Family values, leadership and the changing role of women in Whale Rider

The movie Whale Rider tells a story where family values are shown as the
essential links that keep societies functioning for generations. Cooperation and
support are clearly shown for example when Rawiri, Porourangi and Nanny go see
Kahu at her school presentation. Unfortunately, her grandfather wasn’t there
because he was so focused on defending other family traditions that he didn’t
realize how much he was missing. Koro’s beliefs made him too stubborn to realize
that everything he was looking for in a leader was in front of him. This situation
directly connects to the role of women inside this society. They were treated with
respect but there wasn’t real equality inside this society. Thus, Koro’s point of view
doesn’t change until he sees Kahu doing something he thought women were not
able to do: show courage and true leadership. This narrative, of a woman going
against all odds might seem repetitive, but in reality it is still a serious problem,
especially among tribes or indigenous groups were the inner roles are too strict
and sexist. Nevertheless, Kahu shows that with persistence and trust there is a
chance of changing the view of people, in this case, Koro. No matter how stubborn
he was or how terrible he acted toward her, she never gave up and he treated him
with love. She was also a brave girl, which can be seen when she decides to leave
with the whales to save her community. This might be an analogy of how society
only accepts changing the role of women in society until they do what others are
not willing to do, when they break the standards that society has put on them. This
situation is frankly frustrating because it just shows how hard it is to change
society’s beliefs. Kahu should’ve been treated fairly by her grandfather since she
was born. When it comes to women, they only receive the recognition they deserve
under certain extraordinary circumstances, and that is wrong. Although it seems
like we have changed as a society, there is a lot of room for improvement. The
movie Whale Rider was released in 2002, and even today, the situation Kahu faces
can be relatable for many girls around the globe. When it comes to social equality,
we can see stagnation; women’s rights have gotten better but at a really slow rate.
In some communities, men still feel entitled to privileges above women. Koro is a
reflection of this behavior: he is obsessed with finding his successor, but he will
only accept a man in this role because in his perspective women don’t have the
traits needed to be the person that leads the Maori. The message of the movie is
clear: women should have a better role in society and they should be treated
equally. Of course, some other topics are brought up such as racism and the role
of humans with nature, however, the strongest motive that drives the movie is the
way values and traditions shape society’s ideology. Women’s role has changed
and evolved, but society still has a long way to go. Although the movie shows
some great values within the society Kahu lives in, traditions and values like the
ones from the Maori are an obstacle for true change.