Paka's heartfelt letter to Kahu/Paikea - Whale Rider

Dear Kahu,

Kahu, I hope this letter finds you well. A lot of things have happened since we last spoke, extraordinary things. Things that made me change who I am as a person, the attitude I bring to life, and the perspective I have on life.

I was once blind and you made me see. You made me see the world through your eyes, those two innocent eyes. I now realized I was wrong all along. I should have loved you, respected you, and done everything by justice with you. But I cannot change what happened.

You were, are, and always will be the big chief of our tribe I had been looking for. Sometimes people look for things that are untouchable, unreachable, and unfeasible. They travel miles and miles to find whatever they are looking for, only to realize what they were looking for was so close to them that they couldn’t see. And when they can see, it is all too late.

This is what happened to me and you proved me wrong. You showed your determination to learn the Maori culture. You showed strength, courage, and leadership. You believe in the power of the whales and have a special connection passed down from out ancestor, Paikea. You are the Whale Rider.

Being the close-minded person that I am, I did not realize this until now. I ignored you. You showed signs and indications that you were and are meant to be the big chief and I ignored it. I ignored it for one reason, prejudice. I didn’t believe women can do jobs that men do. I didn’t believe that women can be tribe leaders.

But I now realize that sometimes men can’t even do jobs that men do, that it doesn’t matter what sex the tribe leader is. If the person is meant to be, he/she is meant to be. Kahu, my dear, you are meant to be the tribe leader.

I hope it is not too late. I am awfully sorry for what I did to you, your dad, and your grandmother. As I said, I cannot change things that are in the past. All I can do is strive for a better future. I will change and I will prove it. I will not have any prejudices against anything. I will not judge anything before actually knowing what she/he/it can do.

 I now know the importance of family and will embrace it. I now have a different mindset that I will bring to the world as the current tribe leader of our town. I will learn to forgive and forget and I hope you do too. Wise leader, forgive me for I am just a fledging new to flight.

Love, your Paka