Tales and Songs from Weddings and Funerals

Whale Rider

Culture is a funny thing, while sometimes it seems to belief based on fantasy the sense of magic gives it credibility - I want to believe. The movie Whale Rider is the perfect example of this.

On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants.

This movie blends the best parts of tradition, faith, love and hope in order to show how much one girl struggles to prove she can keep the Maori culture alive. Whale Rider makes you think about the role you want to take in life and creates a curiosity about culture – Maori or otherwise.

posted by Angela @ 9:18 a.m.