Whale Rider Identity

The determination of gender identity is much deeper than whether a person is born a male or a female. The exact identifier that separates gender identity is currently unknown but researchers believe that genetics, hormones, reproductive organs, biological, and environmental factors all play a role in distinguishing a person’s gender identity. A person’s physical gender and their sense of gender are formed at two different times in two different parts of the body. A person’s gender is whether they are born male or female, but the way they identify themselves may be the opposite, which is not uncommon and has occurred since the beginning of time. In culture males are known to be the stronger, more aggressive sex, while females are the

In the film “Whale Rider”, we explore the traditions of the Maori tribe located in New Zealand. This tribe holds their traditions very high and only direct descendants of the Whale Rider himself can become the chief of the tribe. The main character in the film is a twelve-year-old girl named Paikea. Her twin brother died during childbirth, leaving Paikea as the only child. Because Paikea is a girl, she cannot be the leader of the tribe. Since there is no one in his family to become the next leader of the tribe, Paikea’s grandfather, Koro, is very upset about the death of his only male grandchild and becomes worried about the tribe’s future after he is gone. Paikea is caught in the middle of this and desperately wants to be included in the

Gender is a complex socially constructed idea. Often people interchangeably use gender to refer to someone’s sex. This is not the case. Sex is the biological characteristics that makes someone a male, female or intersex. Gender however is made up of expression, identity, and sexual orientation. Gender identity is how one views themselves such as a woman, man or transgender. Gender identity does not correspond to the sex of that person. Gender expression is how one expresses their gender identity. This could be through a masculine , feminine or androgynous expression. In Western societies, although there has been a push for change in our gender system, the gender system as been a binary system. This binary system only believes that there are

Koro feels the need to stick to old traditions and rules but is not willing to try new things and to change. Change is something that is new for Koro, as he has been so used to doing the same thing all his life, but Paikea and what she does challenges Koro to get outside his comfort zone. Koro has been used to and believes in a traditional and patriarchal society with everyone in their particular place. This is why when Paikea starts to show the true qualities of a chief, and in his words “Doesn’t obtain to her role,” he is blinded and ignores them as he is so focused on what he is used to. While Paikea is asking Koro about her ancestors, Koro says “Each one of those threads, is one of your ancestors, all joined together and strong.” But then the rope breaks, which symbolises either a wave of change coming through or old traditions being broken and new ones being started, either way, Paikea will be the one to put the rope back together again, as in that scene she fixes the rope to get the engine started.

Throughout many studies, researchers have said that gender develops from families, which is part of the social construction in children. According to Coltrane and Adams, Gender is defined as “To what it means to be a man or a woman in a specific time and place” (Coltrane and Adams). People in this world think that gender is automatically part of biological sex, but according to Coltrane and Adams, it is not a direct result of biological sex. The term is defined as “to refer relatively distinct biological differences between male and females such as genitals, hormones, and chromosomes” (Coltrane and Adams). For gender it is also social and it refers to how a person thinks that someone should look, act and feel (Coltrane and Adams). On the daily life, people will usually assume that a person “is” the gender that corresponds to his or her sex: females are feminine and males are masculine (Coltrane and Adams). In addition, gender also describes how the typical man and woman are supposed to present themselves. A man presenting himself as masculine and a woman presenting herself as feminine in particular cultures (Coltrane and Adams). In other words how women should act and how men should act.

Gender is considered an axis of social order. Its categorisation into masculinity and femininity is social constructed and maintained in everyday life (Clark and Page, 2005; Mackie, 1994). Gender identity is our innermost understanding of our self as ‘male’ or ‘female’. Most people develop a gender identity that matched their biological sex (their body). Gender identity can be affected by, and is different from one society to another, depending on the way the members of society evaluate the role of females and males. Our gender identity can be influenced from the ethnicity of the group, their cultural background, and family values. Gender like social class and race can be used to socially categorize people and even lead to prejudice and discrimination. From day –to-day, continuous production of gender has been called ‘doing gender’ (West and Zimmermann, 1987), meaning that gender is “made” by us in everyday lives in our interactions with others.

Typically, sex and gender have been described as a package deal; one reflects the other. However, this is false and has become a popular topic in today’s society. Sex is defined as “the biological characteristics that distinguish males from females” (Henslin, 2014). Therefore, a person’s sex is determined by their physical traits, such as a penis or a vagina. Gender, on the other hand, “consists of whatever behaviors and attitudes a group considers proper for its males and females” (Henslin, 2014). Gender norms vary between cultures and are not based off of physical traits.

Good morning girls, I am Nikki Carro director of the film Whale Rider, I understand you have looked at the prepared extracts? Well what I wanted to talk to you about today was how elements of cultural traditional and generational difference have been explored in the film Whale Rider. In the first extract there is lot to do with cultural tradition especially where Koro and Porourangi do a Hongi. Also in the second extract where we have a quite important scene of Uncle Rawiri and Nanny Flowers where Uncle tells her about how Pai found Koro’s reiputa which of course is symbolic of her being the whale rider. However, through this scene we also explore elements of generational difference.

Witi Ihimaera manipulates the characters within the novel The Whale Rider to convey the theme of Unconditional love. Eight-year-old Kahu was born into a tribe with deep cultural and traditional beliefs that remains instilled in the members through the rigid leadership of Koro Apriana. Upon her birth, Koro Apriana expresses an immediate disdain for the girl as she is the first-born of Poruorangi; successor and heir to the Whangara tribe, in which according to tradition is passed from eldest son to eldest son. The chief manifests a strong belief the preservation ancient traditions which in a modernising world becomes problematic and a source of dispute among tribe members. As Kahu matures, she develops a yearning for acceptance and recognition

Hokowhitu states that “Whale Rider’s alignment with these myths of primate society privileges a certain brand of knowledge by misrepresenting Maori culture as patriarchal, sexist, and based on encumbering traditions” (63). The film portrays a biased Maori culture where tribal traditions can only be carried on by future male generations. Therefore Paikea, who was born to be a leader, is limited by her gender and “fighting over one thousand years of patriarchal tradition” (Hokowhitu 63). Throughout the film, Paikea builds her identity by uncovering her ancestral roots. When no males could retrieve the Reiputa, the whale tooth emblem that can only be recovered by the true leader, it is seen to be lost forever much like the Whangara people without a leader. The traditions that were once held will be lost at sea as no males are able to step up and rescue their tribe. It is Paikea who contests these patriarchal traditions by achieving the responsibilities that her male counterparts could

Just as a candle cannot burn without fire, people cannot live without a spiritual connection. Having a spiritual connection to one’s ancestor’s can be a powerful ability. The connection between the real world and the spiritual is a thin line, so when people are able to communicate, it means that these people are special. Paikea’s spiritual connection to her ancestors is what starts the rebirth of the destruction of the Maori culture. Paikea is the rebirth of the Maori tribe, its culture, and she is the future of equality. In Campbell’s “The Four Functions of Myth”. Campbell’s four functions of myth are found in the film, Whale Rider, as Pai discovers her sense of self as she reinvents the Maori tribe’s perspectives of the creation myth to heroically

The concept of gender has a strong social impact on me. When I was born, I was immediately assigned to a biological sex as a female with two X chromosomes. I was then socially classified as a girl in the society with feminine gender roles. Gender is defined as a social principle which attribute to the roles and expectations of males and females through the years of different societies (Phillips, 2005). Gender can be considered as behavioural, cultural and psychological traits

In the movie “Whale Rider” directed by Niki Caro, many important objects are used to foreshadow the later events involving protagonist Paikea Apirana, a young girl forbidden by tradition to become the chief of her tribe. Although the outcome of the film seems quite unprecedented at first, Director Caro conceals many clues regarding the ending for the audience to discover. She does this through the use of camera angles, dialogue and props, notably through the use of the rope, the Taiaha and the Rei Puta. Furthermore, while making links to certain scenes in the movie, Niki Caro has hidden life lessons and morals regarding discrimination, prejudice and leadership that the audience can closely relate to and learn from.

Gender is an identity based solely on how an individual is evaluated by society. Individuals adopt social expectations for gender norms and behave accordingly. Gender is similar to race and social class in which you can socially classify a person. Also like race and social class, gender can also to lead to discrimination and prejudice. Based on social construction the view on gender looks far past classifications and categories. Society scrutinizes the nodes of several characteristics and observe the thin lines between essentialism. Sex is more of an ascribed status. Its social roles and expectations are based on genetic and biological behavior. Social construction strives to find that thin line between the male and female which are so often acknowledged as essential. Describing one’s gender is never relatively stable. An individual is always deviating or coinciding with the socially conventional form of stereotypes based upon gender. These performances normalize the essentialism of gender categories. As

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.