The Three Laws of Eywa, also known as the Na'vi Way, are rules governing the Na'vi way of life. When, why and how Eywa gave these laws to the Na'vi is not clear, but it's rumored to have been before even the time of The First Songs, the earliest recordings of Na'vi society.
A translation of the three laws is as follows:
You shall not set stone upon stone. Neither shall you use the turning wheel. Nor use the metals of the ground.
Note: These are only possible interpretations of the laws.
The Na'vi do not view Eywa as a law-giver deity, who exists separately from her creation and hands down a set of commandments that must be obeyed. the Three Laws of Eywa should be interpreted as the simplest expressions of principles of a low-impact lifestyle, ensuring that the Na'vi won't turn their relationship with the rest of the biosphere one-sided.
"You shall not set stone upon stone" should not be seen as a law that the Na'vi are supposed to follow to the letter, as they're shown to technically "set stone upon stone" to create a fireplace.[1] Thus, it's plausible to interpret it as a warning against falling out of interconnectedness with a civilization that is not based on interdependence on other life forms. The Na'vi base their culture on materials produced by organisms - bone, leather, wood, leaves etc. -, that eventually decays and being recycled into the biosphere, or set up their homes within living things, coexisting with them, like the Hometree. By rising stone structures, such as houses and roads, the Na'vi would gave up symbiotic reliance on other parts of the biosphere, as it would require the destruction and disposal of living organisms for the sake of creating inorganic environment.
For a real-life comparison, in our world, human beings created an environment that consumes, rather than coexists with Earth's natural environment, damaging or destroying several ecosystems with the construction of concrete jungles and disinterest in techniques such as living root bridges.
"Neither shall you use the turning wheel" is explicit in its reference to the wheel. The dense vegetation covering Pandora makes the wheeled transportation impractical, and making it possible and efficient would require the destruction of plant life and displacement of fauna. Since the Na'vi thrive without the use of wheel, just like without erecting stone structures to live in, the use of the "turning wheel" would provide them greater comfort, but on the expanse of other life forms.
For a real-life comparison, in our world, ever since humans produced technological devices, many have become disconnected from nature and reliant on technology. In order to produce advanced technology, the environment is the price to pay.
Finally, "nor use the metals of the ground" makes clear that Na'vi are not supposed to dig up the earth for metal. Gathering it from veins touching the surface and nuggets from gravel beds might not be covered by this law. Mining for metal presupposes the need for metal in a great extent, which is not necessary for the Na'vi to gather food or find shelter. In The High Ground, Neytiri believes Jake should not teach the hunters to use guns, as it violates this law.
For a real-life comparison, in our world, humans needed large amounts of metal to produce tools that made them easier to break the soil or kill animals, and to create tools of warfare. Based on the previous rules, the use of metal in an extent that necessitates mining is linked with a lifestyle that looses focus on the balance of the ecosystems.
Conclusion[]
Constructing structures made out of stone, using wheel to transport and mining metal are the three most basic elements of a civilization that was developed to provide human beings greater comfort and pleasure on Earth, but that is also exploitative, resulting in the planet dying. Although it's possible to balance a technologically advanced human civilization with Earth's ecosystems, the idea that the civilization that offers the most material comfort and pleasure is the best one, is incorrect.
Trivia[]
The Mangkwan clan.
The Three Laws of Eywa are present in tie-in materials, such as comics and reference books, but not in the movies.
The Mangkwan clan are seen holding human weapons in concept art. It would make sense they do not care about breaking the Three Laws of Eywa because they do not follow Eywa. This would make them the only known clan who is fine with breaking them.
Neytiri was added to Fortnite which is rather ironic as she can fight using guns, breaking the Three Laws.
The Na'vi following the Three Laws of Eywa annoyed the creator of the Oculus Rift, Palmer Luckey, who gave a presentation about how he believed the Na'vi are unintelligent during Hereticon in October 2024. He compared them to religious extremists, claiming following the Laws means they are responsible for being unable to defend themselves from the RDA (or any other alien invaders) because they did not invent guns.
However, this view neglects the canon fact that the Na'vi have engaged in wars before humans arrived. If many clans had access to guns, this could cause immense chaos and suffering among the Na'vi as a whole. It also ignores that Eywa already saved the Na'vi from invaders at the end of Avatar.
