The Surprising Connection Between a Shaman Woman Buried in Mesolithic Europe and Kirifrom Avatar: The Way of Water

By: Catie Plowman

By now, we’ve all seen or at least heard of the 2009 film Avatar. You know, the movie with the blue alien people. In 2022, the world witnessed the sequel Avatar: The Way of Water. This addition to the series explored the familial relationships between the mixed Avatar-human Sully family, who leave their forest lifestyle in the wake of a tragic war between the inhabitants of the planet Pandora and humans. They take asylum with the Metkayina, a collection of island-dwelling Na’vi, who teach them valuable skills for life near the sea. A notable Sully family member is Kiri, who is not biologically related to the rest of the family and was instead born immaculate-conception-style from the deceased body of an avatar scientist. Multiple times throughout the movie, she is outcast from others her age, denoting her odd personality and interests. She fosters a stronger connection with the other worldly earth mother Eywa than the other Na’vi, allowing her to physically direct living creatures and receive spiritual communication from Eywa. Despite this, the human doctors that visit the planet attribute her symptoms to epilepsy, as she has a serious seizure after interacting with Eywa through the Metkayina’s underwater spirit tree. The doctors advise her to stop using her gifts, but she chooses to use her powers to save her family and herself at the conclusion of the film. 

         Surprisingly, a young human woman once lived a similar life to Kiri’s. In 1934, the 9000-year-old remains of an adult woman were exhumed from a burial site in a German town called Bad Dürrenberg. She was buried in a seated position with a plethora of grave goods such as pierced animal teeth, a headdress made from deer antlers, and tools. These grave goods point to someone highly revered, like the headdress and animal remains which denote a spiritual practitioner. Shamans of Europe are usually connected to animals, especially deer. What makes this woman truly special is her congenital neck malformation. The remains of her atlas and axis, or the two vertebrae at the top of the spine were misshapen. In addition, the hole in which the spinal cord attaches into the base of the skull was affected. Some bio-archeologists think her condition may have led to multiple neurological symptoms such as double vision and difficulty

with motor control. Some believe she could deliberately pinch blood vessels in her neck with just the right turn of her head, causing her eyes to twitch rapidly. From the evidence provided, this woman probably served the people of Mesolithic Bad Dürrenberg as a shaman. A German archaeologist named Harald Meller theorizes that she was socially alienated when she was young but came to be venerated. Not only were those in her tribe aware of her, but those from surrounding groups. Some flints buried with her were made from rocks found fifty miles from her burial site (Curry, 2023). Not much else is known about her life as her exhumation was rushed due to the location of her burial and the construction project taking place there. We don’t even have photos of the burial, only drawings.

Clearly, there are strong similarities between Kiri and this ancient woman that cannot go ignored. They both are thought to be a mediator between those of their world and a higher power, have a special connection with animals or other lifeforms, have/will have gained an elevated status because of their gifts, and were born with a disability or physical impairment. It’s a common theme: Those with what we would call disabilities being seen as ultra spiritual in other

cultures. It could very well be that James Cameron, the director of the Avatar series, used historical figures as inspiration for his characters. In 2010, he was interviewed by an anthropologist for the journal Anthropology Now, in which he spoke broadly about his inspiration for the movie via Earth’s indigenous cultures. The language he used in the interview pointed to him having an anthropological background, probably from self-study. He was clearly aware of stories such as the Bad Dürrenberg Shaman when creating Kiri’s character. Do we have any sort of confirmation of my statement? None at all! But I like to believe that it’s true.

With history on our side, we can attempt to predict what will happen to Kiri in Avatar: Fire and Ash, which will be released in theaters next month on December 19th, 2025. In a recent interview, James Cameron acknowledged the mystery surrounding Kiri’s origin. He promised that questions arising from the second movie would be answered in the third. The end of the second movie left us with Kiri just beginning to understand her special power. If Kiri is anything like the Bad Dürrenberg Shaman, I believe she will rise to a high status among the Na’vi and will be known as the most powerful spiritual practitioner in Na’vi history. Though I doubt Kiri will die in the upcoming movie, like the Bad Dürrenberg Shaman she will not live to the full extent of her lifespan. The Bad Dürrenberg Shaman was remembered by the people of her region for at least six hundred years after her death, with the story of her life being passed by word of mouth.

Likewise, the Na’vi tell stories of famous historical figures, remembering their names across multiple generations. When Kiri dies, she will certainly not be forgotten.

I can only hope my predictions come true (I will be embarrassed otherwise.) Only time will tell. See you at the theaters next month!

Curry, Andrew. The Shaman’s Secrets (2023). Archaeology Magazine, Archaeological Institute of America. https://archaeology.org/issues/online/collection/germany-mesolithic-shaman-burial/.