Interbody transference

[Ashen Key]

Originally Posted by Sothis

Scott Washburn's "Aftermath" had an interesting idea where the Na'vi use the ritual to transfer memories from one Tsahik to the next, when the old Tsahik is dying. The mother's spirit isn't transplanted into her daughter's in the way they were attempting with Grace and Jake, but her memories are (including the memories she inherited from her own mother). In this way, the clan's history is preserved from one generation to the next.

In this "traditional" case, the recipient isn't an empty vessel, so only the memories are transferred, not the entire "soul." The avatars, by contrast, ARE empty vessels when the driver isn't linking with it, so Mo'at probably deduced that the ritual could potentially allow the "soul" to completely inhabit the avatar body.

...oh, wow, that's an utterly brilliant idea. And it makes perfect sense, both in a cultural-way, and also in a plot-way.