It is evident that throughout the film “Whale Rider”. Many aspects of loss, cultural and personal to a variety of characters are explored. However, at the end of the film, the tribe and community is reunited and moving forward “together with all of [their] strength”. Hope is signified by the community sailing out into the horizon in the finished waka with their “wise leader” Paikea at the Helm.
The overwhelming sense of personal loss is heavily emphasised by Paikea’s reflection of her birth “There was no joy when I was born”. This outlines the loss to many characters as a result of her birth. During her birth, both her mother and twin brother die whilst she survives. Koro’s personal loss is outlined by his desperation and anger whilst asking …show more content…
In the Maori culture, the deepest and most emphasised relationship is between the leader and his eldest son, the rightful heir to the leadership. But the relationship between the leader and his daughter is traditionally weak or non-existent. As a result, Paikea, the true leader has been stereotyped as a normal girl in a male-dominated society. This is a personal loss because Pourorangi, the leader’s first born child cannot become leader and therefore, with no leader the community cannot be strong. Koro is the upholder of tradition and in a way, is preventing the community from moving forward. He is looking for a prophet, somebody to unite and ressurrect the community, and according to his traditional views, the prophet must be a first-born boy. As a result of these views, the community cannot move forward and its cultural identity is tightened. As a result of this, many of the characters lose their purpose in life. Examples of this include Rawiri, who is overweight, Hemi wanting to move away and the old women smoking and playing cards. Paikea is ignored no matter how much leadership potential she shows because of Koro’s traditional views, because of this, the community is broken. When Pourorangi left he left behind an unfinished waka. Over time, this waka begins to break and rot. This signifies the cultural loss of Pourorangi’s absense as with no leader and no rightful heir, the community is beginning to
The overwhelming sense of personal loss is heavily emphasised by Paikea’s reflection of her birth “There was no joy when I was born”. This outlines the loss to many characters as a result of her birth. During her birth, both her mother and twin brother die whilst she survives. Koro’s personal loss is outlined by his desperation and anger whilst asking …show more content…
In the Maori culture, the deepest and most emphasised relationship is between the leader and his eldest son, the rightful heir to the leadership. But the relationship between the leader and his daughter is traditionally weak or non-existent. As a result, Paikea, the true leader has been stereotyped as a normal girl in a male-dominated society. This is a personal loss because Pourorangi, the leader’s first born child cannot become leader and therefore, with no leader the community cannot be strong. Koro is the upholder of tradition and in a way, is preventing the community from moving forward. He is looking for a prophet, somebody to unite and ressurrect the community, and according to his traditional views, the prophet must be a first-born boy. As a result of these views, the community cannot move forward and its cultural identity is tightened. As a result of this, many of the characters lose their purpose in life. Examples of this include Rawiri, who is overweight, Hemi wanting to move away and the old women smoking and playing cards. Paikea is ignored no matter how much leadership potential she shows because of Koro’s traditional views, because of this, the community is broken. When Pourorangi left he left behind an unfinished waka. Over time, this waka begins to break and rot. This signifies the cultural loss of Pourorangi’s absense as with no leader and no rightful heir, the community is beginning to