The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera is about a girl named Kahu who is discriminated for being a female. She is meant to be chief but her grandfather Koro Apirana doesn’t want to accept her, because it would be against their tribe’s beliefs. In the book, Kahu and other women show many ways of determination to prove she’s worthy of being chief. Female can play a big role in society for many reasons. For example in The Whale Rider, Kahu was able to do something no other boy could do. “She showed the crayfish to us. ‘This is for Paka’s tea’ she said. ‘And you give him back his stone.’ She placed the stone in Nanny Flowers hands. Nanny Flowers looked at me quickly. As we were pulling ourselves back into the dinghy, she said, ‘Not a word about