James Cameron, in an earlier interview, had stated that he had no idea how Avatar: The Way of Water will be received by the current generation. Well, it was as the director feared since the film landed itself in controversy over alleged racist portrayal.
The indigenous people have started an online campaign to ban Avatar: The Way of Water for its harmful and racist portrayal of the native tribes. In an unexpected twist, the tweets and petitions have already received 40,000 likes.
James Cameron, Avatar 2, And The Navajo Tribe
After what appears to be a bountiful collection in a couple of days, James Cameron felt happy with his done-and-dusted magnum opus. Avatar: The Way of Water was adored by the world and praised for its storytelling style and its CGI effects.
Although the movie comes with a deep message of protecting nature, many people from the indigenous tribe have taken to social media and called for a ban on the movie. With accusations of racist portrayal, colonialization, and, harmful depiction of the actual tribes existing. Yuè Begay, a member of the Navajo Tribe blamed director James Cameron for these accusations with over 48,000 likes on the tweet.
Do NOT watch Avatar: The Way of Water
Join Natives & other Indigenous groups around the world in boycotting this horrible & racist film. Our cultures were appropriated in a harmful manner to satisfy some 🏳 man's savior complex.
No more Blueface!
Lakota people are powerful! pic.twitter.com/NmHVU565u3— 🌽Asdzáá Tłʼéé honaaʼéí🌽(She/Her)🌽 (@asdza_tlehonaei) December 18, 2022
The fans took to Twitter in support of these indigenous tribes as James Cameron’s statement from 2010 was rediscovered wherein accusations of victim blaming were thrown on the director.
every single in-focus character here is played by white folks.
this is just "it's not red/blackface if we make them blue: the movie." such a nasty racist cash-grab. pic.twitter.com/83QnqS5jR9
— 🛸johnny🛸 (@dumpstercryptid) December 16, 2022
the fact so much of the water tribe is based off māori culture and majority of the ppl in the water tribe are played by non māori people is just.. 🤢
— crow 🏳️⚧️🇳🇱🇳🇿 (@ericsdravens) December 19, 2022
Also, why did he not hire more indigenous actors or POC to represent and show hommage because clearly, the Na'vi are a blend of many indigenous cultures? The fact that you have white actors putting on ethnic accents that are meant to sound indigenous just felt wrong to me.
— Nettles – Royal Expert (@Nettlesbrown) December 19, 2022
The first one was straight up "Great White Savior" and it sounds like this is just worse.
— Progressive Gamer (@FortheBirds98) December 19, 2022
It honestly saddens me that this franchise is so offensive for so many ppl, it’s one of my favorite sci fi films and learning this sucks, hopefully one day we’ll get a movie like avatar that actually does a good job at native representation in sci fi and we can all enjoy it.
— CyberSoldier82 (@TitanGod420) December 20, 2022
Although Cameron is currently satiated with the success of Avatar: The Way of Water, this is not the first time his movies have been targeted for cultural harm and accusations of racism and colocalization. The first part of the franchise Avatar also faced a heavy backlash during its release and the condition was worsened by the statements uttered by James Cameron.
Why Did The Racist Allegations Start For James Cameron?
Following the release of Avatar, director James Cameron went to talk with the Xingu people who lived in the Amazonian rainforest. Seemingly coming to a peacemaking arrangement between the tribe and the ongoing Belo Monte hydroelectric dam, the director also made a documentary in the process.
While talking on camera, James Cameron uttered several statements that the people termed as victim blaming and offensive in nature to the indigenous tribes out there.
“I felt like I was 130 years back in time watching what the Lakota Sioux might have been saying at a point when they were being pushed and they were being killed and they were being asked to displace and they were being given some form of compensation,” he said.
The director further continued,
“This was a driving force for me in the writing of Avatar – I couldn’t help but think that if they [the Lakota Sioux] had had a time-window and they could see the future… and they could see their kids committing suicide at the highest suicide rates in the nation… because they were hopeless and they were a dead-end society – which is what is happening now – they would have fought a lot harder.”
The last statement “they would have fought a lot harder” landed the director in controversy since it was termed as victim blaming. People supported these indigenous tribes from all around the world as the statements were rediscovered following the release of Avatar: The Way of Water.
Avatar: The Way of Water is currently running in theaters for the world to see.
Source: Twitter
