Whale Rider is a film set in New Zealand, made by New Zealanders, about one Maori village's struggle to move into the future and hold fast to their sacred traditions. It is about one little girl who struggles to both embrace and question those traditions. I confess I have watched this movie three times since July of this year. The story is appealing but the music is wonderful. Yesterday, we read about Australian aborigines and New Zealand Maori in our history book. I showed the children clips from this movie so they could see and hear some of the traditional Maori dress, chants, rituals and ceremonies. They enjoyed it so much, they played "Maori" all day.
When the boys left for Cub Scouts, Rose asked to see the whole movie. We watched it together. I'm glad we did. It gave me a chance to affirm so many of Rose's strengths. It inspired her. Oh, and it gave me a chance to watch this movie again.
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