Backbencher

I have just finished watching the movie Whale Rider and I thought it was a beautiful piece on the history and traditions of the Maori peoples of New Zealand. I thought it was quite well done as it is portrayed in modern times rather than 50 years ago, which allowed me to connect with the characters and see the world through their eyes quite easily.

The movie is about a young girl named Pai, whose twin brother died shortly after birth. Her mother also died shortly after she was born. Pai is raised by her grandfather and grandmother, while she is temporarily estranged from her father who meets another woman and subsequently marries her. Pai’s grandfather is chief of the local Maori tribe, which is bent on the tradition of only allowing males to move up to chief after he dies. Pai wishes to join in the training and ceremonies, however she is deliberately rejected by her grandfather who does not see a girl as appropriate for such role (as per tradition).

Pai learns to fight with the Taiaha stick, a traditional martial art of the Maori peoples. Her grandfather catches her with this and scolds her to the point of ignoring her for a long time to come. Pai is forced into a long period of fighting for what she deserves, as she proves herself superior to the boys in their training.

Pai performs a traditional Maori chant which is a call to the whales, a sacred animal of the Maori. The whales come in and are beached in the low tide. The people are not able to free the whales, and Pai is forbidden from helping (see reasons above). At night she returns, and rides the whale, which is a sacred call for the whale to swim again and frees the great whale. Pai is lost, and the village mourning her loss causes her grandfather to respect all of her accomplishments. She returns to the land of her people and after being treated in a hospital she is instated as the new chief of her tribe.

Even though I have just given away the story and ending, you absolutely need to see this movie. A cultural masterpiece.