Paikea Apirana

Paikea Apirana, or Pai for short, is the main protagonist of the critically-acclaimed independent film Whale Rider. She is a spirited Maori girl who is the only surviving child in her family and lives with her father, Porourangi, her uncle Rawiri, her grandmother, Nanny Flowers, and her grandfather, Koro, who is the patriarch of the family. Pai is descended from athe legendary whale rider, Paikea. Her mother dies of childbirth and so does her brother. Koro reluctantly takes her in and raises her as her own, but, worrying about what he believes is right for the tribe, sees no use for her. Pai feels she is worthy to become the leader of her tribe, because her grandfather is looking for a prophet. Koro forms a cultural school for the firsborn boys, hoping to find a leader. The school is traditionally preserved for males, but Pai disobeys him and joins the other boys, which in turn gets her into trouble. The rest of her family knows how she feels. Pai discovers a whale tooth that Koro had tossed into the sea for the boys to retrieve as a test, which they fail. She discovers the tooth, and makes a moving speech as a guest of honor at her school. Pai calls a pod of right whales to her with her singing and because of that, the whales become stranded. Koro is furious that Pai has caused enough trouble, but our heroine rides the largest whale into the ocean, leading the pod in the process. She nearly drowns and is rescued. Afterward, Koro reconciles with her and declares her the leader of their tribe.

Trivia

 * Paikea Apirana is portrayed by Keisha Castle-Hughes, who received an Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
 * Her film won many awards at the Toronto Film Festival.