The Whale Rider Hero Journey

Another important part of Native American culture is the concept of being the right person for something, not simply being the chief's son or being the most beautiful. The Invisible One is not an ordinary man, but he is not the chieftain or anyone who is incredibly special. He is not a prince, or a great warrior, but a man who has a special power. Likewise, Oochigeaskw is not incredibly special however she is the right person, because she is virtuous and honest. This is just another example of what the Native Americans hold dear. They do not focus on royalty, or how rich you are, but instead do a simple test to see if you are worthy of each

For the kid who might be the chief" (Whale). Paikea turns out to be strongly fascinated on this legend because of the way that she is the latest of the bloodline descendant, which implies she is prepared to make every one of the basic decisions of being a chief other than the reality of being female. The youthful heroic girl refers to the legend when contrasting with herself as an approach to empower her rising as the current bloodline descendant. She keeps on participating in the myth all through the movie with a specific end goal to express her enthusiasm for her way of life (William, 3).

These expectations increased when she was in the presence of “great power, [her] mother talking story” (20). In one particular situation, the narrator recalls her mother singing about Fa Mu Lan, the woman warrior. Although her mother expected her daughter to become a wife or a slave, the narrator had a different idea; she would “grow up a woman warrior” (20). As a young girl, she said that she “couldn’t tell where the stories left off and the dreams began” (19). This is the case in “White Tigers.” The narrator’s dream-state takes readers into the mind of a girl who attempts to please her mother and entire family by becoming a woman warrior. This is possibly an attempt to subside much of the harsh ridicule she receives from her mother due to cultural differences. Although this is a key factor in her early childhood, she learns to block out these criticisms as she grows older.

Niki Caro’s film, Whale Rider, beautifully captures the small village of Whangara, which is located in the northeast of New Zealand’s North Island. The film portrays a Maori tribe that tells the story of a long-held tradition. This film is rich in symbolism, which is easy for any viewer to understand. Whale Rider does a wonderful job of capturing the attention of the audience because of the intense and close relationships between the characters, the way Caro conveys the movie’s message, and the features the movie offers.

Kahu escaped her responsibilities as a woman and took up the role of a male to create a new self-image. She was not scared or willing to back down. When Koro decided to test the boys to determine would be the next leader of the tribe, he threw a stone into the sea and asked them to find it and return it to him but all the boys failed to do so. The only one able to do so was Kahu, which shows how she, a girl, accomplished a task that none of the boys could do. She disregarded the obligations of the gender based roles thrust upon her and assumed the role of a male because using the “male voice” enabled her to reveal her underlying talent of being a capable tribal leader. This sexist attitude is waning in our society today. In our society women are recognized for their own abilities and they do not have to pretend to be like men. They are seen as talented individuals and not as pre-determined failures. This approach of their society in the novel is very backward as women have disguise their own personality to gain some respect in

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 White Chief or Most Beloved Man helped the villagers make decisions concerning farming, lawmaking, and disputes between individuals, families, or clans. He also played a large role in religious ceremonies. The Red Chief gave advice concerning warfare. One such decision was choosing who would be the War Woman, an honored woman is chosen to accompany braves on their war parties. The War Woman did not fight, but helped feed the men, offered them council, and

It is after she awakens from unconsciousness that she is finally able to confidently state, having earned Koro’s approval, “My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs, stretching all the way back to the Whale Rider … I know our people will keep going forward … with all of our strength.”

These contradictory styles stem from the characters’ different perceptions of culture which impact their identity. This is evident in a scene involving the reoccurring motif of the rope. Koro is attempting to fix an engine with a piece of rope whilst discussing where the ancestors originated from with Paikea. Koro converses in the traditional Maori dialect, and no subtitles are provided for the audience, which emphasises the significance of language to traditional Maori values and culture. “Weave together the threads of Paikea, so our line remains strong. Each one of those threads are one of your ancestors all joined together and strong”. He exerts force and physical strength to fix the rope in an aggressive manner, but subsequently, it frays; typical of Koro’s personality, his leadership style and methods are traditional. The crucial principle of the Maori identity - strength - is what breaks the rope, literally and metaphorically which is foreshadowing the future decline of the culture. He leaves to retrieve a replacement, Paikea mends the engine by taking a modern, different approach and promptly repairing the frayed piece by gathering the remains and tying it together. She applies Koro’s same technique of strength, displaying how she maintains her traditional culture, yet integrates her modern mentality to accomplish the task. This shot presages Paikea’s future role of mending the broken tribe, joining the ends of the past and modern times. Paikea’s scenes are dynamic and changing, a visual depiction of her flexible mindset and approach. Paikea demonstrates her ingenuity as a leader, yet Koro reprimands her as she is female. He states “I don’t want you to do that again, it’s dangerous”, implies that the task is too dangerous for her, presenting his patriarchal views. However, her completion of the task defies his archaic

The legend of Hi’iaka and Pele is a story of betrayal, jealousy and revenge. But also an explanation of the powerful effect of love and how it has no limitation. This myth also connects to the Reeves and Leslie family from their Hawaiian ethnic origin. The family comes from the Royal bloodline of Kauikeaouli or Kamehameha The Third. In their belief, the main Hawaiian spiritual protector is the Goddess Pelehonuamea (the fire Goddess) and they ask her for many different qualities to perpetuate their homeland and to keep the Big island healthy. This Goddess is also the one responsible to forming more of the early Hawaii island, helps push away storms and grant the local people the aspects of life that they surely need. Also, one of the family

The biggest gender role breakthrough for this tribe is when Paikea finally 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.

Besides that, Rawiri witnesses the signs foreshadowing Kahu’s future as the leader of the Maori tribe. Kahu is multi-talented, is the ‘leader of the culture group’ and ‘love to sing the Maori songs’ and even gave her speech at the end-of-year ceremony entirely in Maori. At such a young age, Kahu unusually displays many outstanding qualities that is required for a leader, and this suggest to the readers that she has what it takes and will eventually take up the leadership position as well. She ‘cried’ during the whale-beaching movie, ‘not even a lollipop would satisfy her’ and even ‘make a mewling sound at her throat’ when she witnessed the scene of whale-hunting on the beach. This shows that she is able to empathise and relate to the whales and there is a sense of communion between them, an ability that not even Koro possessed. He also saw her retrieving the stone from the deep waters, when all the other boys could not even do it. His narration of these events tells us that Kahu is unique and extraordinary, her astounding feats outshines the rest and thus hints to us that Kahu will do something great and lead her tribe.

At the age of fourteen, the nameless protagonist meets Old Chief Mshlanga on a walk with her dogs, a native tribal leader who used to own the whole area. The chief's pride and respect make the girl gingerly change her opinion of natives and reconsider her prejudiced vision and idea. As a result, she begins to be more pleasant towards the natives she encounters.

Kahutia was thus renamed Paikea and known as the whale rider (“Maori Mythology and Legend of Paikea”). In the movie’s timeline, Pai is a descendent of Paikea. Ironically, Pai became the new chief and whale rider, by almost drowning herself and riding the whales.