The Influence of Beliefs on Individual Life in Witi Ihimaera’s “The Whale Rider.” Anonymous 12th Grade

Through time, the beliefs of people have always been used to guide members of different societies on the accepted code of conduct. The way of life of these people is thus influenced by their beliefs, and whether or not they lead fulfilled lives is solely dependent on their beliefs as well as the beliefs of the society into which they are born. Witi Ihimaera in “The Whale Rider” brings out the concept of beliefs, particularly their influence on individual lives. In this essay, an intensive analysis of the influence of beliefs on individual life is brought into perspective using illustrations from Ihimaera’s “The Whale Rider.”

Koro Apirana, Kahu’s great-grandfather, believes that a girl should not be named after a man, and particularly a great man, chief, and founder of the community. Koro is against Kahu being named after the founder of the community Kahutia Te Rangi. Not only does he say that he will not have anything to do with the child because she is female, but he also strongly disagrees with the naming since he “felt that naming a girl-child after the founder of the tribe was belittling Kahutia Te Rangi’s prestige” (14). Koro’s disregard for Kahu influences his way of life as he spends it mostly trying to look for a...