The Whale Rider

by Witi Ihimaera, Bruce Potter (Illustrator)

An international bestseller that was made into a multiple award-winning film.Eight-year-old Kahu craves her great-grandfather's love and attention. But he is focused on his duties as chief of a Maori tribe in Whangara, on the East Coast of New Zealand - a tribe that claims descent from the legendary 'whale rider'. In every generation since the whale rider, a male has inherited the title of chief. But now there is no male heir - there's only Kahu. She should be the next in line for the title, but her great-grandfather is blinded by tradition and sees no use for a girl.Kahu will not be ignored. And in her struggle she has a unique the whale rider himself, from whom she has inherited the ability to communicate with whales. Once that sacred gift is revealed, Kahu may be able to re-establish her people's ancestral connections, earn her great-grandfather's attention - and lead her tribe to a bold new future.

Genres: Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Audiobook, Mythology, Indigenous

141 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1987

About the author

Witi Ihimaera is a novelist and short story writer from New Zealand, perhaps the best-known Māori writer today. He is internationally famous for The Whale Rider.

Ihimaera lives in New Zealand and is of Māori descent and Anglo-Saxon descent through his father, Tom. He attended Church College of New Zealand in Temple View, Hamilton, New Zealand. He was the first Māori writer to publish both a novel and a book of short stories. He began to work as a diplomat at the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1973, and served at various diplomatic posts in Canberra, New York, and Washington, D.C. Ihimaera remained at the Ministry until 1989, although his time there was broken by several fellowships at the University of Otago in 1975 and Victoria University of Wellington in 1982 (where he graduated with a BA).[1] In 1990, he took up a position at the University of Auckland, where he became Professor, and Distinguished Creative Fellow in Māori Literature. He retired from this position in 2010.

In 2004, his nephew Gary Christie Lewis married Lady Davina Windsor, becoming the first Māori to marry into the British Royal Family.

Reviews

[Brina · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025: I love The Whale Rider, the message to girls, the mythology, and the fact that I wonder if Moana might have borrowed some of its plot from its story. Moana means sea in Māori and Moana and Kahu seem similar in appearance and personality so why not. Not much to add from my original review. I love whales and the message this story sends. It remains a favorite. Every time I read it all the emotions come flooding back as they should in an all time favorite story.

2020: I read Whale Rider not even three years ago and fell in love with this tale. I got this book for my youngest daughter to read but she wasn’t interested, at least not yet, and I could not resist a reread. As my lead in to International Women’s Month, I returned to the story of Kahu of Whengara, New Zealand.

2017: I have been fascinated by whales from the time I was a young child and saw a blue whale skeleton at the Chicago Field Museum of Natural History. This one event precipitated a lifelong love of whales and dolphins and all marine mammal life. I have been fortunate to go on two whale watches in my life but I have never gotten up close to these majestic creatures. With the year winding down and finding myself in need of an author whose last name starts with the letter I to finish an A-Z author challenge, I recently came across the novella Whale Rider by Maori writer Witi Ihimaera. Gaining international acclaim from the movie based on this book, Ihimaera takes his readers on a mythical journey through contemporary Maori culture.

The Maori people originally came from the sea. The ancestor of the current people named Kahutia Te Rangi was able to converse with whales and the two species maintained a symbiotic relationship that balanced all creatures of the earth. Legend has it that an ancient whale named Paikea launched spears from the sea that landed all over the world, and these were responsible for the creation of the birds, animals, and ancient Maori people. The current Maori lead by Koro Apirana and his grandson Porourangi still hold by these ancient traditions and believe that in the current climate with whalers killing the kings of the ocean for sport, the balance holding the future of the earth together is doomed. They seek a leader for the next generation of their people, a male heir who is the reincarnation of the original whale rider Kahutia Te Rangi, who is able to converse with the gentle giants of the sea and restore balance to the earth.

There may be a leader right before their eyes although Koro Apirana holds strongly to his traditions and does not realize that the future may hinge on his great granddaughter, Porourangi's daughter Kahu, named for the tribe's ancestor Kahutia Te Rangi who could speak to whales. While Koro believes that only a male heir can save his people, his wife Nanny Flowers attempts to foster a loving relationship between Kahu and her Paka (grandfather). A strong willed woman who is descended from a female dominated tribe, Nanny Flowers believes that women can do anything that a man can and more so if given the chance. Both Nanny Flowers and Rawiri, Porourangi's brother, witness how special Kahu may be from an early age, yet their attempts to get Koro Apirana to acknowledge this are fruitless. As a result, the chieftain conducts a tribal wide search to find a boy who will lead future generations of Maori people.

Ihimaera notes that he wrote this book for his two daughters who one day asked him why only boys play the role of heroes in movies whereas girls are cast as the role of damsel in distress. He was living in New York at the time, and this traditional tale came to mind when a whale was stranded in the Hudson River and needed to be rescued. The character Kahutia was thus born. Kahu as an eight year old realizes that her people are suffering and is determined to become well versed in her culture, cultivating a one-sided loving relationship with Koro Apirana, and winning countless awards at her cultural school. More importantly, she can talk to whales and dolphins, if only her Paka Koro would see this. Kahu's role in saving the Maori comes to a head with the appearance of an ancient whale on the Whengara beach who is said to be Paikea, and only a true whale rider is able to save both the whale and human races. While these scenes were moving and emotional in printed form, they were mesmerizing on big screen, as the whale rider goes out to sea to converse and swim with the majestic creatures of the deep. Ihimaera has created a wonderful gift for girls all over the world in creating a girl heroine who is proactive and not crying out for boy heroes to save her. With his determination to leave this gift for his daughters, Ihimaera has created a gem in Kahu and in Nanny Flowers who encourages her every on every step of her journey.

The writing of Witi Ihimaera reminds me of Louise Erdrich on the other side of the world. He has written countless novels, novellas, and short story collections about the Maori culture and is considered the Maori writer best known today. Part of his exposure is from the acclaim of the film version of Whale Rider, which lead many to read this gem of a book. Even though I was lead to the writing of Ihimaera in order to complete a challenge, I have a feeling that I will be reading more of his work. His writing is soothing as he talks about the special balance that Maori maintain with the earth and sea, although in my eyes I doubt any tale could top the story of a girl who can converse and swim with whales.

5 stars

[C. (Comment, don't blank click reviews). · Rating 5 out of 5]

I live in the centre of Canada. No one is further from oceans than Manitobans. I dearly wish to see whales. Learning the cultures and languages of people and animals is something I have enjoyed since I was a child. I was a worldwide penpal. Since the internet came, it is fun for acquaintance to grow past a social network, to e-mail, to hand-to-hand mail. Kerri is a good friend from New Zealand, whose culture I want to learn. Discovering a race about whom I had not heard is a thrill. When Kerri treated me to this classic and two other oeuvres, she did not know her selection quenches many of my truest passions in concert.

“The Whale Rider” is a legend about the Maori and whales protecting each other. There has been no rider since their town founder. The identifying traits are well known. Each successive elder schools village boys on this history and gives them trials. There are two briefly undesirable components. One is whales beaching themselves for reasons I do not understand. The other is the elder dismissing his first Great-Grandchild, even in 1987, for being female. Readers immediately know Kahu is a gifted person matching Kahutia Te Rangi’s legend, who will save the whales, imparting a message they so riskily delivered. Family members recognize Kahu’s uniqueness fairly soon. The elder is blind to it but should love all his Great-Grandchildren automatically.

Witi Ihimaera’s writing is magnificent, especially to me. Some chapters flow like water depicting these joyous, powerful animals and their magical presence. Kahu’s young uncle introduces us to his hilarious Grandma and family in other chapters. The modernity and majesty result in a beautiful balance of friendship and serenity. The Maori are unforgettable and the splendour was enhanced by sprinkling their language into this story.

[Blaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under these conditions, the love which Kahu received from Koro Apirana was the sort that dropped off the edge of the table, like breadcrumbs after everybody else has had a big feed. But Kahu didn’t seem to mind. She ran into Koro Apirana’s arms whenever he had time for her and took whatever he was able to give. If he had told her he loved dogs I’m sure she would have barked, ‘Woof woof’. That’s how much she loved him.
…
Haumi e, hui e, taiki e.
Let it be done.

The Whale Rider tells the story of a tribe of Maori in the village of Whangara, on the East Coast of New Zealand. According to legend, the village was created by a man, Kahutia Te Rangi (aka Paikea), who could ride whales, and communicate with them, and who brought life to the area. 8-year-old Kahu is named for that ancestor, and she’s the eldest great-grandchild of the village’s Chieftain Koro Apirana. Despite her desperate love for him, Koro rejects every suggestion that Kahu be raised as the future leader of the tribe. But as the tribe reaches a spiritual crossroads, they all will have to reckon with Kahu’s powers … and her choices.

The Whale Rider is not a book I would have typically picked up, but I have a book challenge category to read a book a Pacific Islander author, and this book tops pretty much every list of such books. I would say it’s a book for middle schoolers. It reads a bit like a parable, with its mix of history, Maori creation mythology, and the portions from the perspective of the whales. The primary theme, that the sexist old great-grandfather should accept that girls can be leaders just like boys, is simplistic and a bit tiring as an adult reader. But there are other themes—living in balance with nature, the tension between honoring one’s family and past and living your own best life, both individually and the Maori collectively—that are more subtle and interesting. For school age children, or anyone interested in a book about Maori life, I’d rate it 4 stars and recommend it.

[Trudie · Rating 3 out of 5]

* 2.5 *

I am having a wee moment of picking up New Zealand books that I should have read a long time ago and that have co-incidentally been made into films. Maurice Gee's In my Fathers Den was my most recent foray and off the back of that I decided to read Witi Ihimaera's novel The Whale Rider . Ihimaera has written quite a long list of books and short stories but The Whale Rider is probably his most well known due to the 2002 film of the same name. It is a beautiful film. I highly recommend it.

The book I was less enthusiastic about. What I did like was the melding of the rational world and the world of maori mythology. The opening sequence describing a primordial New Zealand complete with fairies and sentient Tuatara was quite evocative. The famous legend of Paikea who travels to NZ on the back of a whale is lovingly interpreted throughout this novel. I enjoyed Ihimaera's mythical, majestic whales right up until the point they started considering the genetic effects of oceanic radiation from Moruroa atoll, which seemed an anthropomorphism too far.

Putting that issue to one side, in general I found the story-telling quite ham-fisted. The characters feel thin and underdeveloped. There was the odd decision to have the narrator travel to Sydney and Papua New Guinea for a few chapters. The story, in my opinion, is best when cleaving to that intersection between reality and myth. I don't think this book has aged particularly well, and might struggle against the more nuanced stories YA readers would now come to expect.

I would love to find more NZ authors taking on our own myths and legends and weaving some fictional magic out of them but unfortunately this particular interpretation didn't work for me, but it did make an enduringly beautiful film.

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this in my self-proclaimed New Zealand November, 2015. I saw the movie based on the film a few years ago but only have a vague memory of it.

The book comes from the perspective of Rawiri, the uncle of the girl Kahu. It is a very readable intertwining story of the modern day characters with the mythology of the gods of New Zealand and the ancient whales within their own societies and rituals. Whereas Once Were Warriors shows the Maori on the margins and struggling with poverty and violence, this novel takes a much more positive approach. The Maori in this novel are active in teaching their native languages and passing down traditions. What once was in danger of being lost - such as the ability to communicate with whales - looks like it might be preserved, if the Maori are willing to change with the times.

Unexpectedly, there is a small diversion where the narrator travels to Australia and then to Papua New Guinea before embracing his Maori identity. This was great for me in my year of reading Oceania because he talks about the differences between the three countries and the treatment of the native populations. In particular that the PNG tribal groups had to live "one thousand year in one lifetime" because of the rate of change in technology and culture.

[Book Concierge · Rating 5 out of 5]

5***** and a ❤

In the poignant author’s note at the beginning of this edition, the author writes about his inspiration for telling this story. While he was working in New York City, he witnessed an extraordinary event – a whale swam up the Hudson. Coincidentally, at the same time, his young daughter, following a day at the movies, asked “Daddy, why are the boys always heroes while the girls yell out, ‘Save me, save me, I’m so helpless?” And so inspired by these two events, Ihimaera turned his attention to the Maori folklore of his homeland, New Zealand and penned this book.

What a wonderful story. Magical, mystical, and yet completely relatable. Eight-year-old Kahu wants nothing so much as to please her Grandfather and be loved by him. But he dismisses her as a “useless girl.” Still, her grandmother, father and uncle champion her cause, as she comes of age and proves that she has what it takes to become chief and lead her people.

The novel is full of Maori legend and language, but a glossary at the back helps. As with many stories based on legend and folklore, I am reminded of the many summer nights spent sitting in the dark on the porch at my grandmother’s house, listening to my grandparents, aunts and uncles tell stories that enthralled, scared, educated, and inspired us.

I would love to read more by this author.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gem that glistens. Beautiful. A contemporary rewriting of an ancient Maori legend. Its messages speak of the strength of women, but even more importantly of the oneness of the past and present, the rational and the irrational, what we understand and don’t understand and of all life on earth. This is young adult literature for adults.

The audiobook narration by Kiwi Jay Laga’aia was well done. There is music throughout the recording, but it is the same snippet repeated over and over again. When will we get audiobooks with varied music and numerous songs? Anybody listening out there?

[Boston · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Kristi C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good middle grade book! I could see some of the similarities to Moana that someone else mentioned.

[Mmars · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh boy howdy I put on my ice skates and slid my way through this one. It didn't take long for me to realize that:
1) I am a jaded YA reader from years in the biz
2) there's much better out there
3) I would never have read this if not for my book club.

I really wanted to like it too. Other than the excellent The Bone People I have read little and know virtually nothing about the Maori people. Add a girl power element and mythology involving whales and I'm enticed.

Unfortunately, my shackles are still shaking as I think about how important it is to put well written books into children's hands in order to turn them into lifelong readers. Here's a few basics:
1) If you use big words, provide context
2) Don't dumb down
3) Every element of the story should clearly belong. Don't lose your reader.

First, there were unfamiliar names in the legends. (This is excusable.) But, there were also lots of unfamiliar words in the opening scenes. Nuff said on that. I'm still struggling to decide if this book is a children's book or a YA book. At times it seemed to be written for grade schoolers and at others for young adults. Then there were things written over the heads of all of us. The narrator is sixteen years older than the subject, a young girl gifted to be the savior of her people. At times a scene would feel "childish" and at others more worldly. And only upon reflection did I understand how an "uncle" could have been killed in the car accident in New Guinea when all the Maori relatives live in New Zealand. Perhaps a very short (1-2 paragraphs) preface on terminology would have been helpful. And, when it comes right down to it, was that part of the story necessary? Would a young reader understand why it was included?

But that's not all. I'll just dissect the scene that had me spitting spume.

Fistfights erupt between the Maori and the New Zealanders who were mutilating beached whales. I'm going to paraphrase a bit, but here goes....

"The gulls cried, outraged, as we vroomed through their [New Zealanders] gathering numbers. The first sight to greet out eyes was this old European lady who had sat down on a whale that some men were pulling onto the beach with a tractor. They had put a rope round the whale's rear flukes and were getting angrier and angrier with the woman, manhandling her away....We came to the rescue and that was the first fistfight of the day....."

"There were several beefy guys loading a dismembered jaw onto the back [of a truck] As we approached we saw an old man scuffling with them. One of the young men smacked him in the mouth and the old man went down....We roared up to the truck. 'Hey, man' I hissed, 'that whale belongs to Tongaroa.'....'Who's stopping us?'...'We are," Billy said. He grabbed the chain saw [that the beefy guys were using to cut up the whales] started it up, and, next minute, had sawed the front tires of the truck. That started the second fistfight of the day. "

Okay, I have to interject something here. Billy took the guy's chainsaw???? The beefy guy didn't like, try and stop him??? He sawed one tire and then walked/ran around the truck and then sawed the other one???? Okay, back to the story.

"It was at this stage that the police and rangers arrived. I guess they must have had trouble figuring out who were the good guys and who were the bad guys because they started to manhandle us as well."

Are you kidding me?????
So, there's a fight going on and the police/rangers don't immediately understand what's going on????
Good guys and bad guys????
See what I mean about dumbing down????

There's more to this scene, and it doesn't get any better.

It's always interesting how writing reviews solidifies one's opinions of a book. I've now dropped it to one star. Just can't recommend it. I've heard the movie is really good. Skip the book. Try the movie.

[Tamara Agha-Jaffar · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera is a young adult novel that tells the story of eight-year-old Kahu, a female descendent of Kahutia Te Rangi, the whale rider.

Kahu is a member of the Maori tribe of Whangara, New Zealand. Her great grandfather, Koro Apirana, is the elderly chief. Desperate to seek a male successor, he pins his hopes on a male great grandchild since Maori tradition stipulates a male heir. So when Kahu is born, he is devastated. Kahu’s determination to earn her great-grandfather’s love is undaunted. She is unsuccessful at gaining his acceptance until that fateful day when hundreds of whales beach themselves and Kahu proves she is the rightful heir of the whale rider.

The narrative is loosely structured with a lengthy digression in which the narrator, Kahu’s uncle, travels to Sydney and Papua Guinea. The digression does little to advance the main story line which is about Kahu’s ascent as the tribe’s whale rider. The diction is simplistic and with minimal character development.

Ihimaera weaves Maori mythology and sprinkles Maori words in the narrative. These lend authenticity to the tale. A Glossary is provided to explain the phrases and words. The novel’s strength lies in the intersection of mythology with reality. It depicts the struggle of the indigenous tribes to maintain traditional belief systems in the face of modernity. Its primary appeal is to a young adult audience who may see it as a heart-warming tale of a young girl’s successful struggle to overcome the challenges of a male-dominated culture.

My book reviews are also available at www.tamaraaghajaffar.com

[Nicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is amazing - don't be put off by anyone telling you it's YA or fantasy - it isn't in my opinion. It has a child main character but I think it's YA in the same way that To Kill a Mockingbird is 'YA'. It's the sort of book you're made to read in school but you appreciate more as you get older. It's based on Maori legends, so not a 'fantasy' book but an insight into the richness that is Maori history. It also touches on the discrimination that exists between genders and races. You can learn a lot from this book - including how we should all respect the natural environment far more than we do. Give it a try!

[Jeannette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also available on the WondrousBooks blog.

Country: New Zealand

In all honesty, this was a peculiar little book. I both liked it, and didn't like it. I'm saying this in the sense that while I was reading The Whale Rider, I wasn't bored out of my mind. However, at the same time, I can't say that I actually enjoyed myself.

So in a way, this book just was. 

The story was interesting in its entirety and the fairytale quality of the entire novel. There are two stories between which the narration shifts: "current times" and the birth of Kahu, a little girl who possesses the spirit of Maori mythology, but is not loved by her grandfather, who, as the "chief" of the community, wants a grandson and is always displeased with little Kahu; and the stories from the Maori legends about the whale riders, and the pain of a whale which was ridden by the last whale rider.

As you can imagine, Kahu's story is very endearing and cute, and the whales' story has more of a surreal quality. However, this would be an oversimplification of how exactly wild this book gets at times. It's a wildness in the method and narration, rather than one in the actual events, but ultimately leads to a very fairytale-ish world of collision between myth and reality.

This, however, can also be confusing, as I wasn't sure how I'm supposed to take the story: utter fiction? Mythological reality? Fairtytale? My confusion lead me to that awkward moment which one experiences when they meet someone who seems to be insane and one doesn't know if that person is joking/sarcastic, or really mentally unstable. (In all fairness, I'm in this situation more often than I should.)

The other thing which a story like this heavily influences is the depth of the characters. Mythological characters are rarely very deep and well-developed, so in a book which is unsure about its allegiances with reality, expectedly, the characters were not really three intentional.

Lastly, while I enjoyed the stories about Kahu, I was rather bored with the whale narration and the general repetitiveness of the book. Every encounter with Kahu and her grandfather, or the two of her grandparents just ended up being the exact same chapter over and over again, down to the actual expressions.

On the positive side, I learned very interesting things, albeit minor ones, about the Maori culture and the belief system they have, to a degree. So, while this was not the most successful encounter, it was definitely not without virtues.

[mel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was amazing. The Māori culture was really interesting, and I love how Kahu and Nanny Flowers are constantly trying to fight the iwi's sexist, traditional ways. As a kiwi, I feel that this book has an amazing way of telling one of our many stories- all the Māori legends and myths we should know but don't. Witi has a unique way of writing stories, and it's captivating. 5☆

[CW ✨]

I was born and raised in Aotearoa, so of course I had to read this taonga.

I hesitate to label this book 'magical realism'. Rather, at the very core of this book is to explore te ao Māori and how the whakapapa of the mana whenua in Whangara are interlinked with the whales. It's also a story about tradition and love, and how the former eclipsed the latter, and how a young girl fulfills her destiny.

[hawk · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this short novel.

I accessed it as an audiobook from a local library, and the afternote by the author about the edition I read, and it's differences to the original US publication, was really interesting - what he'd changed to create consistency around female central roles and female agency within the story.

the story was about Kahu, a young person assigned female at birth, and living as a girl. there were a few places where the characters own gender seemed in question/undeclared. I couldn't be sure how Kahu perceived themself... tho even your own gender identity is rarely separate from the context and constraints of the society you reside within.

the story looks especially at Kahu's grandfathers initial refusal to pass on sacred knowledge and cultural traditions to them because they are not a boy... and the wider climate around gender, in both Māori and Pākehā societies. the experiences of Māori people, and racism, within Aotearoa, and outside of it, is an integrally woven background to the story too.

the story also moves between the lives of the humans, and the lives of the whales who reside and/or visit the shores of the islands (and the link between the two is central). I especially liked the description of the impacts of nuclear testing in the Pacific on the whales, described in whale time and whale perspective.

there's alot of the story that feels generational - the experiences of three generations of a Māori family and community, the experiences of the whale community over time.
In many ways, both human and whale communities are headed by a male elder... who is influenced by a strong female elder... and that balance played out in both stands of the story.

[Megan Maurice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written and such vivid imagery. I listened to an audio book edition narrated by Jay Laga’aia and it was just such a beautiful thing to listen to. I was swept up in the story from start to finish.

[blok sera szwajcarskiego · Rating 4 out of 5]

jak po zajęciach się okaże że dobrze ją zrozumiałam to podbiję ocenę bo była super 👍

[Cristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Este libro es un regalo de Witi Ihimaera a sus hijas y al mundo.

Una aproximación feminista (dentro de lo que se puede) a la mitología y cultura maorí y polinesia, a través de una de sus leyendas principales.

Me supo tan a poco que querría haber leído 200 páginas más.

[Lindsay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful, challenging book. Witi Ihimaera weaves a lush story, combining land and sea, past and present. The tragic scenes were incredibly heartbreaking--between Kahu's one-sided relationship with Koro and when the whales beach themselves, I about started crying at my work desk. And the triumphs were equally brilliant--as fluid and swift as the feeling evoked as the whales sliced through the sea.

I would like to wonder out loud though as to the general designation of this book as children's literature. In the primary library in which I work, we shelve it as "J"...generally, chapter books for grade school and middle school readers. Ihimaera uses a reasonable amount of very erudite language that I imagine would be challenging even for some adult readers, and he addresses some rather adult issues of race and poaching through the novel's narrator, Kahu's Uncle Rawiri. I'm thinking specifically of two scenes: 1) The hit-and-run that occurs in Papua New Guinea when Rawiri's white friend, Jeff, hits and kills a native (and friend) on the side of the road with his family's car, and the family urges him to drive on because "It's only a native," and the tribe might seek retribution; and 2) The horrific and immensely sad scene when a herd of 200 whales beach themselves and poachers come to dismember the bodies before they've actually died.

I wonder sometimes what differentiates a children's book from an adult book. Just because Kahu is an 8-year-old doesn't mean necessarily that it should be a book for 8-year-olds (I wouldn't suggest a child read Bastard out of Carolina just because it has a young protagonist). I think this book has definite crossover appeal along the lines of To Kill a Mockingbird, and after viewing the movie after reading this book, I can see how they toned down a lot of the various conflict in the book to make it more kid-friendly. But that's the movie, which is great in its own right, and this is the book. Other libraries consider it a Young Adult book, but in a general sense of its audience, would a teen want to read a book in which its main character only reaches the age of 8? I haven't done any research yet into this question, but I wonder if Ihimaera intended for The Whale Rider to be a children's book or if this was the publisher's marketing idea? Hmmm...just some questions.

Despite all this(!), I really did truly enjoy the book, especially for its insight on Maori culture, the ecological concerns of a world very different from mine, and the bravery and persistence of Kahu. I would absolutely recommend it, focusing on more mature readers.

-----

Yay! The BBC World Book Club interviewed Witi Ihimaera and used one of my questions! Ihimaera provides a moving and eye-opening commentary about the book--you should check it out.

[Kitty · Rating 2 out of 5]

väga veider lugemiselamus.

natuke vaalu ja maoori mütoloogiat ja kultuuri kulub igaühe ellu kindlasti ära. eriti sellest viimasest ei teadnud ma enne midagi ja ses mõttes huvitav lugemine.

aga... esmailmunud on see raamat 1987. aastal ja 2020. aastast vaadates tundub ta ikka üsna... kehvasti välja kukkunud.

algusest peale oli mul tunne (mis sai järelsõna lugedes kinnituse), et autori ambitsioon justkui oli näidata, et tüdrukud võivad ka vaalaratsanikud ja suguharupealikud olla. ainult et... kogu lugupidamise juures, selle raamatu tüdrukpeategelane on täiesti passiivne. ise ta sõna ei saa, temast räägib meile üks mees (ta onu) ja põhiliselt on ta defineeritud läbi suhte teise mehega (oma vanaisaga), mis ka absoluutselt mitte mingis suunas ei arene. lihtsalt peatükkide kaupa reitereeritakse: Kahu armastas vanaisa väga, vanaisa ei hoolinud Kahust, sest ta oli tüdruk, Kahu ei olnud kunagi vihane ega solvunud, ainult õnnetu, aga proovis ikka ja alati uuesti vanaisa tähelepanu ja armastust võita. seejuures ei toimu mingit mässu, ei tehta mingeid tegusid enda tõestamiseks. ainult hiilitakse ringi ja saadakse aegajalt jalaga ja roomatakse niutsudes tagasi nagu koerakutsikas. kuni siis päris lõpuni, kus Väljavalitu tõestab mängleva kergusega, et tema see rahva päästja on, ja vanaisa hakkab nutma ja saab kõigest aru ja kõik ongi korras. mm, mida täpselt üks tüdruk (või üldse laps või üldse lugeja) sellest loost õppima pidigi? kui oled tüdruk, keda tõsiselt ei võeta, siis kannata ära, küll nad ükskord näevad? ja kui oled mees, siis pole vaja tüdrukuid tõsiselt võtta, sest kui vaja, küll siis saab maailm päästetud, aga seni valitse nii, nagu ise tahad?

aa, ja mis siis on Kahu positiivsed omadused, mida vanaisa märkama ei vaevu? ta on 1) väga ilus ja armas, 2) väga hea ja leebe, 3) kohutavalt tubli ja õpihimuline ja töökas, 4) sündinud esimese lapselapsena, mis tähendab, et legitiimne pärija. (või mina ka ei saa aru, kuidas need põlvkonnad siin on, vist ikkagi on vanavanaisa ja lapselapselaps? misiganes.) jaa, ma võin kinnitada, et aastal 1987 oli see just nimelt see väärtustekomplekt, mida ühelt väikselt tüdrukult oodati. aga tavaliselt loo kangelane TEEB ka midagi. või kasvab kuidagi. Kahu oli algusest peale nii ideaalne, et tal ilmselt polnud vaja kasvada.

isiklikku arengut ei olnud siin üldse mitte ühegi tegelase juures märgata. mistõttu nad olid kohutavalt igavad ja ainus, kellele suutsin natukegi kaasa elada, oli minajutustaja, tüdruku onu, kelle asjasse absoluutselt mittepuutuvad seiklused Austraalias ja Paapua Uus-Guineas olid selle raamatu kõige põnevam osa mu jaoks.

teine mu jaoks häiriv asi, mis võibolla pole autori enda, vaid maoori mütoloogia süü küll, on see läbiv sõnum, et inimene on ikkagi looduse kroon ja kõik need vaalad muud ei oota, kui et keegi tuleks ja ometi jälle ratsutaks. kuidagi jälle ei kõneta selline sõnum enam 21. sajandil.

[Octavia Cade · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been meaning to read this for literal decades at this point, so finally swiped my Mum's copy and spent the morning with it. Loved it. I don't know that I quite sympathise with Kahu's desire to love her miserable grandfather - her granny, to me, is much more appealing, and doesn't have to be prodded by apparent death to give even a smidgeon of affection to the poor kid. That being said, the characters are so finely drawn that it's almost hard to believe how short the book is: less than 150 pages in this edition.

It's just beautifully written, and the narrative voice is both entertaining and compelling. I ended up going to read about the historical whale stranding the narrator describes, and honestly, I wish I hadn't. Chainsaws, really?! I suppose the horror of that scene acts as a counterbalance, though... something to illuminate, for the reader, just how much of their own sympathy is given over to the whales, and to Kahu.

[Whitney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for Popsugar 2022, but this felt like the blurb was false advertising. The synopsis makes it sound like Kahu is the POV character, and while she IS the protagonist, the book is narrated by her uncle for....some unknown reason? It's very apparent the book was written in the 80s because it's SUPER fatphobic. And the author said in the opening letter that he wanted to write a book where a girl was the savior, which technically is true, but she exists to make her grandfather realize he's being sexist. Kahu is incidental to the story. She's a plot device to move the story along for the male characters, which I did not love. It's a product of it's time, I guess. I would've preferred to hear the story FROM the protagonist, not an unnecessary side character.

[Sophy H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the film of this title some years ago prior to reading the book and was hugely impressed by the cinematography and storytelling.

The book is fantastic! A beautifully told story of the relationship between the Ancients; the oldest civilizations on Earth and their ability to communicate with the creatures of the sea.

The characters here are wonderfully portrayed, the setting beautifully described. The story unfolds in a natural and organic way and the protagonist is just a sheer delight to read about.

And the ultimate story punch................ it's feminist literature! Women rule in this title! They are the leaders, the chosen ones, they have the knowledge! Yassssssssssssss!!!

A quick but absolutely engaging and absorbing read.

[L Y N N · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an experience reading this book provides! Heartbreaking, yet hopeful. We humans need to live in harmony with nature...after all, we ourselves are a part of nature, including all elements of this planet, particularly other animals, plants, etc. Harmony is the key. Gender is a socially-constructed term and should be irrelevant. Anyone can be a leader.

[Юра Мельник · Rating 4 out of 5]

Книжка може на дві години перенести вас у протилежну від України точку земної кулі, щоб ви поплавали з китами у Тихому океані і поновили свій зв'язок із матінкою-природою

[Rusalka · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still love Witi Ihimaera's writing. I spend so much of his books committing Māori words to memory, in a vain attempt (I suck at languages) to be able to remember and use words after I finish reading.

I hate though books with ingrained cultural misogyny and an exceptional girl having to spend all her time "proving" she is worthy, let alone better than the men and boys in the novel due to this. I understand it as a trope. I understand it as a realistic thing that happens All. The. Fricking. Time.

I'm just tired. I'm tired of 2020 and it's made me tired of this kind of irrelevant crap that still carries on despite decades of movements trying to get over all of this. The story itself is great, and I'd read the back of a cereal box if he wrote it. Kahu just deserves a better world and therefore I can't love it as a whole as I was so annoyed all the time. She deserves a place where she is valued for who she is, not her bits.

[Anna [Floanne] · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars
“La Balena e la Bambina” è una piccola ma splendida fiaba Maori in cui mi sono imbattuta per puro caso la scorsa settimana mentre curiosavo tra gli scaffali della bibloteca locale. Non avevo nemmeno mai sentito parlare del ben più celebre film che ne è stato tratto nel 2002 e che ha riscosso notevole successo al botteghino: vincitore del Toronto International Film Festival e del più noto Sundance Film Festival, ha fruttato alla sua interprete principale, la giovanissima Keisha Castle-Huges, la candidatura agli Oscar 2004 come miglior attrice protagonista. Ma tutto sommato, meglio cosi: forse non avrei apprezzato pienamente il libro.
La vicenda ha inizio quando, in un piccolo villaggio sulla costa neozelandese, viene alla luce Kahu, nipote del capo tribù Koro Apirana, la cui unica colpa agli occhi della comunità è quella di essere nata femmina… Da sempre, infatti, la tradizione Maori stabilisce che a prendere le redini della tribù possa essere solo un erede maschio, come maschio fu il capostipite della tribù, Paikea, il quale, secondo la leggenda fondativa, approdò sulle coste neozelandesi dopo un epico viaggio sul dorso di una balena e lì fondò il villaggio di Whangara e la sua comunità.
Secoli dopo, il vecchio Koro Apirana, vedendo interrotta la discendenza maschile, si prodiga come un matto nella ricerca di un erede maschio e si fa promotore della cultura Maori, organizzando corsi di lingua, tradizioni e leggende riservati ai soli bimbi maschi del villaggio. Acciecato dalla propria chiusura mentale, il vecchio rifiuta di continuo l’affetto della piccola nipotina che, però, stravede per lui. Crescendo, Kahu diventa la sua ombra: lo segue ovunque di nascosto, e cerca di apprendere quanto più le riesce sulle tradizioni Maori e sul mare, proprio per conquistare il cuore del burbero capo tribù e per dimostrarsi degna della propria discendenza.
A difesa del diritto di Kahu alla leadership della comunità, si schiera un altro personaggio femminile incredibilmente forte: Nonna Flowers. Moglie di Koro Apirana, nonna Flowers è in continua lotta col marito, che definisce troppo tradizionalista e retrogrado e che chiama affettuosamente (ma non troppo) “paka”, “canaglia” in lingua Maori. Secondo Nonna Flowers, le donne Maori hanno oramai ampiamente dimostrato di avere un ruolo forte nella moderna società Maori e non sono più disposte a farsi accantonare sulla base di antiche leggende. Da qui, la quotidana e buffissima minaccia della nonna di divorziare da Paka e andare a vivere con un arzillo vecchietto che fu la sua prima fiamma in gioventù!
Intanto gli anni passano e Kahu cresce nel totale disinteresse del nonno, anche se in svariate occasioni dà piccoli segnali del suo essere speciale. Nessuno lo sa, ma Kahu ha un dono che oramai l’uomo moderno ha perso: lei riesce ancora a parlare alle balene. In Kahu, infatti, complice forse la purezza che solo i bimbi possiedono, vive ancora lo spirito degli antenati. E sarà proprio questo spirito a riemergere in tutta la sua forza in un momento tragico e straziante per la piccola comunità di pescatori.
Questa fiaba, solo all’apparenza banale con il suo linguaggio volutamente semplice ed infantile, tocca in realtà tantissime tematiche importanti. Ed è cosi che affiora, ad esempio, il tema della presa di coscienza del nuovo ruolo delle donne in una società per molti versi ancora tribale come quella Maori; o ancora, la perdita del rapporto di rispetto tra Uomo-Natura e le conseguenze che da tutto ciò stanno scaturendo, soprattutto in luoghi cosi profondamente legati all’elemento naturale e da esso dipendenti per la sopravvivenza quotidiana, come certe isole della Nuova Zelanda (ma si potrebbe parlare di Amazzonia o Polo Nord e la situazione non sarebbe poi migliore!). C’e poi la tematica dell’emigrazione forzata che affligge le nuove generazioni di queste terre sperdute: ecco, quindi, che la voce narrante del libro, lo zio Rawiri, ad un certo punto lascia il suo Paese e va in Australia per fare esperienza e cercare un futuro diverso da quello che Whangara potrebbe offrirgli.
Una particolarità stilistica di questo libro che mi ha molto affascinata è che si sviluppa anche su una dimensione parallela alla narrazione delle vicende di Kahu e della sua famiglia. E’ la dimensione più ancestrale del mito originario, dove protagonista è il branco di balene che portò sul proprio dorso Paikea e il lettore, ascoltando la voce stessa della balena-totem, ne segue il peregrinare negli abissi, fino all’epilogo (molto intenso e che confesso mi ha commossa) che vede i due universi – quello reale e quello mitologico – incontrarsi nuovamente e fondersi in una terza dimensione, sospesa a metà tra realtà e immaginazione, sulla superficie dell’oceano illuminato dalla luna e “tutto intorno le balene saltavano, riempiendo l’aria di spruzzi lucenti come diamanti...
Hui e, haumi e, taiki e.
Che sia."

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

A novella which packs an emotional punch. Beautifully written.

[Kendrick]

Beautiful. An Aotearoa classic.