Whale Rider Dramatic Monologue - Kahu, Pai

I am about to perform the last act of the show , the most important one, the one I have been practicing for weeks, and he is not here. My Paka is not here. Can’t I be the most important thing in his life just for one night, this one night? Why can’t I matter just for this one night? I wish he would love me the way I love him.

My name is Kahu. I am named after the great Kahutia Te Rangi, the golden master, the original whale rider, who led our tribe to the land of Aotearoa ions ago. I am a proud descendent of Koro Apirana, whom I call Paka, the big chief of our tribe and town, Whangara.

I am a girl longing to be loved by my grandfather. The leaders of our tribe, since the time of my ancestor Paikea, have always been males. I understand that it is a sacred tradition for a grandfather to pass on his knowledge to his grandson; teach him how to fight, how to guide, and how to lead his tribe.

But it wasn’t my fault that I was born a girl. I didn’t have a choice. I am here now and I can’t change that. Why can’t I be the chief of our tribe like my Paka? Because I am a girl? I have the determination to learn the Maori culture and I have more leadership than the local boys. I have the courage, the strength, and the determination. What else does one need to become the big chief?

I love and respect my tribe and would do anything to save it, even if it costs my life. I believe in the power of the whales. I have a special connection to them passed down by my ancestor, Paikea. So what if I am a girl? If it is meant to be, it is meant to be. It was my born right to become the leader of our tribe. There is no changing that.

Women can do anything these days.  But according to Koro Apirana, it is not the Maori way. Women can’t do jobs that men do. Women can’t be tribe leaders. All we can do is cooking and gardening. But why? We can handle the pressure. We can handle the responsibilities.  We can do anything.

I understand that it is against the Maori culture for a female to become a tribe leader. But this is not the old days anymore. This is the present. Things change, people change, and rules change as well. We have to adapt the Maori culture to fit the modern society, not the other way around. It is the time for equality, justice, and fairness.

It doesn’t matter what I think or what any women think we can do. Men still think we are not capable of doing hard work. We have to show them what we can do and prove them wrong. So I’m not going to argue with Paka or any of the boys and prove that I am meant to be the tribe leader. I am going to do it. I’m going to learn all about the Maori culture. I’m going to work hard and learn about Maori leadership and the traditions passed down from our ancestor, even if Paka tries to stop me. Let it be done.