The Maori People Believe That They Exist Because Of The Whales

A great sense of trust supports this mutual ‘give-take’ relationship. ‘If you take care of country, country will take care of you.’ These beliefs are totemist and animist, which basically means Aboriginals perceive all natural objects to possess a spirit or soul. While totems are quite significant within Aboriginal culture as they act as symbols in a system of beliefs, signifying a relationship between an individual or group and an animal or plant. Thus, creating a link between the human, natural and supernatural worlds. As the word ‘totem’ comes from a Native American language where it represents group membership; and literally means is ‘he/she/it is a relative of mine’.

Whale Rider is set in a small New Zealand coastal village inhabited by Maoris who claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. For 1,000 years a male heir of the Chief has become leader of the tribe. At the beginning of the film, the wife of Porourangi, the Chief’s eldest son, dies in childbirth along with the male twin she was carrying. The surviving child, a girl, is given the name of Pai, the traditional name given to the male child.

Witi Ihimaria's novel, The Whale Rider is a novel around Maori family with traditional customs. It is set in a whangara and focuses on gender stereotypes that begin after a baby girl is born in the family , aggravating his grand-granddad in light of the fact that the introduction of a girl breaks the ancestry.

In the film 'Whale Rider', by Niki Caro which follows the journey of a young girl named Paikea Apirana and her struggle for acceptance as a leader of her Māori iwi, and especially her grandfather. An important character in this film is Pai herself. This character has significant importance as she is used to portray numerous important ideas and themes throughout the film. Pai helps me to understand and appreciate that women can also be leaders that are equal to men if they have the right attributes. The director Niki Caro uses numerous different film techniques to convey this idea, such as; the camera shots and camera angles when Pai is giving her speech to Koro, the use of camera angles and props in relation to the dialogue when Pai if fixing the motorboat engine, and the use of props when Pai is teaching herself to use the Taiaha.

The Aboriginal culture believes that their land was was created by the ancestor spirit of the dreaming, and people were formed by that land and are connected and linked to it. This relationship to their land gives them their social identity and connects them within their clan. The loss of their language and mother tongue has made it extremely impossible to pass on beliefs and traditions in an authentic way.

Stories that have been passed on for decades by Indigenous people have many cultural values and meanings that can help teach and guide others. In his book Earth Elder Stories: The Pinayzitt Path, Alexander Wolfe’s includes three stories “The Sound of Dancing,” “The Orphan Children,” and “Grandfather Buffalo,” that reveal important Anishinaabe cultural values. In the story “The Sound of Dance,” the value of family sacrifice is shown as a strong Anishinaabe cultural value. In the story “The Orphan Children,” Wolfe expresses the importance of orally transmitted knowledge as a core Anishinaabe cultural value. Then in “Grandfather Bear,” the keeper of knowledge emphasizes the importance of the connection to the past, especially within family relations in Anishinaabe culture. There are many cultural values that can be found in these three stories told my Alexander Wolfe. Family sacrifice is one of many values shown throughout these stories, specifically in the story “The Sound of Dancing”.

This suggests that the Māori believe that teamwork helps family members achieve their goals. The Haida human characters act greedily and show negative traits. The Māori humans are descendants of the gods. Haida humans are discovered trapped on Earth. Both family relationships are part of the creation story.

beliefs and values. Moreover, when they arrive in the Kilanga tribe they portray the tribe

A hero growing up usually has an awkward vive that displays them as an outcast. Reflecting to the beginning of the movie with the birth of Pai, her twin brother death symbolizes her characteristic. Throughout the movie “Whale Rider,” Pai at moments had a transcendent gender. Her short cut hairstyle and masticated clothes, hidden her feminine image but embraces her boyish characteristic. Others did not recognize Pai within the training school for her natural talent to compete against other males. In the Maori community, Pai is a disgrace because it was abnormal for a female to participate and practice within the traditional worrier school. Pai was not interested in the limited roles of what a woman are set out to do and refuse to limit her learning in the ritual of the worrier ancestors. Her grandfather clearly let her know that she is an embarrassment to him and the Maori community. He was blinded by the fact that her capabilities to with stand physical completions towards other male and in most cases defeat their pride. It was so obvious Pai had all the attributes of what her grandfather was seeking, but was ignorant by belief. There were numerous times she was caught practicing fighting technique and then punished by her grandfather. Punished by her grandfather and was forbidden by him to not

The Whale Rider by Niki Caro is a film about a young girl, Paikea’s journey to acceptance from her grandfather. This film explores many themes such as feminism, family and conflict. One of the main conflicts explored throughout this film is the conflict between Nanny Flowers and Koro, Paikea’s grandparents. Conflict is an important issue in this film because it causes rupture among an already fractured family.

The film “Whale Rider” is an example of gender discrimination. It is a story about a girl, Paikea, who wants to be the new leader of her tribe. Paikea Apirana is the female protagonist of the film. She is an 11 year old girl, who was born into the Whangara patriarchal tribe. But Maori tradition states that only a male can carry the knowledge and be the leader of the tribe. Because of this, her grandfather, Koro the current leader, does not allow her to join in the leader training. She never gives up. And finally, she becomes the first female leader of the Maori tribe.

Throughout “Whale Rider” Paikea is expected to listen to what her grandpa tells her to do and say. Personally, Paikea feels conflicted and under pressure to stick to her grandpas rules, as she wants to go her own way. Her grandpa finds it hard to see Paikea as her own person and can’t accept modernity, which he is not used to. He also stops her from learning the ways of a Maori chief, which is something she still tries to do in secret with the help of the rest of her family. Koro sometimes fails to see what Paikea can do, as he feels very strongly about old traditions, but other times he sees what she can do and fails to appreciate it. Paikea just wants to be loved and accepted by her grandfather and her strong sense of leadership and determination to get that from him leaves her as a role model to others to be brave and to never stop until they get what they want.

The story of Whale Rider takes place in a Maori village in New Zealand. The main character is a 12 year old girl name Paikea “Pai” Apirana and her ambition to become the next Chief of her village. Along with following on Pai’s story, the movie showed a great number of local Maori religion and culture. Some of the things I will explore is the Maori religion, gender roles, and a personal reflection on what was learned through the movie.

The following paper examines the history and religion of the ancient Maori people. It is my belief that exploration of traditional belief systems and ritualistic practices will lead to a greater understanding of the Maori culture in present-day New Zealand. The objective of the paper is to illustrate the Maoris’ unique perception and spiritual connection with their natural environment.

Throughout New Zealand history, historical roots have played a significant role in the development of modern Aotearoa New Zealand. The historical past has shaped various forms of present social dimensions within the nation today. This essay intends to discuss the controversial racial inequality in regards to the relationship between Maori and Pakeha within contemporary New Zealand society. This essay will explore two readings; “Plunder in the Promised Land: Māori Land Alienation and the Genesis of Capitalism in Aotearoa New Zealand” by Wynyard, Matthew and “Stereotypical Construction of the Maori ‘Race’ in the Media” by Wall, Melanie. This essay will also further discuss a brief summary on my personal reflection