Natalie Cassello

Breanna Reynolds

World Language and Literature

November 5th, 2014

Gender Roles in The Whale Rider

 

He couldn’t believe she was a girl. After hundred of years of first born sons, Koro Apirana couldn’t comprehend that Porourangi, his son, and Rorua, his daughter-in-law, had failed their simplest task to produce a male to lead the tribe forward and keep the Maori tradition alive. He closed his eyes and started to cry out in desperation for the guidance of the ancients.

 

Witi Ihimaera spoke to Think Global School on Wednesday, October 22nd of this year. He spoke about the reasons why he wrote The Whale Rider. One could say it was serendipitous, the way the the writing of the story came together. The first sign was a whale in the Hudson River in 1985 that he interpreted as a sign all the way from his homeland of Aotearoa. The second was a complaint by his eldest daughter after watching a movie at the theater: "Daddy, I don't want to watch these movies with these helpless girls." Primarily, he took these two experiences and wrote the story about Kahu to show the gender inequality in Maori culture and the “contradiction of living in patriarchal societies.” Witi intentionally changed the lead character from a boy to a girl to make his story more powerful; a female star made his idea of gender inequality even stronger. He explained the differences between his novel, movie, and Maori culture and how the literary characters in The Whale Rider accurately reflect the traditional role of men and women in Maori society: the first born son becomes chief, the females are constantly protected, and the women follow their expected roles in the story and in Maori culture.

 

Most Maori tribes believe that only men can become chiefs of their tribe. Ihimaera seems to have decided to make Koro Apirana the antagonist in the story because he opposes Kahu. He was very true to keeping this tradition within his family and became very frustrated when he discovered that his eldest son’s first born was a little girl. When Porourangi called his parents about the birth of his child, Koro’s reaction was, “A girl. I will have nothing to do with her. She has broken the male line of descent in our tribe.” (Witi 13). When he says this he honestly means that he does not want this female in his family. Koro believes this one little baby ruined his legacy. Most men nowadays would be happy to hear they were going to have their first grandchild, but after years of keeping a tradition going it would be upsetting for them to hear it was a girl. This response sets Koro’s angry tone and disappointed attitude towards Kahu for most of the book. In the movie, as Niki Caro, the producer, decide to create it, the mother gives birth to twins. One of these two twins, the one who survives is Paikea and the one who passes away is her brother. This emphasizes the hate Koro has for her because she survived over her brother, who would have become chief after Porourangi. Later, he tells his son that he is stepping out of line when he names his daughter Kahutia Te Rangi, after the male founder of the tribe. The author decided to name her that to show the significant connection between Paikea and her ancestor. This is foreshadowing because she was the arrow that flew for a thousand years that would eventually flower to save the people. However, Koro believes that he must find another boy to train to become the next chief. “‘He wants to find a young boy,’ Porourangi jested, ‘to pull the sword out of the stone, someone who has been marked by the Gods for the task. Nobody has so far been able to satisfy him.’” (Witi 70). Rawiri’s brother tells him about Koro not accepting his daughter. He is looking for a specific characteristics in a boy that seems to be blessed, but he is looking in the wrong place. Kahu challenges the idea that women cannot be leaders in a Maori society, so she can please her grandfather and keep the mana that she should have inherited.

 

Maori women are very important because they carry the next generation, but they cannot lead because they are seen as darkness and as human humility. The women represent peace during war and the only reason men fight is to protect their women and their land. Even though Kahu’s goal is to please and earn the respect from her Paka, Koro Apirana, which she believes she deserves, she does challenge the idea that there can only be male chiefs in Maori culture. She is curious and wants to learn about her culture just like the boys her age do. Kahu would change her gender for her Paka if she could, but since she cannot she tries to get him to accept her as she is. Many Maoris live to please their ancestors like Pai. Koro started a class for the men in his tribe to teach their history and customs and keep the traditions going. Witi wrote, “Just the men, he added, because men were sacred. Of course the instruction wouldn’t be like in the old days, not as strict, but the purpose would be the same: to keep the Maori language going, and the strength of the tribe.” (34). Ihimaera uses the word sacred to exaggerate just how special males are. Koro is very strict about only have males in his class because he is true to his ancestor’s tikanga and wants to continue the line of male chiefs. Kahu attempts to go to classes with the males her age in order to learn more about her culture, but she continuously gets kicked out. “‘Go away.’ Koro Apirana would thunder. Quick as a flash Kahu’s head would bob away. But slowly we would see it again, like a spiny sea urchin.” (Witi 38). Koro Apirana was unquestionably against the idea of having his granddaughter or any girls in his class. In his mind, females could never be in charge of the males because that would end their tradition created by their founder. In the movie, she encourages the boy and Rawiri to help her learn how to become a warrior and use the spear. If she becomes a better warrior than the other boys her age she believes she can gain attention for her grandfather, but he ends up getting more angry with her. She also defies Koro by leading the boys into the marae and sitting in the front row with them instead of in the back, where the women are protected. She wanted to get Koro back for breaking their routine and not picking her up at school. This is relevant to modern Maori society because young girls nowadays have become tough and have been able to show that they can do anything the boys can do, yet better. Men usually lead and become the chiefs, however, the women have started to gain more equality and more of a voice over time, while continuing to follow most of their original traditions.

 

There are very specific roles of Maori men and women. The males are in charge of preparing agricultural plots, fishing, diving for shellfish, going to war, building canoes, designing tattoos, and carving. Maori families are patriarchies because the women are expected to follow the lead of the men and the head of the house always has the last word. Girls are taught how to do household chores, cook, plant, and weave when they are young, while the boys become warriors. Although females don’t go to Maori school with the boys, they are taught the dances, how to use the poi, and songs of the Maori. Even though men are the leaders, women are very important to Maori society. In The Whale Rider, Kahu helps to cook and garden with Nanny Flower. She completes her expected tasks of singing during concerts, escorting the boys into the marae, and leading the other girls in their performance. A letter she wrote to Rawiri while he was in Papua New Guinea read, “‘I am seven. Guess what, I am in the front row of our Maori culture group at school. I can do the poi.’” (Witi 75). As a little girl, she is very excited about her culture and learning how to use the poi, which is a very spiritual weapon. When he returned home she told him with a smile on her face, “‘Nanny and me are hoeing the vegetable garden… Did you know I was top of my class this year? And I’m the leader of the culture group too. I love singing the Maori songs.’” (Witi 78). Kahu really enjoyed helping her grandmother with the chores. Even though they were mandatory and expected of her, she never complained about being a female. This shows how enthusiastic Maori girls are about their roles in society and their culture.

 

While Witi Ihimaera was writing The Whale Rider in 1987, many significant events for the Maori people occurred, including the Waitangi Amendment Act and Maori becoming an official language. During this period, many people connected to their Maori roots, while being a member of modern society. The characters in the novel authentically demonstrate the roles of men and women in Maori culture at the time, which was his main goal. He wanted to express the gender inequality in society at the time. He showed us how strong the rule of male lead was, how the women are always protected, and how both genders are important to keep the Maori culture alive. However, I believe men and women are seen more as equals today because of the influence from modern society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Works Cited

Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Martino, Nick. "Maori Culture." Prezi.com. N.p., 21 Oct. 2014. Web. 23 Oct. 2014.

<http://prezi.com/-gpt2rjfsyft/maori-culture/?utm_campaign=share&utm_ medium=copy>

Whale Rider. Dir. Niki Caro and Witi Ihimaera. Henderson Valley Studios, 2003. DVD.