Paikea: 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 become the leader of our tribe... until now.
Koro: If you have the tooth of a whale, you must have the jaw of a whale to yield it.
Koro: When she was born, that's when things went wrong for us.
Koro: Wise leader, forgive me. I am only a fledgling new to flight.
Paikea: My name is Paikea Apirana, and I come from a long line of chiefs.
Koro: When you extend your tongues, you're saying to your enemies: I'm gonna eat you.
Paikea: Maori women have got to stop smoking. We've got to protect our childbearing properties.
Maka: You'd have to be smoking in a pretty funny place to wreck your childbearing properties.
Answer: No, she doesn't die. Summary from Wikipedia: Paikia climbs onto the back of the largest whale and coaxes it to re-enter the ocean. The whale leads the whale pod back into the sea; Paikia submerges completely underwater before being thrown off the whale's back by the tide. The spectators fear she has drowned. When Paikia is found alive and brought to the hospital, her grandfather, Koro, declares her the new tribal chief. At the end, Paikia and her family are on the beach, watching the completed canoe being launched into the sea for its maiden voyage.
raywest ★