The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera

           In the book “Whale Rider” by Witi Himaera, the main character Kahu, was the first girl born out of all of her siblings and cousins. Named after the legend Kahutia Te Rangi, Kahu’s grandfather Koro, didn’t like communicating and teaching his granddaughter because he didn’t think that girls were as strong as boys in the tribe. The whale rider was a powerful man who swam through the water along with whales, and one specific day, he tossed a long heavy spear into the bottom of the ocean. Anyway, during her childhood, Kahu grew up around Koro following his footsteps and tried following the actions of how he’s always wanted her to be. Although Kahu seemed to feel abandoned because of how Koro felt about her, she really felt confident about showing Koro how she wasn’t different.

            Once Kahu was born, Koro wasn’t thrilled as he found out the news. For example, he said, “A girl… I will have nothing to do with her. She has broken the male line of descent in our tribe.” As a young child, Kahu struggled with not getting enough time and attention from Koro. Since Koro taught all of the boys about weapons, protection and being a leader in the tribe, Kahu always tagged along and crawled into the rooms with interest. Koro was annoyed by her actions and still didn’t believe in Kahu, but once he realized why she was around him often, he became concerned and confused. Koro still continued to blame Kahu for his problems and for why her brothers are not strong enough. Once Kahu grew older, she gained more control of the way Koro treated her.

            Towards the end of the book, Kahu became more aware of the way people thought of her and how she felt about other people. For example, Koro wanted to take the family on a boat into the sea, where the spear was thrown. Kahu knew that Koro couldn’t stand her because of how he kept saying “ You’re no use to me…Go away” so she wanted to impress Koro as soon as she could. After each boy tried reaching and diving for the spear, Kahu felt brave enough and copied what all the boys tried doing as Koro had a surprised expression. She pulled the stone out of the tough sand and with the stone in her hand; dolphins surrounded Kahu in an amazing way. Days after, Kahu returned to the shore with Koro as the waves grew and whales hurried towards them. Koro felt a rush while everything happened so rapidly, when Kahu proved her strength as the whale rider. Kahu felt relieved and loved because of how Koro helped her when he didn’t know it.

            In the beginning of the book, Kahu felt hurt and useless because of how her grandfather thought of her when she knew that she was as strong as everyone else. After she grew older, she began to believe and become the fact that she was stronger than many. This book shows how both genders are equal in strength and intelligence. I thought that this book showed the different ways that someone could act and think, just like Kahu and Koro. Kahu gained more confidence throughout her childhood with help of Koro and being the whale rider.