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Sturmbeest Hunt 4

Hunting Sturmbeest

The Great Hunt is a hunt partaken by the Na'vi of the Omatikaya clan when a massive migration of sturmbeest, their main source of protein, passes along the riverbeds beyond Hometree.

All the hunters of the clan gather for the hunt, attacking the animals both from the air, riding banshees, and from the ground, chasing them on direhorses. The only way to stop a sturmbeest is to kill it, but in doing so the animals sometimes knock riders off their feet and may even trample them to death. Aerial hunters are armed only with bows and arrows, while mounted hunters use heavy arrows and spears, but due to the awkward angle, their weapons can ricochet off the sturmbeest's natural armor without inflicting mortal wounds. The only way to safely hit the beast is to hit one of the operculum located in the front of the chest, or hit the nerve ganglion located between the shoulders; Given the speed of movement and the precision required for a successful hit, hunters who hit a sturmbeest command great respect among their peers.

After a successful hunt, the Na'vi butcher the carcasses and go to the Hometree, where they hold a traditional hunt festival.

Avatar: Extended Collector's Edition[]

The Great Hunt was included in the Extended Collector's Edition of Avatar. Jake and Neytiri along with the rest of the hunting crew pursued a herd of sturmbeest on banshees. Tsu'tey shot first, hitting a sturmbeest in the operculum with an arrow, and a few seconds later, Jake does the same, making the sturmbeest roll over its head.

Project 880[]

The Great Hunt is mentioned in Project 880. Initially, completing Iknimaya meant precisely the possibility of joining the hunt on a banshee because James Cameron did not come up with the idea of a life-long connection between a Na'vi and a Banshee, yet. All hunters, both in the air and on land, were armed with spears with live slinger darts tied to the tip, as well as bows and arrows, which were resorted to in case of an unsuccessful spear throw. Tsu'tey was able to kill a sturmbeest by hitting the nerve node, while Josh (Jake Sully), knocked off the back of his banshee, managed to finish off a sturmbeest by sticking the spear with a blunt end into the ground and pointing the tip at the chest of the sturmbeest rushing towards him: due to the enormous speed with which the beast ran on the spear, it successfully broke through his armor and hit its heart. Humans were also watching the hunt. Trudy Chacón followed the herd in her Samson, with Marcia de Los Santos and Dr. Brantley Giese on board.

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