Lugo 1

Daren Lugo
Mr. Thompson
ENGL 1301-15
November 5, 2016
Avatar Project
Avatar is about a paralyzed former marine, Jake Sully, who is asked to fill in his brothers
place on a mission to the planet of Pandora. When he arrives at Pandora he links up with his
Avatar a modified Navi. Jake meets a Navi woman who he starts to fall in love with, as their
bond grows stronger he is drawn into a battle to help save her world. Throughout the story James
Cameron relates to historical events in the Native American culture. Cameron wanted to show
how people discriminate the Navi like Americans did to the Native Americans back in the
1800s. James Cameron references certain historical Native American allusions throughout the
film such as the destruction of The Sand Creek Massacre, The Trail of Tears, and The Great
Sioux War.
Cameron references The Sand Creek Massacre and relates it to when the Navi were
killed at their village. The Sand Creek Massacre happened November 29, 1864, the Cheyenne
and Arapaho Indians lived in the Rocky Mountains where the Gold and Silver rush began around
the 1950s. It angered the Indians that the settlers were coming into their land and taking over.
The Indians soon began to attack wagon trains, mining camps and stagecoach lines, a practice
that increased during the Civil War, when the number of soldiers in the area was greatly
decreased. Soon, this led to what became known as the Colorado War of 1863-1865 (Sand
Creek Massacre). After the attacks stopped the Indians wanted peace and meet with some
representatives to discuss terms and both live in peace. But, Colonel Chivington refused to let
them live in peace and felt that the they should suffer. Colonel Chivington led 700 soldiers most
of which were drinking heavily to Sand Creek and positioned them around the Indian village.
The leader Black Kettle raised both an American and a white flag of peace over his tepee to let

Lugo 2
them know that their village were at peace. Chivington ignored it all and ordered all his men to
attack. The frenzied soldiers began to charge, hunting down men, women, and children,
shooting them unmercifully (Sand Creek Massacre). Cameron connects this event to when The
Resources Development Administration (RDA) goes towards the village of the Navi and
destroys it because the Navi refuse to move. The RDA shoot smoke grenades to flush out the
Navi from the home and then the Quaritch gives the order to switch to missiles and shoot at the
village bring it down to the ground killing many of the Navi (Avatar). Cameron wants to show
the relation between the two events and how it affects the mood of the film.
In the story Cameron, alludes to The Trail of Tears connecting it with part of the story. In
1830 President Andrew Jackson signed The Indian Removal Act to remove Native Americans
from the southeastern states the federal government forced them to leave their homelands and
walk thousands of miles to a specially designated Indian territory across the Mississippi River
(Trail of Tears). The Native Americans land were valuable to settlers because it was prime
agricultural land and were well devolved meaning speculators could buy then sell the land to
make easy profit. The Cherokees land was especially valuable when reports of gold were found
on its land. gold was discovered in White County, Georgia in 1828, the state began to push even
harder for removal of the Indians (The Cherokee Trail of Tears). In the story James Cameron
relates this event by showing how The RDA wants the land of the Navi to mine for its minerals
and make profit off it all with no regard to Navis feelings or them. This is why we're here.
Unobtanium. Because this little gray rock sells for twenty million a kilo. No other reason.
(Selfridge, Avatar). The RDA feel the Navi should leave their villages and relocate somewhere
else so they can mine for Unobtanium, but when the Navi refused to leave they destroyed their
home and killed many of them forcing them to leave. A grieving Neytiri stands with the Navi
walking into the forest and looks back to see their home burning and destroyed (Avatar).

Lugo 3
Cameron showed these scenes to relate and insight how we treated the Native Americans back in
the 1800s for power and money.
Cameron alludes to The Great Sioux War and connects it with the attack on the village.
During the last half of the nineteenth century the Sioux were attacked constantly by the federal
government to take their land and natural resources. The Sioux and the governments negotiated a
treaty to protect overland travelers and each other, the government built a fort called Fort Kearny
and bought Fort Laramie. Soon after the forts they negotiated the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1851
which granted safe passage of emigrants into America, and was later editied in 1868 which gave
the Sioux The Black Hills as the Sioux territory. When military expeditions went through the
Sioux territory they discovered gold throughout the region. The Black Hills confirmed rumors
of gold. Gold seekers flooded into Paha Sapa (the Black Hills)a clear violation of the 1868 Fort
Laramie Treaty (Encyclopedia of the Great Plains). This caused many gold seekers to come to
the area to find gold making the Sioux had to fight to protect their land. To try and avoid conflict
the government offered to buy the land which they refused making them hostiles to the
government. James Cameron relates this in the story by showing how the RDA plan on
relocating the Navi to obtain the mineral that is underneath their village. Their damn village is
sitting right over the richest unobtanium deposit for a hundred klicks in any direction. Which
sucks -- for them -- because they need to relocate (Selfridge, Avatar). Selfridge tells Jake that
he is to convince the Navi to move within three months so they can mine for the mineral
unobtanium. You got three months. Thats when the dozers get there (Quaritch, Avatar).
Cameron uses this event to show the relation between the two events one in history and the other
in the film.
Avatar has a lot of historical events in the film but, the Native American historical
Allusions pop out more than the rest. The historical events The Sand Creek Massacre, The Trail

Lugo 4
of Tears, and The Great Sioux War all have play an important role in the film. It shows that
Cameron sees even on different worlds that people still repeat their mistakes and will do
anything to have control and wealth.

Work Cited
Avatar. Dir. James Cameron. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Encyclopedia of the Great Plains." Encyclopedia of the Great Plains | SIOUX WARS. Ed. David
J. Wishart. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
Pauls, Elizabeth P. "Trail of Tears." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica,
n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Sand Creek Massacre." Sand Creek Massacre. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"The Cherokee Trail of Tears." The Cherokee Trail of Tears. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.
"Trail of Tears." History.com. A E Networks, 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2016.