The film centers on Paikea Apirana, a 12-year-old girl known as “Pai,” who is the sole surviving child in her tribe. It is her duty to carry on the lineage of succession, yet her mother and twin brother passed away during childbirth. According to custom, only the eldest son, who must be a direct descendant of Paikea (also called Kahutia Te Rangi in the book), can become the leader. However, because Pai is a girl, she is ineligible for inheriting this role.
Pai’s koro, Apirana, also known as Old Paka according to his wife Nanny Flowers, is initially furious for losing his grandson and being left with a “useless” female. However, despite his resentment towards his granddaughter and holding her responsible for the tribe’s difficulties, he eventually develops a tender bond with her and even carries her to school on his bicycle. There comes a moment when Paikea decides to depart with her father due to mistreatment from her grandfather. However, she realizes she cannot bear to separate from the sea as she feels compelled by the whale’s call. She instructs her father to turn the car around and returns home.
Pai’s father rejects the idea of taking on the traditional leadership role and chooses to relocate to Germany in order to pursue a career as an artist. On the other hand, Pai herself shows interest in leadership and dedicates her time to learning traditional songs and dances. However, her grandfather provides little encouragement. Despite lacking a precedent for women assuming leadership, Pai believes she has the potential to become a leader and is determined to prove herself. Koro decides to establish a cultural school specifically for boys in their village with the hope of finding a new leader. He instructs the boys in using a taiaha, which is traditionally exclusive to males.
Nanny informs Pai about her uncle’s past taiaha tournament victory and encourages her to learn from him, which she does secretly. Pai also covertly observes Koro’s teachings. Hemi, one of the students, shows empathy towards Pai, but Koro becomes furious upon discovering her actions, especially when she triumphs in a taiaha fight against Hemi. The relationship between Koro and Pai deteriorates even further when none of the boys succeed in retrieving the rei puta (whale tooth) that Koro threw into the ocean as a test to determine the future leader.
Pai wants to mend the divide, so she invites Koro to a concert where her school will perform traditional Mori chants in his honor. What no one knows is that Pai won a speech contest that praised Koro and the village’s customs. Unfortunately, Koro is running late and on his way to the school he comes across a large number of right whales stranded near Pai’s house. The entire village tries to coax and drag the whales back into the water, but their efforts are in vain. Even using a tractor doesn’t work because the rope breaks. This failure only deepens Koro’s despair as he sees it as a sign of his own failure.
He warns Pai not to touch the biggest whale because she has already caused enough harm by assuming too much. Moreover, the biggest whale traditionally belongs to the legendary Paikea. However, after Koro leaves, Pai climbs onto the back of the largest whale and persuades it to return to the ocean. The whale guides the entire group back into the sea, but Paikea almost drowns in the process. As she ventures into the ocean, Nanny Flowers presents Koro with the whale tooth that Pai had previously retrieved. When they find Pai and take her to the hospital, Koro proclaims her as the leader and seeks her forgiveness.
The film concludes with the entire village, which includes Pai’s father, uncle, and grandparents, celebrating her position as the leader while the completed waka is transported into the sea for its inaugural voyage. Most heroes are typically large, formidable men or mythical beings with countless stories and legends attributed to them. However, this particular hero is an unexpected one: a young girl hailing from a small tribe and residing in a modest New Zealand village. At 13 years old, Paikea is a direct descendant of the original whale rider also known as Paikea. Throughout her journey to assume leadership of her tribe, she encounters numerous challenges emanating from her grandfather, Koro.
In the Paikea tribe, the leader is traditionally the first-born son, which creates a challenge for Paikea as she is a girl. Initially unaware of her potential role as leader, Paikea lives a normal life with her grandparents and attends school. She stands out from the other boys as she is highly intrigued by Paikea culture and origins. Eventually, her birthfather Porourangi reappears, sharing details about his prosperous life in Germany with his pregnant partner. This angers Paikea’s grandfather, who expresses a lack of need for her and sees her as a burden. Paikea initially leaves with her father but has a change of heart on the way to the airport and returns to her grandparents, unable to leave them behind. Upon her return, her grandfather acts as though nothing happened and focuses on finding a new tribe leader. While her father declines the leadership role and goes back to Germany, Paikea expresses interest in defying tradition despite being female. Her grandfather, acting as her Herald, criticizes her due to internal issues within the tribe.
The novel Whale Rider depicts how Pai, the main character, confronts her grandfather Koro’s disapproval while he strives to revive the customs of their ancestors. In an attempt to preserve the old traditions, Koro organizes classes for young boys to learn how to be true tribesmen. Although Paikea, a girl, is unable to formally join these classes, she secretly observes and mimics their activities. Despite her grandfather’s dissatisfaction, Pai rises above the limitations placed on her due to her gender. Whale Rider narrates the history of the Maori Tribe and their belief that the next chief should be the firstborn son directly descended from their ancient ancestor Paikea.
In the movie “The Whale Rider,” Koro attempts to find a new leader by sending all first-born sons to a cultural reform school. However, he fails to notice that Pai, an eleven-year-old girl, is actually meant for this role. The accuracy of Woolf’s arguments can be seen in Pai’s actions and perspectives. Her androgynous thinking and “woman-manly” attributes allow her to encompass the entire spectrum of human experience, incorporating both masculine and feminine qualities. This film delves into the issue of cultural constraints at both an individual and societal level.
In New Zealand, a small village of Maori people claims descent from Paikea, also known as the Whale Rider. According to their tradition, the leader of the Maori tribe must be a direct descendant and firstborn son of Paikea. However, a crisis arises when the firstborn grandson – a baby boy – dies at birth while his twin sister survives. Despite this setback, the girl grows up believing she is destined to become the next leader of the tribe. The main characters in this story are Pai, a 12-year-old girl who is currently the only living child in line for succession, and Koro, her grandfather and current tribal leader.
Nanny Flowers: Pai’s grandmother
Porourangi: Pai’s father
Rawiri: Pai’s uncle
1. WHAT “ISM” DID U SEE ILLUSTRATED
SEXISM: stereotypical gender roles
Women: makes food: Koro utters “Women setup dinner”
Women are not to smoke: a child says: “Women should not smoke”
Women has to sit in the back: Koro tells Pai to move from the front row to the back row when they have a meeting in Marae
Men: are fighters: boys are traditionally taught to use the taiaha fix things: Koro is not pleased when Pai can fix the motor for the boat
boys do not cry: Pai finds Hemi crying and he gets upset and tells her to go away .
WHAT ARE EXAMPLES OF INTERNALIZED OPPRESSION
Porourangi worked on building a Waka (canoe), a Maori cultural tradition, before the birth of his twins but due to his loss of wife and son, he stops and moves to Germany. Porourangi “refuses” to assume traditional leadership. He is acting out of distress when he moves to Germany to pursue a career as an artist, and he has learned that he can never live up to Koro’s expectations. Both are signs of internalized oppression.
Hemi’s father also shows signs of beginning internalized..
