Why Whale Rider was Told Through Myth

The Maori culture is very interesting because it holds so many traditions and history. The director, Nikki Caro, does an excellent job of giving you insights to the Maori life style. She challenges the idea of old and new traditions within the film. Through Paikea's eyes we can see the challenges among these people both young and old.  I believe Caro choose to tell this story through myths to bring awareness to this cultures' history. We are able to look past what viewers might think are "silly rituals" and gain a respect and understanding for the Maori. Paikea was an innocent child in the film, so as viewers we are able to open up our minds to this unfamiliar story/myth and consider the lives of these people.

Based on the feminist framework, I able to analyze how Caro may have created this film with gender roles in mind. Paikea was a young girl who was seen as weak and innocent to her grandfather, Korro. Like addressed in other posts, Pai constantly disappointed her grandfather, partially because her brother died at child birth. Pai begins to challenge the traditional Maori culture and myths of only having men as leaders. In some respects it almost seems as this leadership role picked her because of her ancestors. There are a couple parts in the film where Pai gets an overwhelming sense of spirit in nature. The most major was when she was planning on leaving New Zealand with her father and she looks to the ocean and hears " Paikea". She then experiences this again when climbing on top of the whale, she knew this was right where she was supposed to be. Although her ancestors had some guidance in her decisions, Pai was a strong young woman. She challenged the idea of obedience to her grandfather in many aspects. Pai pushed herself to learn rituals, dances, and the way of the Maori people. She even tried to prove this to Korro by performing at her school recital. Because she is a girl, Korro didnt' blink an eye at skills or determination. This rebellion showed the modernization of the Maori culture for women.

Whale Rider, can be compared to Mulan in many respects. In Mulan, the girl does not honor her family by being a "beautiful bride" and struggles to find her place as a woman. When her sickly father is asked to fight in the war, Mulan pretends to be a man to honor her family and protect her father. She finds that she is stronger than she thinks and finally seems to find her place even though it was a different path than what was accepted by her ancestors. Similarly, In Whale Rider, Pai challenges her grandfathers authority, and steps up to the plate to become the whale rider their tribe needs. Both woman overcome the societal norms and do what they know and feel is right for their families and the larger community.


Below are some specific similarities in Mulan and Paikea:

The first image shows Paikea upset after a day at school. Here she was a troubled adolescence trying to find her way and please her family. Pictured below is Mulan troubled by failing at impressing the match maker. This will cause her family dishonor. 

Above are both turning points in the films. Paikea rescues the whale tooth Korro threw in the ocean, proving she has what it takes to be the whale rider. Mulan shoots a cannon at a mountain, destroying the enemy, proving she has what it takes to help protect China. 

Above is a canoe full of Maori people who finally came together after a time of darkness because of Paikea. Paikea showed them that they must support one another in order for the community to thrive. We then see Mulan after she has helped save China and is looking among her people. Despite these women being seen as " damsels in distress" they take it upon themselves to save their people. 

Analyzing Myth in the Whale Rider Film

Based on the Maori myth of Paikea coming to their land on a whale, I can analyze the film, Whale Rider, to create connections between the culture and the myth. In the film Paikea, otherwise known as Pai, instantly challenges the Maori ways by being born a girl. As we know from the myth, the Maori strongly believe in men leading the tribe. Ruatapu was challenged by his brother because he was seen as less valuable because his mother was a slave.  Kahutia-te-rangi  rose above his revenge seeking lower valued brother and showed to be the hero. In the film, Paikea challenges this myth, because her brother who was suppose to lead the tribe, died. It is interesting that in the film that the mother and brother die, almost leaving the destiny in Pai's hands despite her gender.  Although, because Paikea is a  girl, this disappoints the grandfather and the rest of the tribe. The tribe seems doomed because of Paikea's brothers death. Based on the myth, only a man can be strong enough to lead the Maori people out of darkness. There is nothing that proves based on tradition that a woman could serve as a leader.

The film shows the power struggle Pai endures with her strong grandfather, Korro. This could be seen as Korro understanding the myth of the Maori people, and believing only a man from high status can lead the people. Like Uenuku in the myth, he disregarded his son of lesser status. This could be seen as Korro disregarding Pai, and only wanting  the best to lead his tribe.Little does Korro know, he is only further offsetting the ancestors.

The film also goes back and forth between the new and old traditions which can be interpreted through the myth of the whale rider. Paikea begins to challenge the old traditions by trying to prove she is capable of becoming the tribes new leader despite her gender. The film shows Paikea beginning to try and step up to the plate in her tribe by practicing old traditions and chants in secret. The viewer sees Paikea in this new light, while her grandfather, Korro, grows angry at Paikea. Korro is very stuck in the old traditions the Maori people have and feels it is his responsibility to preserve these ways. Korro searches for a new leader among the boys in the tribe by training boys through these old traditions, but is only let down when he discovers no one can meet his expectations for the old Maori traditions. At one point in the movie Korro throws his whale tooth in the ocean to be a test for the " new leader", but is disappointed to find that no one can retrieve it. We then get a sense of foreshadowing and a look into the myth when we see Paikea retrieve the whale tooth with ease. Could it be that because the ancestors knew Paikea was the leader, they helped her try to prove to Korro that she was the chosen one?  Later in the film, Paikea performs traditional Maori chants and dances in honor of her angry Grandfather, who doesn't show. This was again, a sign of Paikea's leadership and dedication to her tribe.

Upset, Paikea calls to the ancestors asking them for answers. This resembles the myth of the gods of the ocean, Taniwha. They send Paikea ( humpback whales) to give answers to the Maori people. The whales from the ocean become beached in the film. I believe this symbolized Korro's stubborness in the movie. Just as the whales wouldn't budge no matter what efforts were attempted by the people, Korro wouldn't budge his mindset for seeing Paikea in a different light. The Maori people are frightened and confused as to why the ancestors would do this to the whales. The whales remain stuck until Paikea gets on top of the humpback whale. The whale moves and the rest follow swimming deep into the ocean. At this point in the film it is clear that Paikea has been the whale rider all along. Just like Kahutia-te-rangi, Paikea called to ancestors and received not only answers, but a new life for the tribe. In the film the viewer can come to the conclusion that Paikea was meant to lead her people out of darkness. The grandmother in the film gives Korro the whale tooth Paikea retrieved the day before. In shock, Korro finally understands the ancestors message. The film held true to the myth, by having Paikea become the founder of hope for the Maori. Just like Paikea came to the new land many years ago, she showed them the new way and a way out of the darkness. Paikea gives a stream of hope for the Maori and a new way of looking at life. The film combined the original Paikea myth with new traditions for the Maori people.

In the film Pai then sails off into the sea on a canoe, built by her father. In the myth, Ruatapu built a canoe to harm his other brothers. In the film, Pai's father began building a canoe, but never finished and left for occupational reasons. This is ironic because the canoe is never finished in the film until Pai's death. When Pai dies, her spirit is left with the Maori people and gives the tribe a sense of direction. The community works together to finish the canoe knowing that Pai's spirit will always be there. The tribe sees that it wasn't necessarily one person they were waiting to lead, but that their community needed to come together to advocate for change. The death of Pai brought togeteher old and new traditions. The final scenes of the film capture the old Maori dances and rituals with exotic body/face paintings. We then get a visual of Pai on the canoe with Korro and the tribe men representing her spirit. We can infer that the spirit of Paikea will always lead the way for this tribe. Unfortantly, it took Pai's death for Korro to understand the influence she had, but it wouldn't of worked out any other way. Korro needed the answers from ancestors to ensure him that a more modern way of living is OK. Korro finally understands the modernization of the Maori culture, while staying true to traditional ways. As for Pai, we know she is safe because her spirit is with the community and her ancestors. 

Myth from the Whale Rider

The Whale Rider

The Film, Whale Rider begins to give us an understanding of the Maori culture. It is helpful to understand myths behind the culture to better analyze the film. the film is about a young girl, Paikea, whose twin brothers death happens at the time of her birth. Pakiea's brother's destiny was to become the new leader of the tribe to lead them out of darkness they were enduring. Throughout Paikea's childhood her presence is often disregarded by her grandfather, who had high hopes of the tribes new leader, who had to be a boy. Despite the death of the future leader, the grandfather searches within the tribe for a potential young man to lead. He pressures the boys and sets expectations that are too high by honoring old traditions from the Maori culture. Paikea ignores her grandfathers disapproval for her to lead, and secretly practices these traditions alone. Her grandfather continues to push her away, until it's too late. One day whales get beached and begin to die. The tribe tries everything in their power to save the whales but nothing seems to work. Paikea gets on top of the whales back, and the whale swims off into the sea, while the other whales follow. From the film, there is a strong understanding that Paikea dies that day. The grandfather finally realizes that Paikea has always been the leader. In the end the whole tribe realizes that it isn't about having just one leader, but coming
together to keep tradition alive.

About The Maori Culture:

The Maori came to New Zealand between the 9th and 13th centuries from the Hawaiian islands. Maori is derived from the term Ma-Uri or Children of Heaven. The Maori people are said to be fierce warriors. They believed in a world where gods controlled people's lives and could be found in nature. They believed that all things had some kind of life. Their traditions center around decorative artwork and used/use art to describe their beliefs. The Maori people believed in the super natural. The legendary Taniwha are called Tipua in Maori. They can take any form and exist in the natural environment. Sometimes they become guardians like the famed Taniwha. Those who believe in Taniwha understand the myth of the whale rider.


The Myth:

Ruatapu became offended when his father Uenuku elevated his older half-brother Kahutia-te-rangi (later known as Paikea) ahead of him. When Ruatapu was about to use a comb belonging to Kahutia-te-rangi, Uenuku became angered, pointing out that Kahutia-te-rangi was of high rank while Ruatapu was lower in status because his mother was a slave. Angry and ashamed at his father's comments, Ruatapu built a canoe, or waka ( In Maori). When it was finished, he took Kahutia-te-rangi and a large number of the other high status sons of Uenuku, on his canoe and paddled far out into the sea to drown them. He had created a  a hole in the bottom of the canoe, temporarily plugging it with his heel. When far out at sea, he removed his heel, and the canoe sank. Ruatapu then drowned each of the young men. However, Kahutia-te-rangi called to the gods calling upon Taniwha. A Humpback whale ( Paikea in Maori )rescued him and carried him to New Zealand's shores.

 Kahutia-te-rangi renamed himself  Paikea as a memorial of the assistance he received from the whales. The Maori now believe Paikea ( the famous whale rider ) is buried on the far side of the island. Paikea is now said to be fierce and highly regarded as a spiritual guardian.

http://sites.psu.edu/tetirclblog/2015/02/19/maori-mythology-and-the-legend-of-paikea/ http://whales.fieldmuseum.org/behind/people/maori-whale-riders
http://whaleriderreligiousstudies.weebly.com/maori-mythology.html

Mulan

I chose the song " I'll Make a Man Out of You" from Mulan. Over the weekend I was thinking about the previous films we watched, and I made the connection between Whale Rider and Mulan when considering gender roles. In Mulan this song depicts the change she goes through during her training prior to war. The lyrics " i'll make a man out of you", start to explain the gender inequalities for Mulan. Mulan knew she could only protect her family  if she pretended to be a man. This song is the changing point in the film from Mulan going from a more "fragile woman" to a woman who can " fight like a man." In the film we feel a sense of empowerment as Mulan puts her insecurities behind. This is similar to Whale Rider, when Paikea tries to fight with the boys to try and become the leader of her tribe despite what the ancestors would think of this. These connections are what I wish to later expand on in my myth explorations.

Water

This scene from the film, "Water", shows Kalyani and Narayan sitting by open water. Water in this film symbolizes many different values for the Indian Culture. I viewed the aspect water throughout this film through a spiritual/mindful perspective. Specifically, for Kalyani's and Narayan's potential new life. This image captures the distance between them emotionally. Kalyani struggles with her faith and what she wants in life. Marriage to Narayan would be frowned upon, but she considers in anyways. Kalyani, being a widow is seen as a burden to society. There is one part in the film that shows the two in the river floating and discussing their potential new life together ( which Kalyani is hesitant about). The river serves as a place of peacefulness/mindfulness. The river also separates the isolated widows from the rest of society, which we find is also corrupt. The water is the only sense of peace we receive from this difficult life widows endure. It serves as a sense of hope, longing, wonder, and love. We see later in the film that Kalyani finds the water as an escape. She knows that she cannot marry Narayan, and does not want to live a life of sadness. Her death again symbolizes a sense of peace, and reassures the viewer that she will be at rest.


Looking at this film through a feministic framework we can analyze the gender roles between men and women in India. Men are viewed more highly of in this culture, and women seen as beneath. Women are seen as "items" rather than people when their husbands die. The image of the couple above is a clear portrayal of these genders.

Fantastic Four

I chose this scene from the Fantastic Four. This part of the movie is interesting because the director shows you the real strength behind the man of rock. He captures a close up on both the stone-man and the driver, then continues to film the collision.  The camera zooms out to show that the semi successfully came to a stop. You can see the power behind this man of stone. This part is insightful because despite the strength and power of this man, he stops a semi to save another man's life.