4.5 stars “La Balena e la Bambina” è una piccola ma splendida fiaba Maori in cui mi sono imbattuta per puro caso la scorsa settimana mentre curiosavo tra gli scaffali della bibloteca locale. Non avevo nemmeno mai sentito parlare del ben più celebre film che ne è stato tratto nel 2002 e che ha riscosso notevole successo al botteghino: vincitore del Toronto International Film Festival e del più noto Sundance Film Festival, ha fruttato alla sua interprete principale, la giovanissima Keisha Castle-Huges, la candidatura agli Oscar 2004 come miglior attrice protagonista. Ma tutto sommato, meglio cosi: forse non avrei apprezzato pienamente il libro.La vicenda ha inizio quando, in un piccolo villaggio sulla costa neozelandese, viene alla luce Kahu, nipote del capo tribù Koro Apirana, la cui unica colpa agli occhi della comunità è quella di essere nata femmina… Da sempre, infatti, la tradizione Maori stabilisce che a prendere le redini della tribù possa essere solo un erede maschio, come maschio fu il capostipite della tribù, Paikea, il quale, secondo la leggenda fondativa, approdò sulle coste neozelandesi dopo un epico viaggio sul dorso di una balena e lì fondò il villaggio di Whangara e la sua comunità. Secoli dopo, il vecchio Koro Apirana, vedendo interrotta la discendenza maschile, si prodiga come un matto nella ricerca di un erede maschio e si fa promotore della cultura Maori, organizzando corsi di lingua, tradizioni e leggende riservati ai soli bimbi maschi del villaggio. Acciecato dalla propria chiusura mentale, il vecchio rifiuta di continuo l’affetto della piccola nipotina che, però, stravede per lui. Crescendo, Kahu diventa la sua ombra: lo segue ovunque di nascosto, e cerca di apprendere quanto più le riesce sulle tradizioni Maori e sul mare, proprio per conquistare il cuore del burbero capo tribù e per dimostrarsi degna della propria discendenza.A difesa del diritto di Kahu alla leadership della comunità, si schiera un altro personaggio femminile incredibilmente forte: Nonna Flowers. Moglie di Koro Apirana, nonna Flowers è in continua lotta col marito, che definisce troppo tradizionalista e retrogrado e che chiama affettuosamente (ma non troppo) “paka”, “canaglia” in lingua Maori. Secondo Nonna Flowers, le donne Maori hanno oramai ampiamente dimostrato di avere un ruolo forte nella moderna società Maori e non sono più disposte a farsi accantonare sulla base di antiche leggende. Da qui, la quotidana e buffissima minaccia della nonna di divorziare da Paka e andare a vivere con un arzillo vecchietto che fu la sua prima fiamma in gioventù!Intanto gli anni passano e Kahu cresce nel totale disinteresse del nonno, anche se in svariate occasioni dà piccoli segnali del suo essere speciale. Nessuno lo sa, ma Kahu ha un dono che oramai l’uomo moderno ha perso: lei riesce ancora a parlare alle balene. In Kahu, infatti, complice forse la purezza che solo i bimbi possiedono, vive ancora lo spirito degli antenati. E sarà proprio questo spirito a riemergere in tutta la sua forza in un momento tragico e straziante per la piccola comunità di pescatori. Questa fiaba, solo all’apparenza banale con il suo linguaggio volutamente semplice ed infantile, tocca in realtà tantissime tematiche importanti. Ed è cosi che affiora, ad esempio, il tema della presa di coscienza del nuovo ruolo delle donne in una società per molti versi ancora tribale come quella Maori; o ancora, la perdita del rapporto di rispetto tra Uomo-Natura e le conseguenze che da tutto ciò stanno scaturendo, soprattutto in luoghi cosi profondamente legati all’elemento naturale e da esso dipendenti per la sopravvivenza quotidiana, come certe isole della Nuova Zelanda (ma si potrebbe parlare di Amazzonia o Polo Nord e la situazione non sarebbe poi migliore!). C’e poi la tematica dell’emigrazione forzata che affligge le nuove generazioni di queste terre sperdute: ecco, quindi, che la voce narrante del libro, lo zio Rawiri, ad un certo punto lascia il suo Paese e va in Australia per fare esperienza e cercare un futuro diverso da quello che Whangara potrebbe offrirgli.Una particolarità stilistica di questo libro che mi ha molto affascinata è che si sviluppa anche su una dimensione parallela alla narrazione delle vicende di Kahu e della sua famiglia. E’ la dimensione più ancestrale del mito originario, dove protagonista è il branco di balene che portò sul proprio dorso Paikea e il lettore, ascoltando la voce stessa della balena-totem, ne segue il peregrinare negli abissi, fino all’epilogo (molto intenso e che confesso mi ha commossa) che vede i due universi – quello reale e quello mitologico – incontrarsi nuovamente e fondersi in una terza dimensione, sospesa a metà tra realtà e immaginazione, sulla superficie dell’oceano illuminato dalla luna e “tutto intorno le balene saltavano, riempiendo l’aria di spruzzi lucenti come diamanti... Hui e, haumi e, taiki e. Che sia."
A friend recommended this to me a few years ago and so finally I pulled it off my bookshelf and read it and after such a long time of being embedded in bricks, or books that I wasn’t particularly taken with, The Whale Rider felt like a breath of fresh sea air.Ihimaera chose to tell the story not from Kahu’s point of view, but from her Uncle Rawiri instead, giving the story the feel of a modern day legend. Kahu herself became more of a secondary character.In a modern day world, culture becomes eroded and past beliefs, history and a the old ways of life are forgotten. Koro Apirana the chief from Whangara is fighting to maintain the old ways of life by providing lessons to the young members of the Maori population.The Maori tribe from Whangara, believe that the first person to come to their land was brought by a whale. He was the Whale Rider and the ancestor of Koro Apirana. It is his belief that only a male line will continue and keep their people alive.Yet Kahu is female and so she cannot be the one to inherit the title of chief, to carry on the lineage and traditions of the tribe.Far away, in the deepness of the sea an ancient pod of whales, lead by the eldest one of them all looks into the past when once he carried the Whale Rider, Paikea on his back . Driven by this belief and nostalgia he leads his pod away from their feeding grounds and towards Whangara.The Whale Rider is the story of how the past must reconcile itself to the future, the identity of the Maori people and the importance of staying true to oneself and the beliefs. There is a strong environmental cord threading through the story: careless overfishing instead of looking after the ocean wildlife their people were born from. Those people who, instead of saving the whales wished only to butcher their bodies for their meat and blubber.It is told in a sometimes rather simplistic style, much like a children’s book, perhaps to emulate the feeling of how a legend may be told. It feels very naturalistic and I like how the Maori language is also integrated into the writing.There is a movie of The Whale Rider, which I have yet to watch and from the trailer it looks to be quite different, but really good. The book is lovely and I would be interested in reading others by Ihimaera. I like reading about different cultures and this is a good, short little introduction.
What do You think about The Whale Rider (2003)?
I saw the movie based on this novella when it came out years ago, and remember really liking it. I listened to the audiobook wonderfully narrated by Jay Laga'aia, and would recommend the audio as there are Maori phrases and music that add to the enjoyment of this story. I love creation stories, and this one retells an ancient Maori legend juxtaposed with the present day lives of the Maori. Kahu is a young Maori girl who has the misfortune of not being born the boy her Great-Grandfather desperately wanted. This story switches back and forth between her struggle to find her place in the world, and the reminiscences of the ancient whale of legends. The book is populated with wonderful characters, and explores themes of holding on to one's culture in a modern world, gender politics, and coming of age in a changing world. While written for a young adult audience, this one is a lovely read for adults as well.
—Elizabeth A
Written in 1987, THE WHALE RIDER is a deceptively short book. Only 120 pages long, it’s a richly layered story dealing with several major social issues: family relationships, gender discrimination, generational differences, racial prejudice, loss of the cultural identity of indigenous tribes, ecological conservationism and modern man’s disconnection from his spiritual self.Kahu is a young Maori girl who, from the moment of her birth, had a deep connection with her great-grandfather Koro Apirana, a powerful Maori Chieftan. Custodian of his people’s indigenous culture, Koro searches desperately for his successor: a boy who, for the good of all his people, will value and understand the ancient Maori traditions as much as Koro does. Kahu’s uncle Rawiri, who narrates most of the story, and her great-grandmother Nanni Flowers, see in Kahu’s spirit that which Koro seeks: the soul of the future Chieftan who will lead the Maoris of Whangara into the 21st century. But Kahu is a girl and, in Maori tradition, only men can perform the sacred traditions that keep the Maori people blessed of their gods and their ancestors.From the delightfully subversive feminist Nanni Flowers to good guy Rawiri who, along with a diverse group of people tried desperately to save 200 beached whales (one of the several scenes in the book which had me sobbing out loud), to the serene, compassionate and otherworldly Kahu, the story is filled with remarkable characters. These include the Old Whale, an ancient sea-creature that has survived for centuries to ensure that Kahu meets her destiny of ensuring that the sacred Maori traditions shall live on into the new century.The lyrical, almost magical, descriptions of the herd of whales’ journeys through the depths of the great oceans contrast beautifully with Rawiri’s simple, down-to-earth narrative. The boneless, weightless feel of the writing in the whale scenes recreate both a transcendent spiritual state and the sensation of swimming underwater. From the comical rendition of the constant bickering of Koro Apirana and his wife Nanni Flowers, to the well of emotion that has him spontaneously performing the haka to support Kahu at her school prize-giving, Rawiri’s gentle perceptions of his extended Maori family reveal the deep bonds of love and culture holding them together. “Family,” he says to his white friend Jeff, “is Family.” Some of the Maori terms were, at times, confusing and the edition I read did not have a glossary of Maori terms, which would have been useful. This lack, however, did not detract from the lush splendour of THE WHALE RIDER, a beautiful story of hope and promise.
—Judy Croome
"The Whale Rider" was a book I was quite drawn to, as I am a kiwi, and I love New Zealand. I really felt for Kahu (or Pai) especially, and now I will look up to her as a favoured character. If I was in English class, I'd write a long descript essay into the characters and the morals etc... But I don't feel the need for that level of depth right now. I really liked being carried back to the days before I was born in Aotearoa, and then feeling the effects history has on a country and its people. It was interesting how the folklore of Pai weaved into Kahu's family, although I take the stories lightly as I have faith only in the one true God.I'm in the process of learning the Maori language, so I liked how Maori words were incorporated into the book, as I had the chance to catch onto some new words.If you read this book, you will have a greater love and understanding for culture and diversity, and hopefully appreciate your brothers and sisters more if you haven't before. I want to watch the movie now. :D
—Shakaela
