Talk:Asami Sato/@comment-4943556-20120320193508/@comment-4943556-20120322040423

Oh, I wouldn't jump to the conclusion that she's *white* in the way we understand the term as being of purely Anglo Saxon, Celtic, or even Mediterranean descent, or some mix of European blood only. The Water Tribe was clearly based on Inuit/Eskimos. They and the Aztec Sun Warriors civilization, being Native American are very related to East Asians since they came from the Bering Strait. Non mestizo Native American children still look completely Asian. However, based on the pictures below, the Water Tribe (Katara in particular) look physically closer to Polynesians like the ethnic Hawaiians, naturally thick, curly hair included. Polynesian/Pacific Islanders are another group closely related to East Asians (and if you visit the Islands today, especially Hawaii, many natives are mixed with Asians from the sugar plantation period who now dominate the Local culture) even before they mixed in with them. Kuruk himself, I would say most definitely had a stereotypically Hawaiian *personality* and his surfing is likely a subtle recognition of the fact that Hawaiians invented the sport (look up Olympic medalist Duke Kahanamoku). I don't think it would be too far fetched if the creators actually melded the two cultures the way that the other nations are sort of a melting pot of Asian-ness what with, for example, the Fire Nation having influences from both Japan and Ancient China, but Ta Min having a Korean wedding (the whole Asian-centric melting pot idea actually being just like Hawaii). Now, if you were going to say that if they were a real people, the Water Tribe members look *part* white or some other exotic mixture, you might have more of an argument there. However, to claim that they are Nordic or completely "white" the way most Americans think of the term and the way they were cast in the movie is silly. Adriana Lima, featured below, has tanned skin, mixed features due to her multiracial background, light brown hair, and blue eyes. If I were in charge of casting M. Night's movie, I would have been more inclined to try to cast Polynesians, Q'orianka Kilcher, or someone like Adriana Lima who is of mixed race and just happens to have the naturally correct coloring of Katara (because blue contacts tend to look cheesy). But is the Water Tribe drawn to be a little more racially ambiguous than the others? I would be lying if I said I didn't think so, although I can't say I'm altogether too happy with it. I think it's been twisted and used as justification to allow far too many people to rationalize taking Asian culture and themes, but by silencing Asian American voices through choosing to look at everything from a Euro-centric perspective. In essence it is saying Asians do not hold ownership over their own civilization; that their own culture is too good for them, which is ludicrous. Honestly, I don't think it's a coincidence that the Water Tribe was extremely popular with the general viewership, most likely due to that ambiguity and self insertion amongst female white or non-Asian fans who wanted to identify with the show and the characters, but psychologically couldn't bring themselves to do so because the other Asian females (or even potential females) in the cast were too "other." I'm not pointing fingers or saying that's universally the case, I'm just saying that I'm sure it does happen and I think we need to be careful that such ingrained attitudes do not cause us as fans to overstep our bounds. In short, we need to examine our own subconscious beliefs and our motivations. As a disclaimer, I did think the Water Tribe was cool in its own way in and of itself, I just think they've been misused as the last bastion of possible "whiteness" amongst viewers too much. People have also tried it with the Fire Nation, but those arguments are easily defeated, in my opinion, as is the Tibetan/Buddhist monk influence in Aang's creation. Personally, I always envisioned him as looking something like little Pu Yi in the Last Emperor...

Hawaiian woman 1: http://www.123rf.com/photo_5063550_portrait-of-a-beautiful-young-polynesian-woman.html

Hawaiian woman 2: http://www.google.com/imgres?start=149&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&biw=1600&bih=1043&addh=36&tbm=isch&tbnid=ncldsKvMwu-oWM:&imgrefurl=http://www.visualphotos.com/image/1x6338316/close-up_young_hawaiian_woman_holding_a_seashell&docid=QPHHe8O1L1VqaM&imgurl=http://www.visualphotos.com/photo/1x6338316/close-up_young_hawaiian_woman_holding_a_seashell_10069-30696-50.jpg&w=500&h=357&ei=yZFqT5n0IYWtiQKFie2PBQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=473&vpy=493&dur=5278&hovh=190&hovw=266&tx=165&ty=82&sig=111909131893535863132&page=4&tbnh=148&tbnw=190&ndsp=54&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:149

Hawaiian woman 3: http://archives.midweek.com/content/zones/windward_news_article/strong_leaders_in_spotlight_for_womens_history_month/

"Exotic" mixed (?) woman, unknown racial background. http://depositphotos.com/1617410/stock-photo-Woman-with-seductive-looking.html

Adriana Lima of Brazil with  known French, Portuguese, Native American, and Caribbean descent, possibly African, Indian, and Swiss: http://limahotgirl.blogspot.com/

True Eskimo woman: http://www.sodahead.com/living/what-ethnic-group-did-you-enjoy-dating-the-most/question-612741/?link=ibaf&q=&imgurl=http://i78.photobucket.com/albums/j110/Beethovenv/EskimoGirl-Kirima.jpg