Traditions In Whale Rider

Imagine the pressure of being expected to follow your culture’s traditions even if you want to rebel and create your own identity. Carrying on traditions can be difficult for many young people who are searching for their identities as they grow up. One movie and one text, “Whale Rider” by Niki Caro and “El Olvido” by Judith Ortiz Cofer, tell about rebellion and tradition. One shows the reader that when one rebels against cultural traditions there can be surprising results, while the other demonstrates that leaving one’s tradition and culture can be dangerous.

In Niki Caro’s film titled “Whale Rider” the character Pai is underestimated. Pai is faced with the challenge of being a girl who wants to be a chief of her tribe. Ultimately, through

Pai’s story we come to understand that when one rebels against cultural traditions there can be surprising results.

During the middle of the film, there is a scene where Pai retrieves a traditional necklace from the bottom of the ocean. This is something only a male is suppose to do. However, Pai’s ability to recover the necklace signifies she is destined to be chief. At first, her grandfather was reluctant to accept her but her persistent rebellion changed tradition and her grandfather beliefs. For example, Pai rides the whale that her ancestor rode and said that she was ready to die and she ends up in the hospital and her grandfather was concerned and sad that Pai was in the hospital and his beliefs finally changed. Therefore, Caro