Air Nomads

Air Nomads is a collective term for a nation of people in the fictional universe of the Nickelodeon animated television series Avatar: The Last Airbender. One of the series' "Four Nations," the Air Nomads were wanderers by definition, but had four Air Temples, one at each corner of the globe, hidden away atop mountain ranges in the northern Earth Kingdom and on three remote islands. The Air Nomads were home to a monastic order of men and women who practiced Airbending, the mystical art of aerokinesis.

A century before the time of the series, the Air Nomads were the victims of genocide at the hands of the Fire Nation. The sole known survivor of the massacre ironically was the very person the Fire Nation sought to kill in its quest for supremacy: the twelve-year-old Airbender and Avatar, Aang, who had run away from the Southern Air Temple shortly before the war began and became trapped in suspended animation. He has since revived and begun a quest to restore balance and peace to the warring nations.

Appearance

File:AN Monks 5.png

Air Nomad monks

The Air Nomads could be seen wearing orange, saffron yellow, and brown clothing. Aang and other young Airbenders wear orange shawls over long-sleeved yellow shirts, a brown belt, yellow pants with brown on the back, and brown boots that reach the knees. Senior monks wear longer robes in shades of yellow, orange, and brown. Air Nomads who completed their training and became Masters of the art of airbending were given blue arrow tattoos on their head, back, arms and legs. Many of the monks wore various types of long facial hair.

Culture

The Air Nomads were a peaceful society that dwelled at high altitudes in temples, and traveled the world atop their cherished flying bison. Unlike the other nations; all air nomads were airbenders. Pious and forthright, Airbenders preferred to use the power they harnessed strictly for defensive purposes. The Air monks were the most spiritual of all cultures and strived to live in harmony with nature. It is said that meditation was an important part of the Airbenders' daily routines, as it helped them to focus their energies and understand the potency of their element. The arrow on an Airbender's head signifies that he or she has mastered airbending. This is an emulation of the natural arrows on the heads of Flying Bison, animals revered by the Air Nomads, who can naturally Airbend and are believed to be the inspiration for the first Airbenders. In order to receive the tattoos as well as the title of a master, an Airbender must pass the thirty-six levels of airbending along with engendering a new technique. In actuality, Aang had only reached the thirty-fifth level before he left the Jongmu Temple, his invention of the Air Scooter earned him the tattoos prematurely, making him the youngest airbending master in history.

Natural resources and foods

The Air Nomads were a tranquil and environmentally friendly race of people and did their best not to leave a mark on the land. Any industry that they engendered, such as farming and gardening, were powered naturally. Storage rooms sealed off and filled with collected natural gas can be found within their temples. They also produced their own food, with their diet mainly consisting of fruits and vegetables due to their vegetarian lifestyle.

Airbender Genocide

A century before the time of the series, the Airbenders were the victims of genocide at the hands of the Fire Nation. All the Airbender monks were slaughtered in an effort to break the Avatar's cycle of reincarnation and ensure the Fire Nation's victory in their imperialist war. Ironically, the only known survivor of the massacre is the very person the Fire Nation sought to kill in its quest for supremacy: the twelve-year-old Airbender and Avatar, Aang. He had run away from home shortly before the war began in earnest and became trapped in suspended animation. The last known vestiges of Airbender culture include one surviving Flying Bison, Appa, and one winged lemur, Momo, both of whom are Aang's pets. Being the last Airbender, It is unknown what will happen when the Avatar cycle returns to Water.

References

• Official site
• History of the Water Tribes
• Tibetan Origin symbol
• Fire Nation Leaders
• 2005 Comic Con Avatar: The Last Airbender panel report