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Whale Rider (2002, NZ)
In director/writer Niki Caro's New Zealand family drama
about an intelligent young girl's relationship with her tribal chieftain
grandfather who had unjust and unfair disdain for her as the tribe's
future leader because she was born female:
- in the opening scene of this film, a crisis of leadership
in a small Maori village was described (in a voice-over) by a young
12 year-old Maori girl Paikea or "Pai" (Keisha Castle-Hughes);
she told about how the leadership of the Ngati Konohi was called
into question when at birth, she had survived while her twin brother
died - and her grandfather Koro (Rawiri Paratene) refused to acknowledge
her destiny as a female leader - as a descendant of Paikea, a whale
rider: "In the old days, the land felt a great emptiness.
It was waiting. Waiting to be filled up. Waiting for someone to
love it. Waiting for a leader. (childbirth sequence) And he came
on the back of a whale. A man to lead a new people. Our ancestor,
Paikea. But now we were waiting for the firstborn of the new generation,
for the descendant of the whale rider. For the boy who would be
chief. There was no gladness when I was born. My twin brother died,
and took our mother with him"
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Opening Sequence: Paikea's Mother Giving Birth
(Losing Male Child and Her Own Life)
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- the foreshadowing scene in which a confident Paikea
dove into the deep ocean water and retrieved the rei puta (whale
tooth) that Koro had deposited into the sea; according to traditional
legend, the one who was successful in that task was rightfully
worthy of becoming the leader
- the scene in which Paikea gave a speech during a
school's evening program of Maori chants; she spoke about her ancestors,
holding back tears and profoundly disappointed as she delivered
it because her grandfather - Maori chief Koro, who she had invited
as the guest of honor, was shunning her and was not in attendance: "This
speech is a token of my deep love and respect - for Koro Apirana,
my grandfather. My name is Paikea Apirana. (pause) And I come from
a long line of chiefs, stretching all the way back to Hawaiiki
where our ancient ones are, the ones that first heard the land
crying and sent a man. His name was also Paikea and I am his mo-most
recent descendant. But I was not the leader my grandfather was
expecting, and by being born, I broke the line back to the ancient
ones. It wasn't anybody's fault. It just happened. (Cutaway to
Koro discovering beached whales, and asking himself: "Who
is to blame?") But we can learn. And if the knowledge is given
to everyone, we can have lots of leaders. And soon, everyone will
be strong - not just the ones that've been chosen. Because sometimes,
even if you're the leader and you need to be strong, you can get
tired. Like our ancestor, Paikea, when he was lost at sea, and
he couldn't find the land, and he probably wanted to die. But he
knew the ancient ones were there for him, so he called out to them
to lift him up and give him strength. This is his chant. I dedicate
it to my grandfather"
- the mass beaching of whales and the desperate and
valiant attempts by the Maori tribe members to keep them alive
- and the mystical scene in which Paikea climbed up
on and literally rode the back of the largest beached whale out
to sea, having coaxed it and restored its will to live so it could
unbeach itself: (she courageously said: "I wasn't afraid to
die"); she saved the whales when the massive whale led the
entire pod back to the sea - but also dragged Paikea underwater
- and she was feared drowned by her family
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Paikea Sitting Astride The Largest Beached Whale
and Riding It Out to Sea
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- the scene of Koro's acceptance of Paikea as a new
Maori chief or leader as she lay unconscious in a hospital bed
- he asked for her forgiveness: "Wise leader, forgive me.
I am just a fledgling new to flight"; she briefly opened her
eyes to acknowledge him
- the final shot of grandfather, uncle, father and
granddaughter together at sea on the maiden voyage of their Maori
long canoe (waka), as Paikea led the chant while wearing Koro's
whale tooth necklace
Film's Conclusion: Maiden Voyage of Long Canoe
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Paikea Leading the Chant - With Her Grandfather
by Her Side
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- the last lines of dialogue (in voice-over): "My
name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching
all the way back to the whale rider. I'm not a prophet, but I know
that our people will keep going forward, all together, with all
of our strength" - similar to the words that Paikea had spoken
in her school speech
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Maori's Whale Ancestor
Paikea Emerging From Water With the Whale Tooth (and a Lobster)
Paikea's School Speech Scene
Valiant Maori Tribal Efforts to Save Beached Whales
Paikea: "I wasn't afraid to die"
Paikea's Grandfather at Her Bedside
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