Na’vi dwellings that are constructed are known as marui. Different clans have different marui designs. Easily replaceable and repairable, Omatikaya marui are made of wicker ribs wrapped with robust lashings overlaying a compound curve or triangular frame. The exterior of the marui can withstand strong wind and provides protection from water. Inside, individual hammocks are suspended to keep insects away from the sleeper. While awake, the Na’vi can find comfort sitting together on a woven mat next to a warm cook fire. Marui can be strung up in the forest canopy or within a Kelutral, or sit on the ground.
Reef People’s marui are different from Forest People’s marui. The Metkayina, for example, live in multiple villages among the roots of enormous mangrove trees that grow on an island within an atoll. Their marui therefore hang between the mangrove roots. They are constructed with a firm, woven flax similar to rattan. Transparent membranes are added to let in light and provide color, and bamboo fish pens are built into the floors for easy access to fish. All Metkayina structures are designed to be strong enough to withstand Pandoran storms but light enough to not be injurious to the trees’ roots. Some of these villages have existed for thousands of years. Structures are constantly renewed but seldom replaced. Almost all resources that the Metkayina use for constructing and repairing their marui—as well as the tools they use—are taken from the reef and surrounding ocean, and the island forest. Metkayina clan members are careful only to take from the water exactly what is needed so they do not deplete the ocean of life.
