytiri (Zoe Saldana), her mother Mo’at (CCH Pounder), the “Olo’eyktan” or clan head Eytukan (Wes Studi), and the formidable warrior Tsu’tey (Laz Alonso), who succeeded him upon his passing. Once Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) permanently transfers his life force to his Na’vi avatar form, he becomes an integral member of the Omaticaya and lives with them forever. The Omaticaya have earned acclaim for their exquisite weaving and textile arts.
Most notably, the Omaticaya are deeply religious, as would have been seen in a bizarre cut sequence from Avatar. The Omaticaya placed great value on the home tree, or Kelutral. According to the official Activist Survival Guide (ASG) for Avatar, home trees may grow to “two to three times the height” of Redwoods. The ASG also mentions that the Omaticaya refers to themselves as the “Clan of the Blue Flute,” presumably because they think that Eywa fashioned a blue flute out of the wood of Hometree, where the Omaticaya dwells.
The Olo’eyktan of the Omaticaya only plays the blue flute on ceremonial occasions to reach out to the afterlife, past generations, and Eywa. It sounds like a musical instrument but isn’t one. The Omaticaya are the only Avatar Na’vi clan that, if they are mature enough, will make bows out of Hometree. The loss of Hometree in Avatar had an impact on the Omaticaya’s identity beyond simply leaving them without a place to live.
An Avatar outtake reveals how much Jake Sully’s life with the Omaticaya differs from his time on Earth. Neytiri instructs him in the ways of the dire horse and the banshee, or ikran. Jake picks up knowledge about Eywa, Hometree culture, Pandora’s power grid, and the plethora of jungle resources from Neytiri. The late Dr. Grace Augustine (Sigourney Weaver) taught the Omaticaya English and human conventions out of curiosity in the Na’vi and as a gesture of goodwill toward them.
Hulanta Clan
According to the mobile game Avatar: Reckoning, the Hulanta are a clan that belongs to the Wetlands. They believe that water is a holy resource, even though the RDA bombs caused them to be displaced from their homes. In addition to this, they are very skilled in both weaving and ceramics, and they are not a clan that engages in battle. Although Avatar: The Way of Water depicted several other water tribes, this particular one was never seen on screen and only appeared in the game.
Ni’awve Clan
According to this intriguing explanation about the genesis of the Na’vi Avatar, the Ni’awve may not even have initially come from Pandora. The Ni’awve clan was the pioneering group of Na’vi to establish a permanent home in the Valley of Origins. The Avatar mobile game was the first place where they were referenced. When the human Ryan Lorez had a vision close to the Tree of Souls, it was this clan that acclaimed him as their savior and taught him the ways of the Na’vi. He was also the one who taught him the ways of the Tree of Souls. In addition, their commander Tse’huk, made an appearance in the game, and Jake Sully was able to save him at one point.
Li’ona Clan
In James Cameron’s video game Avatar: The Game, this clan may be present. The clan makes their meager living near human factories. Rai’uk came to their aid amid their conflict with the humans who opposed them. while their tribe was becoming extinct as a result of the rivers drying up and the flora and wildlife being extinct in the area. Because Rai’uk took the fight to the humans and dismantled the dam, the rivers in their territory started flowing freely once again, and he was able to rescue his tribe. In the end, Rai’uk did not accept the invitation to become a member of the clan and instead left to aid the other Avatar Na’vi clans in their fight against the humans.
Huyuticaya Clan
According to Avatar: The Activist Survival Guide, the Huyuticaya display “tremendous love and respect for viper wolves” (page 105) on their streamer or clan banner. The members of the tribe also use white warpaint to signify they have no fear of death by marking their faces, hands, and feet.
Mangkwan Clan
In the fourth issue of the Avatar: The Last Shadow comics series, the Mangkwan clan is mentioned in passing as an associate clan of the Omaticaya. The Mangkwan accepted Ateyo and Artsut as members of their community after Jake Sully expelled them. It is unclear why they would allow misfits into their clan, and very little is known about the history or culture of this particular Avatar Na’vi clan overall.
Kekunan Clan
The Kekunan are native to Toruk, also known as The First Flight, and are renowned for their skill as ikran riders and aerial hunters. This Avatar Na’vi clan is well-known for its vibrant culture and clothing, and they often take part in holy dances. They are also the most skilled wranglers of banshees on Pandora, in addition to being the lords of the sky. This is because they begin teaching their children how to ride banshees at a very young age. Although the clan was not disclosed until 2015, indications of their craft talents may be seen in the first movie. One such example is the battle band that Jake Sully wears in the movie.
Tomac’ta Clan
The Pandorapedia of Avatar refers to the Tomac’ta and their “tremendous love and respect for banshees.” In commemoration of these revered animals, they also wear streamers on their bodies. Because the Avatar Na’vi clans have never been featured in any film, video game, or comic book, very little information is known about them.
Rey’tanu Clan
In the mobile game Avatar: Reckoning, the Rey’tanu were discussed for a limited amount of time. It is believed that they reside at the higher elevations of Pandora and that agriculture is their primary means of subsistence. There is no information available on their past or culture. However, since there is not as much biodiversity where they reside as there is in other Avatar Na’vi clans, they have reverted to a more traditional way of life. They rely less on hunting and more on grazing as their primary source of food.
