Whale Rider, AOF Chapter 5, and Indigenous stories overview....Quiz alternative

While watching the movie "Whale Rider" I noticed a few things in this film. For one, I know its not important, but I noticed that Pai wore a head band. This I would possibly consider what we may call a "Hollywood Indian" image since I remember that the headband is actually a white mans addition to the Indian image due to the fact that they needed something to keep their wigs on. I was kind of wondering why they would have the character Pai wear one for her traditional showcase of her people in front of them.

I also notice how women are looked as inferior to men in their culture from how grandpa would treat Pai. No matter how much she would prove herself to her grandpa and show that what the boys could do, she could do better. The scene were she beat out the boy fighting and grandpa seen that, that boy who was originally looked as the top prospect to become the next chief or leader of the tribe all of a sudden was looked down to as an inferior man and a failure. He was casted away from the trails and could no longer become the leader if he was to win out the spot. Grandpa still over looked Pai because she was a female. He never seemed to accept her and seemed he wished it was her rather than the boy that died when she was born , so he could make him the new leader when he grew up. Pai had to risk her life and nearly die to prove herself to her grandpa.

I do connect this story as more of an Indian Story since it portrays the Native (who is of New Zealand) as actual real people and not these uneducated savages out to scalp their enemies. Just an observation. They were not seen as the "other." You can compare this to a Native American Story teller, that speaks to the people and really brings you into the Maori culture. I truly felt I had a peak into their life and their history. We seen a lot of traditions of their old ways that they still hold on to.

I did notice that they seemed to be segregated from the rest of the world or their country of New Zealand. I am not sure if this is because they chose to keep away from the rest of the world to maintain their more traditional ways so they do not assimilate. You may think maybe because they are seen as the "other" and they have been segregated, but this is hard to believe being that New Zealand is very supportive and has embraced its indigenous culture. If it was here in the United states were only about 1% of the population is native, you can believe it would be because of the "other" image. We have as a nation oppressed the natives to were they are today. In New Zealand were the population is 15% they have really grasped the idea and they are teaching some Maori language in many schools there. This makes you think that, what if the native population here in the states were the same breakdown as they are in New Zealand . Would the U.S. population be more supporting and embrace the Native culture as they did in New Zealand, or would we still be were we are today?