Colonialism ended after World War Two. In colonialism, empires heavily oppressed their conquered counterparts. This oppression inspired people to think creatively to gain freedom. Their creative mindset and ability to unite their people made them leaders of freedom movements. Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me, Ultima and Niki Caro’s Whale Rider illustrate this. Tradition’s oppression forces Paikea and Antonio to develop ingenious minds. They use this mindset to become leaders by uniting their people and combining novel ideas with tradition to advance their communities. As his family fights over his future, Antonio relies on himself to grow, creating his ingenious mindset. He uses his creativity to unite his people and lead his community to new heights.…show more content… Due to its religious duties and historical position in the Luna family, being a priest is coveted. As tradition dictates, Antonio should be a priest, like his Luna ancestors. Antonio’s pleas to know his future illustrates his initial lack of an independent mind. Thus, he also initially lacks the ingenuity he gains later. Disputing Maria’s wishes, Gabriel says, “lies, lies.through [Antonio’s] body runs the water.that makes [him] Marèz” (Ibid.). By calling Maria a liar, Gabriel reveals the constant bickering in Antonio’s household. This fighting robs Antonio of the room to express his ideas to his parents, forcing him to rely on himself for growth. He demonstrates this maturity by recognizing “the pagan god of.the golden carp” despite his religious upbringing (Ibid.). By believing in the golden carp, Antonio violates the main principle of Christianity: Christians must only worship God. Like many leaders of colonial uprisings, Antonio breaks free of tradition, allowing him to further his community. In his dream, Antonio realizes that “the waters [in him] are one,” and he is “not looking.into the great cycle that unites us all” (Anaya,…show more content… He uses his newfound creativity to unite his people and help them work together by highlighting their connected origins, thus bridging their differences. Resulting from tradition’s oppression, Antonio’s ingenious thinking helps him unite his community and break the bonds tradition holds over them. As Koro prevents her from participating in traditional activities, Paikea develops a free-thinking mindset that helps her unite the Maori people and progress their community by combining traditions with novel ideas. Her grandfather believes that only boys can be leaders due to a traditional upbringing, thus excluding her from these activities. As Koro teaches the firstborn boys, Paikea is not allowed to stay and learn because of her grandfather’s beliefs (Caro). Despite this, she stays out of sight and attempts to learn (Ibid.). Paikea wants to learn and is forced to come up with creative ways to reach her goal. This illustrates the beginning of Paikea's learning how to come up with creative solutions. When the whales washed up on shore, Paikea immediately knew that “it was a test.but for Koro this time”
