This quote articulates the idea of Kahu's physical and spiritual connection to Whangara. 2. Viewers also learn that Uncle Rawiri was once a champion with this traditional Maori way of fighting, although now he appears to be lazy, fat, and a user of drugs and alcohol. Encouraged by the Labour Party and union bureaucracy, they turned Maori workers instead towards the struggle for indigenous rightsin particular land rightsand the rediscovery of tribal identity. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. "'Never mind girl,' she said to baby Kahu. Rawiri accompanies him but eventually leaves due to the increasingly apparent racism ofRawiri's family (especially coming from his mother). Suduiko, Aaron ed. Why does Porourangi, Koros first born son and Pais father, leave home and live in faraway Germany? Whale Rider is a 2002 New Zealand drama film written and directed by Niki Caro. Kahu does not mind all this anger from Koro though, and she continues to fervently seek his love and acceptance. His mother says that this stems from the fact that he is a second born son and therefor, according to Maori tradition, he can never become chief. Which of the evils of prejudice are shown operating in this movie? He is looking for a suitable successor, which according to local culture ought to be passed from eldest child to eldest child. [10] Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton of The Movie Show both gave the film four out of five stars. Because sometimes, even if youre the leader and you need to be strong, you can get tired like our ancestor Paikea when he was lost at sea and he couldnt find the land and he probably wanted to die. The entire village attempts to coax and drag them back into the water, but all efforts prove unsuccessful, and even a tractor does not help. As a visiting group moves into the formal meeting area, they are welcomed by a call from a woman of the household or village. But now we were waiting for the firstborn of the new generation, for the descendant of the whale rider. Paikea Apiranas grandfather is the Chief of a small Maori tribe in modern-day New Zealand. This symbol can also be seen as representing his inability to see the strengths of Pais character and to foresee the best path for the tribe to take in the future. See Drawing of Maori Face Tattoo and Modern Day Face Tattoos. Pai feels that she can become the leader (although no woman has ever done so) and is determined to succeed. [2][3] In 2002 it was adapted into a film, Whale Rider, directed by Niki Caro.[4]. The ____ family in the movie, despite their beliefs or rituals, can be just like an American family, or any other one. In 1840, British rule over the Maori was formalized in the Treaty of Waitangi, which granted British citizenship and land rights to the indigenous people of New Zealand, although most of the country was confiscated for European settlers. The old whale remembers the days when man and animal were united and in communication, but those are long past. Then he is excluded from the boat. The Maori, the native Polynesian people of New Zealand, are looking for a male descendant of Paikea the brave leader who escaped death on the back of a whale to lead them and restore the traditions. Kahu herself plays a prominent role in the ceremony. All the whales of a herd come and to the beach and strand themselves there. Our ancestor, Paikea. When Jeff is called back to his parents plantation in Papua New Guinea, he asks Rawiri to accompany him and so the two leave Australia for Papua New Guinea. This is an echo of the earlier symbol of the rope. There is no attempt to concretely examine, from a critical perspective, the social system and class oppression that determine the daily realities of ordinary Maori. Koro leads a cultural school for the village's first-born boys, hoping to find a new leader. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. The visitors respond and the calls go back and forth as the newcomers enter the location where the meeting is to occur. The patriarchal structure of the family provides grounding to the story, and the interactions between the characters are interesting, but the grand metaphysical puzzle that dominates this film isn't clear to one who is unfamiliar with the film's cultural backdrop. Movies. There, he meets Jeff and the two become fast friends. Mana Taumana as Hemi; FILM SYNOPSIS In a small New Zealand coastal village, Maori claim descent from Paikea, the Whale Rider. Nanny does not think Koro is ready to accept this and does not tell him. Give it a location, a full geography, a population and a myth that explains how the tribe arrived on the island and what traditions it follows. [2] Additional financing came from ApolloMedia, Filmstiftung NRW, the New Zealand Film Commission and NZ On Air. But we can learn. Shout! A young man who lives in the present but maintains a deep connection to his past heritage, Rawiri is both an active member of a biker gang and a devoted student of Maori language and culture. This shows that he thinks Pais leadership would be dangerous to the tribe, despite the fact that she can do what he cannot. She respects and loves both her grandfather and Maori tribal traditions. Discussion Questions Rawiri thus spends two years in that country with Jeff; they attempt to cultivate the land. His father was a Chief in Hawaiiki with many wives and numerous children. A poetic look into a different culture that really isn't too different, simply remembering that it was at one time and wanting to hold that memory. The importance of myth and stories which shape the lives of traditional people will become clear to viewers and will offer the perspective necessary to look at their own myths and stories. Pai Ihimaera's The Whale Rider The summary of The Whale Rider is about a young girl, named Pai, who wants to be chief. The Whale Rider is a 1987 novel by New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. Keisha Castle-Hughes was nominated for the 2004 Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role. Another symbolic action in the scene occurs when Pai ties the rope and uses it to make the engine start. Germany is very far away from the life of the tribe, in terms of both distance and culture. It started to break up about 180 million years ago in the Early Jurassic Period. Discussion Questions Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association: New Zealand filmmaker Jonathan Brough made the documentary film Riding the Wave: The Whale Rider Story, as well as short documentary clips about Whale Rider, to accompany the DVD.[20]. If Pai had a brother, he would become chief, but her only brother, her twin, died at birth, along with their mother. Pai, the protagonist, briefly explains the story of Paikeia, the legendary Whale Rider who founded Maori civilization. B. 10. [17], Whale Rider grossed US$41 million worldwide.[3]. She sympathizes with the difficulty of her husbands life, telling her granddaughter, Hes got a lot of rules to live by.. Rawiri and his biker gang work with the police and rangers to keep whale butchers fro coming near the whales, while the navy is called in to attempt to pull the whales back out to sea. Not affiliated with Harvard College. Overjoyed, the whale returns to sea and it descends back into the water with the rest of the herd and Kahu in tow. Koro sees that as a sign of his failure and despairs further. . He remains dedicated in his mission to find a suitable successor, and he is doing all he can as leader of the Whangara Maori community to preserve the Maori culture for future generations in a time of spreading modernity. His response to the strong ties that he feels to Maori culture and the pressure to be chief is to make a clean break. Back home he cracks under all the pressure and weeps. Touching and powerful, Whale Rider is extraordinarily well-crafted film. Back in Whangara, big events soon take place. Setting. The movie was based on the novel, The Whale Rider by Witi Tame Ihimaera. The Question and Answer section for The Whale Rider is a great HEMI: For us fellas, to teach us the old ways and that. Please click the link below to receive your verification email. They won't be able to see your review if you only submit your rating. Pais father needed to distance himself from the place where he lived with his wife and where he lost both his wife and his son. Set in the 1980s in Whangara, a Mori community on the eastern edge of New Zealand's North Island, the novel is a retelling of the myth of Paikea. Drama Family A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. Maori tattoos are famous for their intricate designs, size, and beauty. For activities specific to this film, divide the class into small groups and ask students to research one of the following topics for an oral presentation using the technology available in the classroom. When Koro returns he admonishes his granddaughter, telling her that what she has done is dangerous and that she should never do it again. The beginning of the movie starts out with the birth of 2 fraternal twins, with the grandfather patiently awaiting the birth of the son. these scenes. Instead, Nanny Flowers, Koros wife and Kahus great-grandmother, must enlist the aid of Rawiri and some friends to help her bury it herself in the town center. She demonstrates racist tendencies when Rawiri comes to help them maintain their plantation. One of the students, Hemi, is also sympathetic towards her. This ancient custom is upset when the child selected to be the next chief dies at birth. Koro is devastated when none of the boys succeeds at the traditional task of recovering the rei puta (whale tooth) that he threw into the ocean, the mission that would prove one of them worthy of becoming leader. Just leave us a message here and we will work on getting you verified. However, Pais father, the next in line, has declined to accept the role. Porourangi, the girls father, is his eldest grandson so he is the successor for that generation. The book "The Whale Rider" by Witi Ihimaera is about a girl named Kahu and is in line to becoming chief in her tribe but greatly discouraged by her grandfather . Rua-Tapu was the son of the Chief and a slave woman, while Paikea and the Chiefs other sons were born to women from aristocratic families. This brings Kahu to tears. My twin brother died, and took our mother with him. "[12][13] Ebert later went on to name it as one of the ten best films of 2003. Like most other indigenous cultures, Maori tribes were no match for the diseases and gun-based military prowess of the Europeans. hierarchy exists. In the absence of swift and agile mammalian predators, some species of birds had lost the ability to fly. After the death of his wife and despite overwhelming pressure from Koro, Pai's father refuses to assume traditional leadership or finish the waka that he had started building for the baby son; instead, he moves to Germany to pursue a career as an artist. 1. Thus, sending Porourangi to Germany advances the plot. During the course of his stay, Rawiri has to face racist behavior from Jeffs social circle, especially his mother. Based on the 1987 novel The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, the film stars Keisha Castle-Hughes as Kahu Paikea Apirana, a twelve-year-old Mori girl whose ambition is to become the chief of the tribe. When Koro returns from a trip he had been on during the ordeal, he remarks with great anguish that this is a sign for them. And if knowledge is given to everyone, we can have lots of leaders. More books than SparkNotes. 5. While her grandfather, Koro, later forms an affectionate bond with his granddaughter, carrying her to school every day on his bicycle, he also condemns her and blames her for conflicts within the tribe. Maori consciousness is shaped by reverence for ancestors and the past. This love remains unreciprocated, as Koro actively pushes her away. [14] The Los Angeles Times's Kenneth Turan praised Caro for her "willingness to let this story tell itself in its own time and the ability to create emotion that is intense without being cloying or dishonest. The old man feels himself to be under increasing pressure to teach and preserve the cultural knowledge that he and so few others currently possess. The research topics are: 1. the history of the Maori people, including controversies and the current effort to seek redress for land confiscation; 2. the lives of whales, including the effect of the whaling industry on the species; 3. the art of tattoo, including cultural traditions as well as artistic or social customs associated with this form of body art; 4. culture conflict as it is experienced today by indigenous people, including efforts to transcend the social barriers that preclude full assimilation and any efforts of indigenous people to remain autonomous; 5. what it means to be Polynesian, including the common qualities and unique variations of the cultures of the various Polynesian Islands, paying special attention to the history and culture of Polynesians in the Hawaiian Islands; 6. myths that explain the origin and existence of a people. In recent years, tattooing has become common for both men and women. And soon everyone will be strong, not just the ones that have been chosen. This only upsets Koro more, as he was hoping for a male descendent. Sep 30, 2014. Maori children were taught about their ancestors by memorizing the names of the person represented by each notch. A collapsing of the ice there and the life-threatening nature of this collapse forces him to make a snap decision in guiding his herd. Called Ta moko,, they consist of important symbols that help individuals express their unique identities. The bull whale is leading his herd through the frozen waters of Antarctica. After each presentation, engage in a discussion of the information presented and how it relates to the concepts that can be found in Whale Rider. The students will begin to see the sophistication of the film once they thoroughly investigate any of the topics suggested for research. A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize.A contemporary story of love, rejection and triumph as a young Maori girl fights to fulfill a destiny her grandfather refuses to recognize. Not affiliated with Harvard College. A few years pass in this way. Although Pai works hard to earn Koros respect, she is rebuffed each time she tries to master an activity traditionally reserved for males. Read the Study Guide for The Whale Rider, Tradition as a Tool for Oppressing Women in Witi Ihimaeras The Whale Rider, The Influence of Beliefs on Individual Life in Witi Ihimaeras The Whale Rider., View Wikipedia Entries for The Whale Rider. Stay up-to-date on all the latest Rotten Tomatoes news! Pai, in an attempt to bridge the rift that has formed, invites Koro to be her guest of honour at a concert of Mori chants that her school is putting on. However, unlike Paikea, Uncle Rawiri accepts his fate, becoming overweight and escaping into alcohol and drugs. See production, box office & company info. 8. investigate the sexism found in modern societies and recent changes in gender roles. Just below that it reads "Ticket Confirmation#:" followed by a 10-digit number. . Activities. The father and grandfather argue after the slide show, and the father goes to pull down the white sheet that was hung over some drapes to act as a screen. He teaches the boys to use a taiaha (fighting stick), which is traditionally reserved for males. "Whale Rider Full Movie HDWATCH NOW FREE https://free.flixtorz.com/movie/tt0298228WATCH NOW FREE https://www.youtube.com/redirect?q=https://free.flixto. They will soon die if they are not pushed back to sea. Coming Soon. We can learn and if the knowledge is given to everyone then we can have lots of leaders, and soon everyone will be strong not just the ones that have been chosen because sometimes even if you're the leader and you need to be strong you can get tired. An empowering and uplifting movie, with a wonderful performance by Castle-Hughes. The film received critical acclaim and Castle-Hughes's performance won rave reviews. What does it symbolize? However, if you can relate the situation of Paikea or the grandfather to a struggle being waged by someone your child knows, it would be worthwhile to highlight the connection with a comment. During Rawiris absence, Porourangi remarried and his wife had a child: another baby girl. The movie won many awards at film festivals. Coming Soon. A small coastal community of Maoris deal daily with being New Zealanders while not being entirely so, particularly hard for a young pubescent lass ostracized because of her sex, despite that she offers hope of continuing traditions. Then a pod of whales, an animal revered by the Maori, beaches itself on the sand near the tribes home.