The Whale Rider

by

Witi Ihimaera

Koro Apirana Character Analysis

Koro Apirana is the chief of the town of Whangara, a direct descendant of the legendary whale rider Kahutia Te Rangi, and the patriarch of the family that includes most of the other characters. He rigidly excludes women from power in Maori affairs, citing tradition, which infuriates his wife Nanny Flowers and prevents him from seeing that his great-granddaughter Kahu is destined to lead their people. Kahu loves him affectionately, but he scorns and ignores her because he is angry that she was not born male. Nevertheless, Koro Apirana is also admirable in many ways—he is one of the foremost authorities on Maori tradition and, besides training his son Porourangi to be the next chief, he spends his time traveling around New Zealand to build a political movement for Maori-language schools. At the end of the book, when he sees Kahu save the ancient whale and ride away on it, he finally recognizes that she will be the chief who saves the Maori from their decline. He starts to love her and even accepts that women should be able to do all the same things as men.

Koro Apirana Quotes in The Whale Rider

The The Whale Rider quotes below are all either spoken by Koro Apirana or refer to Koro Apirana. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Humans and Nature Theme Icon
).
Spring: Chapter 3 Quotes

“A girl,” Grandfather, Koro Apirana, said, disgusted. “I will have nothing to do with her. She has broken the male line of descent in our tribe.” He shoved the telephone at our grandmother, Nanny Flowers, saying, “Here. It’s your fault. Your female side was too strong.” Then he pulled on his boots and stomped out of the house.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Nanny Flowers
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:

I could understand, however, why the old man was so against the idea. Not only was Kahutia Te Rangi a man’s name, but it was also the name of the ancestor of our village. Koro Apirana felt that naming a girl-child after the founder of our tribe was belittling Kahutia Te Rangi’s prestige. From that time onward, whenever Koro Apirana went past the meetinghouse, he would look up at the figure of Kahutia Te Rangi on the whale and shake his head sorrowfully. Then he would say to Nanny Flowers, “You stepped out of line, dear. You shouldn’t have done it.” To give credit to her, Nanny Flowers did appear penitent.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Nanny Flowers, Kahutia Te Rangi / Paikea, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 19
Explanation and Analysis:
Autumn: Chapter 11 Quotes

“Will we be ready?” he asked. “Will we have prepared the people to cope with the new challenges and the new technology? And will they still be Maori?” I could tell that the last question was weighing heavily on his mind. In this respect we both recognized that the answer lay in Koro Apirana’s persistence with the school sessions, for he was one of the very few who could pass on the sacred knowledge. Our Koro was like an old whale stranded in an alien present, but that was how it was supposed to be, because he also had his role in the pattern of things, in the tides of the future.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Porourangi (speaker), Koro Apirana, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 71-72
Explanation and Analysis:
Autumn: Chapter 12 Quotes

E nga rangatira,” Kahu began, “e nga iwi”—she looked at Koro Apirana’s empty seat—“tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.” There were stars in her eyes, like sparkling tears. “Distinguished guests, members of the audience, my speech is a speech of love for my grandfather, Koro Apirana.”

Nanny Flowers gave a sob, and tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Related Characters: Kahu (speaker), Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana, Nanny Flowers
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:
Winter: Chapter 16 Quotes

I thought I saw something flying through the air, across the aeons, to plunge into the heart of the village.

A dark shadow began to ascend from the deep. Then there were other shadows rising, ever rising. Suddenly the first shadow breached the surface and I saw it was a whale. Leviathan. Climbing through the depths. Crashing through the skin of sea. And as it came, the air was filled with streaked lightning and awesome singing.

Koro Apirana gave a tragic cry, for this was no ordinary beast, no ordinary whale. This whale came from the past. As it came, it filled the air with its singing.

Karanga mai, karanga mai,

karanga mai.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale (speaker), Koro Apirana
Related Symbols: Whale Songs, The Last Spear
Page Number: 112
Explanation and Analysis:

“But then, […] man assumed a cloak of arrogance and set himself up above the Gods. He even tried to defeat Death, but failed. As he grew in his arrogance, he started to drive a wedge through the original oneness of the world. In the passing of Time he divided the world into that half he could believe in and that half he could not believe in. The real and the unreal. The natural and the supernatural. The scientific and the fantastic. The present and the past. He put a barrier between both worlds, and everything on his side was called rational and everything on the other side was called irrational. Belief in our Maori Gods […] has often been considered irrational.”

Related Characters: Koro Apirana (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 116
Explanation and Analysis:

“[The whale] is a reminder of the oneness that the world once had. It is the birth cord joining past and present, reality and fantasy. It is both [real and unreal, natural and supernatural]. It is both, […] and if we have forgotten the communion then we have ceased to be Maori!”

[…] “The whale is a sign. […] It has stranded itself here. If we are able to return it to the sea, then that will be proof that the oneness is still with us. If we are not able to return it, then this is because we have become weak. If it lives, we live. If it dies, we die. Not only its salvation but ours is waiting out there.”

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Kahutia Te Rangi / Paikea, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:
Winter: Chapter 18 Quotes

“Which of the boys?” he gasped in grief. “Which of the—”

Nanny Flowers was pointing out to sea. Her face was filled with emotion as she cried out to Kahu. The old man understood. He raised his arms as if to claw down the sky upon him.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Nanny Flowers, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis:
Epilogue: Chapter 20 Quotes

“You’re right, dear, you’re right.”

“I’m always right, you old paka, and—”

Suddenly Kahu gave a long sigh. Her eyebrows began to knit as if she was thinking of something.

“You two are always arguing,” she breathed.

Related Characters: Kahu (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Nanny Flowers (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis:
Epilogue: Chapter 21 Quotes

“I fell off the whale. If I were a boy, I would have held on tight. I’m sorry, Paka, I’m not a boy.”

The old man cradled Kahu in his arms, partly because of emotion and partly because he didn’t want those big ears out there to hear their big chief crying.

“You’re the best great-grandchild in the whole wide world,” he said. “Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter.”

“Really, Paka?” Kahu gasped.

Related Characters: Kahu (speaker), Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire The Whale Rider LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Whale Rider PDF

Koro Apirana Quotes in The Whale Rider

The The Whale Rider quotes below are all either spoken by Koro Apirana or refer to Koro Apirana. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Humans and Nature Theme Icon
).
Spring: Chapter 3 Quotes

“A girl,” Grandfather, Koro Apirana, said, disgusted. “I will have nothing to do with her. She has broken the male line of descent in our tribe.” He shoved the telephone at our grandmother, Nanny Flowers, saying, “Here. It’s your fault. Your female side was too strong.” Then he pulled on his boots and stomped out of the house.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Nanny Flowers
Page Number: 13
Explanation and Analysis:

I could understand, however, why the old man was so against the idea. Not only was Kahutia Te Rangi a man’s name, but it was also the name of the ancestor of our village. Koro Apirana felt that naming a girl-child after the founder of our tribe was belittling Kahutia Te Rangi’s prestige. From that time onward, whenever Koro Apirana went past the meetinghouse, he would look up at the figure of Kahutia Te Rangi on the whale and shake his head sorrowfully. Then he would say to Nanny Flowers, “You stepped out of line, dear. You shouldn’t have done it.” To give credit to her, Nanny Flowers did appear penitent.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Nanny Flowers, Kahutia Te Rangi / Paikea, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 19
Explanation and Analysis:
Autumn: Chapter 11 Quotes

“Will we be ready?” he asked. “Will we have prepared the people to cope with the new challenges and the new technology? And will they still be Maori?” I could tell that the last question was weighing heavily on his mind. In this respect we both recognized that the answer lay in Koro Apirana’s persistence with the school sessions, for he was one of the very few who could pass on the sacred knowledge. Our Koro was like an old whale stranded in an alien present, but that was how it was supposed to be, because he also had his role in the pattern of things, in the tides of the future.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Porourangi (speaker), Koro Apirana, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 71-72
Explanation and Analysis:
Autumn: Chapter 12 Quotes

E nga rangatira,” Kahu began, “e nga iwi”—she looked at Koro Apirana’s empty seat—“tena koutou, tena koutou, tena koutou katoa.” There were stars in her eyes, like sparkling tears. “Distinguished guests, members of the audience, my speech is a speech of love for my grandfather, Koro Apirana.”

Nanny Flowers gave a sob, and tears began to flow down her cheeks.

Related Characters: Kahu (speaker), Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana, Nanny Flowers
Page Number: 86
Explanation and Analysis:
Winter: Chapter 16 Quotes

I thought I saw something flying through the air, across the aeons, to plunge into the heart of the village.

A dark shadow began to ascend from the deep. Then there were other shadows rising, ever rising. Suddenly the first shadow breached the surface and I saw it was a whale. Leviathan. Climbing through the depths. Crashing through the skin of sea. And as it came, the air was filled with streaked lightning and awesome singing.

Koro Apirana gave a tragic cry, for this was no ordinary beast, no ordinary whale. This whale came from the past. As it came, it filled the air with its singing.

Karanga mai, karanga mai,

karanga mai.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale (speaker), Koro Apirana
Related Symbols: Whale Songs, The Last Spear
Page Number: 112
Explanation and Analysis:

“But then, […] man assumed a cloak of arrogance and set himself up above the Gods. He even tried to defeat Death, but failed. As he grew in his arrogance, he started to drive a wedge through the original oneness of the world. In the passing of Time he divided the world into that half he could believe in and that half he could not believe in. The real and the unreal. The natural and the supernatural. The scientific and the fantastic. The present and the past. He put a barrier between both worlds, and everything on his side was called rational and everything on the other side was called irrational. Belief in our Maori Gods […] has often been considered irrational.”

Related Characters: Koro Apirana (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 116
Explanation and Analysis:

“[The whale] is a reminder of the oneness that the world once had. It is the birth cord joining past and present, reality and fantasy. It is both [real and unreal, natural and supernatural]. It is both, […] and if we have forgotten the communion then we have ceased to be Maori!”

[…] “The whale is a sign. […] It has stranded itself here. If we are able to return it to the sea, then that will be proof that the oneness is still with us. If we are not able to return it, then this is because we have become weak. If it lives, we live. If it dies, we die. Not only its salvation but ours is waiting out there.”

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Kahutia Te Rangi / Paikea, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:
Winter: Chapter 18 Quotes

“Which of the boys?” he gasped in grief. “Which of the—”

Nanny Flowers was pointing out to sea. Her face was filled with emotion as she cried out to Kahu. The old man understood. He raised his arms as if to claw down the sky upon him.

Related Characters: Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Kahu , Nanny Flowers, The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 133
Explanation and Analysis:
Epilogue: Chapter 20 Quotes

“You’re right, dear, you’re right.”

“I’m always right, you old paka, and—”

Suddenly Kahu gave a long sigh. Her eyebrows began to knit as if she was thinking of something.

“You two are always arguing,” she breathed.

Related Characters: Kahu (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), Nanny Flowers (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 146
Explanation and Analysis:
Epilogue: Chapter 21 Quotes

“I fell off the whale. If I were a boy, I would have held on tight. I’m sorry, Paka, I’m not a boy.”

The old man cradled Kahu in his arms, partly because of emotion and partly because he didn’t want those big ears out there to hear their big chief crying.

“You’re the best great-grandchild in the whole wide world,” he said. “Boy or girl, it doesn’t matter.”

“Really, Paka?” Kahu gasped.

Related Characters: Kahu (speaker), Rawiri (speaker), Koro Apirana (speaker), The Ancient Bull Whale
Page Number: 149
Explanation and Analysis: