I have three favourite movies.  One of them I can stream – Titanic.  For the other two, I’ll give each of you 100 euros if you’ve ever heard of them – Sunshine On Leith and Whale Rider.

Hmm … perhaps that was a little excessive.

Oh well.  I’ll check my savings account.

The Blu-Ray of Whale Rider arrived yesterday.  Arlene and I watched it last night.  It was a delightful reunion with Paikea, a 13-year-old Maori girl in New Zealand.  An astonishing human being.

Paikea’s grandfather is the chief of the local Maori tribe and was praying that his daughter-in-law would give birth to a boy.  Grandpa then would groom the kid to eventually be the new chief.  But what arrived was Paikea.

And so the story of a patriarchal society unfolded, plus the one about a teen speaking truth to power.  And yearning for the love of her grandfather.

In the words of a young girl:

In the old days, the land felt a great emptiness.  It was waiting.  Waiting to be filled up.  Waiting for someone to love it. Waiting for a leader.

A long time ago, my ancestor Paikea came to this place on the back of a whale.  Since then, in every generation of my family, the first born son has carried his name and become the leader of our tribe … until now.

But we can learn and if the knowledge is given to everyone, then we can have lots of leaders and soon everyone will be strong, not just the ones who’ve been chosen.

At one point, Paikea, in traditional Maori dress and facial adornment, gives a speech to the community.  Her grandfather hasn’t come to the meeting.

This speech is a token of my deep love and respect for Koro Apirana, my grandfather …

She cries.

And at the end of the film:

My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs stretching all the way back to the whale rider.  I’m not a prophet, but I know that our people will keep going forward, all together, with all of our strength.

Well said

Well lived

Well seen