Moana: Diving Deep into Nature Spirituality
MOANA & NATURE SPRITUALITY
A Faith in Islands and Oceans
Moana
Moana is a movie about an island girl who is hand-picked to protect and save her people, and the island in which they live. The story is based on the interaction between humans and nature, portraying the islands and ocean as animate characters. Nature is held at spiritual significance for Moana and other islanders as life itself can be created and destroyed by the island gods. (Moana, 2016)
Introducing Destiny
Moana's Predetermined Fate
From a young age we see Moana as a wide-eyed, curious little girl with a love of nature. She displays her protective instinct toward nature, first seen by her innocent desire to protect a baby sea turtle on its journey to the ocean. This innocent act sets up her strong belief in the protection of nature at all costs. Then, we are introduced to perhaps one of the biggest spiritual influences of the film, the Ocean. The Ocean serves as a guide for Moana as it parts for her, presenting a path for her to follow, leading her to her true destiny, restoring the heart of Te Fiti. From here it is clear Moana's beliefs are rooted very strongly in nature.