Whale Rider

belief that is passed on from generation to generation. Cultures has their own traditions and many times they are broken when new generations are born. The film Whale Rider illustrates a culture in transition. The Maori people of New Zealand are looking for their male descendant of Paikea, a male ancestor who survived on the back of a whale after his boat capsized. Koro Pai’s grandfather has been looking for the next chief to lead them and restore traditions. Unfortunately, this is broken when…

Whale Rider and Paikea’s Significance from the First Scene The beginning of the film Whale Rider (2002) does not only tell the story of the beginnings of the Maori people, but it also lays out a theme that the rest of the film follows. In the first scene of the film, the voice of main character, Paikea, tells the story of her people. She is not revealed to be the main character of the film until after this first scene. Paikea’s voice-over and the editing in the first scene establishes how…

In the film Whale Rider, they are arguing that we should not hold people back and that we need to give people the opportunity to prove themselves. It is also important to have good leadership when going through a difficult period of time. When Koro was trying to teach the boys how to be like a leader, he took them out onto the ocean in a boat and went out deep. He threw his necklace that had a whale tooth on it and told the boys to go and retrieve it. However, none of the boys had actually…

Whale Rider Movie A contemporary story of Will and determination, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. The story describes the efforts of an indigenous group living within modern Western society to continue their traditions while assimilating some aspects of the predominant culture. The “Whale rider” movie offers us the opportunity to learn more about the Maori culture and consider the difficulties that many traditional…

Niki Caro's stoical mystical charming movie Whale Rider introduces newcomer Keisha Castle Hughes in her acting debut as Pai. Gender and Sexism are entrenched in many of the scenes in this movie. For instance, in the very first scene, it shows Pai’s family waiting for the birth of Pai and her twin brother. Koro, Pai’s Grandfather and the current Chief of the Maori People waited with bated breath for the next male to be born who was destined to become the future Chief of the Tribe. However, the…

The movie whale rider dives into the story of the girl Paikea and the trails she and community must overcome about their traditional heritage and culture. This essay will discuss and explore the theme of how traditional cultural heritage can conflict and clash with the demands of modern life, we will consider 3 key points: how women are treated and looked at in the community, how Koro refuses to adapt from his traditional thinking and how Nanny Flowers has to deal with and continue fighting the…

Heroes come in a variety of ages and different genders. In the movie Whale Rider, Paikea is a hero because she goes through a series of obstacles in her path of becoming the leader of a tribe, in a small village called Whangara. In the beginning of the movie, a mother gives birth to two children, but only one survives. Paikea, named after an ancestor who once led the tribe, survives but is a girl the other child, who is a boy dies. Because the boy died, there was no first born son to lead the…

If a natural disaster happens near to you it would not be ideal to have a good community who can help each other? The community plays a big role in these two stories Keeper ‘N Me and Whale Rider being very relevant for the principal characters in their journey. Community means a group of people with same interests or believes. Commonly the communities of aborigenous are known for being so close as community, they learn together, they teach, they help each other in difficult times and they have…

Pai is a powerful girl who displays several characteristics of Mysticism throughout Whale Rider. Despite constantly being told she cannot be a leader because of her gender by her grandfather Paka, Pai knows in her heart that she can help her people. She cares very much about the people of her tribe and desperately wants to bring everyone together. She spends most of the movie trying to learn all she can about being a leader, while still respecting her grandfather as she understands that he just…

important life lessons - in an extremely subtle and indirect manner. Mentors might not be nice to us sometimes. They will always feel the need of pushing us to the limit for us to grow stronger. This seems to be the case of Paikea in the movie “The Whale Rider” directed by Niki Caro, as well as of the son in y James Baldwin’s short story “Notes of a Native Son.” Both stories deal with a harsh and almost hateful mentor that pushes his or her apprentice to the limits so as to teach them a lesson…