The Whale Rider Historical Framework

From a historical frame work the movie the Whale Rider has an important dichotomy between individual and community. The traditional aspect of the tribe is that the community is led by a leader, and the leader is a chosen one who is usually the first born male. Pai is the true chosen one at this time but her grandfather does all that he can do to prove that she is not the one. Pai tries to reason with the tribe suggesting that they don’t need a leader, but they can all be leaders. This does not prove to be true. The community worked together to try and un-beach the whales but were unsuccessful. When Pai tried to un-beach the whale the wale broke free and was back in the water. Much like her being an individual leader the whales also had a leader. It was said that if they get the big one to move, then all of the other whales will follow. This was true. This shows that an individual is more important in the community as opposed to the community itself, proving that there needs to be a leader and that an individual is given privilege over community.