ATLA Theory: Water Tribe Settlements Pt. 1
In Book 2, we learn that a group of water benders had settled down long ago in the Earth Kingdomās Foggy Swamp. Iāve always felt that this little detail added so much to the world of Avatar, as it indicates that there had been plenty of intermingling and cultural exchange between the Four Nations long before Sozin decided toĀ āshare the Fire Nationās prosperityā with the rest of the world.
Really, if any of the Four Nations were to have a long history of seafaring and resettling, it would have to be the Water Tribe. I imagine that the poles can sustain only so many people and the ability to manipulate water certainly lends itself well to ocean exploration. This is why I love the inclusion of catamarans (Polynesian Double Canoe Ships) as part of the Water Tribeās fleets; it implies a golden age of sea travel that happened long before industrialized colonization, paralleling the real-life history of Polynesia.
With this context in mind, my first Water Tribe settlement theory isā¦
Evidence 1: The Proximity
Kyoshi Island is in close proximity to TWOĀ Water Tribe settlements, the Southern Water Tribe and the Foggy Swamp. Putting it near one concentration of Water Tribers could be a coincidence, but right in between 2 areas known to have waterbenders feels very intentional. Frankly, given a choice between living in a swamp or living in the South Pole, I would also choose to live near a giant eel monster.
Kyoshi Islanders are really, really in love with the color blue. Only the Kyoshi Warriors wear green and thatās specifically to honor the woman who created the island. Otherwise, blue seems to be the most prominent color in their culture, just like in certain other placesā¦
They even have similar fashion sensibilities to the SWT; notice the cross-collar shirts, waist ties, and how many of them rock theĀ āshort sleeve over long sleeveā combo, just like Book 1 Katara and Sokka. You can even seeĀ that a lot of Kyoshi Islanders have blue eyes, a trait thatās otherwise exclusive to the Water Tribes.
Finally, lets take a moment to appreciate that Suki even wears her hair in a āWarriorās Wolf Tailā when sheās not in her Kyoshi gear.
Evidence 3: The Cultural Inspirations
The Water Tribe is heavily inspired by Arctic and Subarctic cultures. These cultures include Inuit, First Nation, Mongolian, and various Siberian groups. Kyoshi Island draws inspiration from two cultures: Japanese and Ainu.
While Japanese culture needs no introduction, the Ainu are an indigenous group native to snowy Northern Japan and Siberia. In other words, one of Kyoshi Islandās cultural inspirations is very thematically similar to the Water Tribeās. In fact, if you wanted to create a group of people that are a mix of Earth Kingdom and Water Tribe peoples, the Ainu would be the perfect people to draw inspiration from. Theyāre subarctic and tribal, but also East Asian. Theyāre basically the perfect cross section of Water Tribe and Earth Kingdom elements.
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