pai discovery

In the movie, Whale Rider, there are great examples of Joseph Campbell’s article, Four Functions of Myth, which are: mystical myth, cosmological myth, social myth, and psychological myth. In the film, Whale Rider, Pai discovers her sense of self as she reinvents the Maori tribe’s creation myth to save the dying culture. The mystical myth in Whale Rider would be when she rode the whale. Pai is suppose to be the new chief in town, however, her grandfather, Koro, does not think a girl should be chief because he believes it will break tradition. Pai’s grandfather would always talk to the whales to get some help and advice from them, which are said to be their ancestors. The community was breaking apart and Koro was aware of it; that’s why he wanted help from his ancestors. Pai said, “A long time ago, my ancestor Paikea came to this place on the back of a whale. Since then, in every generation of my family, the first born son has carried his name and became the leader of our tribe…until now” (Whale). For this reason, Koro felt he had to follow the tradition, but the ancestors knew that it was time for a change. The only way for that to happen was for Pai to be the new leader. When she rode the whale it gave the community hope for a new life and a new beginning. The Maori tribe was falling apart, and when she rode the whale she brought it back to life. The community reunited back together just how they were in the past. If it wasn’t for the Pai the community and tribe wouldn’t have done it without her and for that they were blessed to have Pai born as a girl.
The cosmological part of this film is portrayed by showing what the tribe was like before the birth of Pai and how the grandfather had to follow a whole set of different rules and laws. Before Pai’s birth, the tribe had to follow many rules. For example, Koro had to choose the next born son from his family. After his son got his wife pregnant, Koro was supposed to choose another male to be the next chief in