Whale Rider

This story is about customs, culture and ancestor of a tribe named Maori, in New Zealand .Involving a girl named Paikea, she was born in a hospital where a mother has just given birth to twins and the male twin dies as does the mother. She was raised by grandparents Koro and Nanny. She craves the respect from Koro; however, he is of the old ways, and he is bound by tradition to pick male as new chief because his ancestor the first-born, always male, have considered Paikea’s direct descendents. Women are treated as second class, but Paikea eavesdrops on Koro's classes with the young boys and learns the ways. Paikea is receiving an award at school and she has invited Koro to watch her but instead of him making the obligatory entrance, Koro has discovered something more important. The rope is a symbol of the unity. When it broke, Koro gave up and walked away. Paikea fixed the rope and was a symbol of the leadership; it shows how a new generation is instructing new generation. When some whales are beached on the sand outside the village, and the village people cannot save them. But Paikea rides the biggest whale to safety and all the other whales follow her. She came thru and mended the rope again by dominant the whole into the ocean . Her grandfather then realizes that she was destined to be chief of the village. One of the central issues in Whale Rider is women’s leadership in Maori society. Paikea’s gender is the primary obstacle to her acceptation as a potential leadership of her tribe.