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One well-known film that deals with the importance of indigenous people living at peace with the ocean is Disney’s “Moana”.
The story is set in ancient Polynesia on an island where the inhabitants worship Te Fiti, the goddess of nature, who brought life to the ocean. It follows Moana, the strong-willed daughter of the chief of a coastal village. When a blight strikes her island that causes the vegetation to wither and the fish to disappear, Moana is chosen by the ocean to return Te Fiji’s lost source of power back to the goddess. To save the island, Moana sets sail in search of Maui, the legendary demigod of the wind and sea and master of way-finding. Maui stole the source of power and Moana wants him restore it so she can save her people.
Whilst the characters and events in the film are fictional, the story takes great inspiration from Polynesian religion and myths which is rooted in nature, especially the ocean. The people heavily depended on the ocean with fishing providing for the main food source. As a result, Polynesians became masters of navigation and other seafaring skills, and their beliefs strongly reflected the importance of nature and the sea. The film perfectly showcases these aspects in a beautifully animated and heartwarming story with many catchy songs.
By Hannah Carstens
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