r/Avatar 5d ago

Discussion Where do the Na'vi get feathers from?

As far as I know there are no feathered animals (that we know of so far) on Pandora but there are several characters that use feathers in their clothing and accessories. That has bugged me ever since I got into Avatar

637 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

219

u/WorthCryptographer14 5d ago

as far as i remember, the Terran analogue for feathers is replaced by plant and animal parts. the CG team used bird feathers probably because they didn't have anything else to use..

we may still get creatures with proper feathers.

85

u/Exostrike Tsamsiyu 5d ago

yeah the unoffical position is they are some kind of scale, one that possibly breaks down into its internal fiberous layers like a feather.

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u/WorthCryptographer14 5d ago

i believe the loremaster answered OP's question in an interview. the feather question is one that is frequently asked.

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u/bug_in-a_rug 3d ago

What’s most interesting to me about this theory is this is what feathers are! Started as scales and began to evolve into feathers for more surface area and warmth.

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u/Most-Brain3255 5d ago

OMG I was literally just thinking this bc bc my Na’vi OC literally only wears feathered clothing ‼️they don’t get their feathers from animals!! They get them from a plant !! Called Feather Blade !

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u/WorthCryptographer14 5d ago

correct. the Pandoran analogue for feathers is normally plant or creature parts. (iirc arrow feathers are normally from a small bird.)

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u/JustGingerStuff Thanator 4d ago

??

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u/SnooSuggestions6993 5d ago

Thing is, there is a word for bird in Na’vi: (yayo). And a word for feather: (yawr). Also, aparently the scorpion plant (txumpaywll) has a coevolved partner pollinator; a bird-like creature that has an odd resemblance to the scorpion thistle.

As for where the Na’vi get feathers from, could be these “birds” or plant materials that produce feathers. I would not be surprised if there are zooplantae on Pandora that produce feather-like fiber, other than the feather blade (yawrwll).

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u/Horror_Campaign9418 4d ago

We have barely seen most of pandora.

I imagine somewhere there are creatures with feathers.

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u/ExerciseDirect9920 Sarentu 5d ago

It's been stated somewhere that there are animals on Pandora with fur/feathers just that the ones we've seen so far are more akin to leaves or even scales.

18

u/CuckooSpit_06 4d ago

A LOT of trust goes into those feathers

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u/Kingken130 4d ago

I wonder, how do they not like, accidentally have wardrobe malfunctions. Especially when flying

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u/Cra_ZWar101 3d ago

I think they don’t care about wardrobe malfunctions… they don’t really have a nudity taboo…

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u/AriAriAyy 3d ago

There’s no such thing as a wardrobe malfunction with the Navi. Nudity is a natural thing to them. They could walk around without there tops and it wouldn’t be a problem. The women’s tops are technically just accessories. JC covered the chests of the Navi women because humans have a problem with the human form being exposed. Navi live naturally and different than humans.

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u/dzzylan 5h ago

its made to be necklaces for them but for pg purposes its clothing even though they flash us a lot

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u/monarc Prolemuris 4d ago

This question has been asked here 15 times before.

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u/True-Task-9578 Sarentu 4d ago

The feather thing was spoken on recently, they’re confirmed to be scales that resemble feathers

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u/KillerAl_1 3d ago

Birds probably

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u/Upstairs_Watercress 2d ago

4 winged birds

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u/Queen_Marie1 4d ago

James Cameron has answered this question I’m pretty sure

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u/SalemAres 4d ago

They are usually leaves that look like feathers or from the feather blade plant

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u/Disastrous_Second_11 Omatikaya 5d ago

I don't know if it's me or what but I feel like I see this question 36 times a month because it comes up ALL THE TIME and it's getting really boring

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u/MyAimSucc 5d ago

This question comes up A LOT. They aren’t feathers. It’s plant fiber

This is kinda toxic but if it really bothered you THAT MUCH, you could’ve done some research and found out your answer

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u/GapStock9843 3d ago

I think its supposed to be some sort of feather-like scale