Whale Rider Essay

Is the Whale Rider a legend?

In the novel The Whale Rider written by Witi Ihimaera I wanted to no if the story was a legend, which it is. Witi Ihimaera was inspired to write the story when he lived in New York. He was in his appartment looking over the hudson river where he saw a whale spouting out in the river which remined him of his peoples legend, the whale Rider.

The legend is about Paikea and his Grandfather Koro. Witi Ihimaera got the idea of this legend and most parts of the story line follows the legend but Ihimaera renewed the story and changed parts of it to make it his own. The legend is in New Zealand around Whangara and the story comes from the Whangara tribe.

The story starts of talking about how the land was found and how Paikea came to New Zealand on a huge Whale. And then moves onto the family of Koro, Paikea's Granfathers family. Koro eldest son Porourangi then has a child kahu a baby girl which makes Koro mad because Kahu was mean't to be a boy to take Koro's place. This was a change from the legend because in the legend it is a boy. Kahu 's mother dies after giving birth to kahu in the story so it is decided that kahu goes back to Kahu's mothers tribe to live and come back to Koro's for hoilays through the story kahu comes and stays at Koro's every holidays. As kahu gets older stanger things happen to her, things to do with the whales when finally towards the end when the big whale is stranded on the beach Kahu swims out to it and talks to it and asks it to get of the beach and rides of on its back out into the ocean. Koro finally relizes the big mistake he has made. eventually kahu returns and is taken to hospital and when she wakes she finally has the relationship she has always wanted with her koro.

Mosts parts in the story are true but the story does have differnet parts that the legend doesn't. Witi Ihimaera has change the legend to make it his own story .The real story is a legend from the whangara people.