por The Rapa Nui They are the inhabitants of Easter Island (or Rapa Nui Island), located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean and belonging to the territory of Chile. They are one of the oldest civilizations on the planet, having inhabited the island for more than 1,500 years.
The Rapa Nui culture is known worldwide, especially for having created the famous moai statues. They are made up of giant heads buried in the ground on Easter Island, made of stone. It is one of the most important works created by humanity, given the architectural significance of making such a work with ancient tools.
Although they are of primarily Polynesian origin, the largest number of Rapa Nui today inhabit mainland Chile. The culture developed its own language, which remains its primary form of communication to this day. However, a large number of Rapa Nui are also capable of speaking Spanish, the official language of Chile.
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Origin and history
The origins of the Rapa Nui civilization date back long before the European presence in the American continent. In fact, it was not until the year 1722 when the settlers made contact with the inhabitants of this island.
It is estimated that the Rapa Nui were inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands, belonging to ancient Polynesia. They migrated from this territory to the island around the year 300 AD; the journey made was approximately 3600 kilometers.
The reason why this civilization decided to emigrate to the island is a mystery, since there is no written record of the Rapa Nui culture before its arrival on Easter Island.
In addition, it is difficult to explain the reason why they decided to emigrate from Polynesia to the island, since the trip presented countless dangers for having been carried out in such old boats.
The Polynesian origin of the Rapa Nui is known with certainty thanks to various genetic investigations carried out by scientists.
The legend of Hotu Mata
There is a legend that is believed to have been true, which explains the arrival of the Rapa Nui on Easter Island.
When the first European visitors established contact with the inhabitants of the island, the Rapa Nui recounted that an old tribal chief named Hotu Mata arrived on the island in two giant canoes, along with his family and other companions.
The lack of written material dating from that time makes it impossible to verify this story. Furthermore, present day scientists have not been able to determine an exact year in which the Polynesians arrived on the island. In any case, this legend is considered an important cultural manifestation of the Rapa Nui.
History
From its beginnings, the Rapa Nui civilization had a marked class division and a completely centralized government. For several centuries the king was considered an untouchable figure who resembled God and ruled as he himself considered prudent.
The inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands who originally migrated to Easter Island brought with them various types of plants and foods. Among these were bananas, sugar cane, taro, chickens, and Polynesian rats. During its heyday, the Rapa Nui civilization became quite advanced and complex.
It is believed that at some point in the pre-European history of civilization, several emigrants from South American tribes left the continent to settle on Easter Island.
An ancient Rapa Nui legend tells of a conflict in which a large number of people were exterminated, leaving only one alive. This legend is usually associated with the differences that the natives had with the migrating South American Indians, but it may also have referred to an internal conflict between Rapa Nui clans.
Social problems
Throughout their history, the Rapa Nui have faced a series of devastating events that have greatly diminished their population. Wars between local clans and tribes claimed the lives of thousands of the island’s inhabitants, probably more than any other naturally-occurring problem before European contact occurred.
In the 19th century the island was affected by a series of external problems that reduced its population to practically zero. Many of its inhabitants were used as slaves by Peruvian traffickers. This, in addition to the epidemics and infections caused by the rats that inhabited the region, brought the Rapa Nui ethnic group to the brink of disappearance.
Characteristics
physical attributes
The Rapa Nui are people with varied skin tones. In addition, traditionally the aborigines of Easter Island used discs in their earlobes to extend their size.
This was noticed by the first Europeans who came into contact with civilization and realized that the size of their earlobe was so large when the disc was removed that it was larger than the size of the entire ear.
The traditional Rapa Nui used to be tall people. This was determined by the Spanish explorations of the colonial period.
social seclusion
This civilization developed a series of quite particular characteristics in terms of social and cultural organization. Since the contact they had with other civilizations was practically nil, the seclusion caused the cultural elements of the civilization to develop in a unique way in the world.
However, it can be noted that their beliefs and development as a civilization resemble that of other Polynesian civilizations, which accentuates the claim that the roots of this civilization are linked to ancient Polynesia.
Culture and traditions
Rapa Nui language
The inhabitants of Easter Island have their own language, named after the same term used to refer to its inhabitants: Rapa Nui. This language belongs to a variety of languages from Eastern Polynesia and the Latin alphabet is used to write it.
However, it is a language spoken by a minority of its inhabitants. Currently, the main language of the Rapa Nui is Spanish. On Easter Island, Spanish is taught from the first educational instances and is the official language used in all administrative institutions in the region.
The traditional Rapa Nui language is currently being affected as a result of the spread of Spanish. The language is adapting a change that makes it more similar to the Latin language, since originally there was an older version of Rapa Nui that was spoken several centuries ago.
There is a series of hieroglyphics on Easter Island that is believed to have been the oldest manifestation of Rapa Nui, but the origin of these inscriptions is still unclear. Some researchers think that it may be another type of cultural manifestation.
religion and legends
In addition to the traditional legend of Hotu Mata, who according to the first settlers was the first Rapa Nui inhabitant of Easter Island, there was an ancient belief about a bird god. This belief was itself a form of religious expression, and was called Tangata Manu.
The Tangata Manu was the name given to the winner of a competition traditionally held once a year on Easter Island. This competition consisted of two parts: the first was the selection of several nobles, who had to participate in a competitive event to determine the new Tangata Manu.
The second part was the selection of a competitor for each noble, who served as a representative for each noble in the competition. The competition was to get the first bird egg of the breeding season. However, to achieve this, you had to cross a sea infested with sharks.
Many of the representatives of the nobles died in the competition, but whoever was able to obtain the egg won the right for the noble they represented to become the Tangata Manu. He continued to seclude himself in a special house, where he only ate and slept for a year; the Tangata Manu was seen as the “bird god”.
Moai statues
The famous Moai statues (a word that means “sculpture” in Rapa Nui) are one of the most important cultural expressions of this civilization. They were incredibly large sculptures, which were scattered throughout the entire island.
The presence of these sculptures in a uniform way allows us to understand that the type of government was centralized. However, these cultural representations at one point in Rapa Nui history were pushed to the ground.
It is believed that these structures represented tribal leaders of certain factions. When factions clashed with each other, rivals would topple enemy statues in times of war.
These statues were created by a team of sculptors, which is estimated to take up to two years to finish a sculpture. They had various sizes, and one of the biggest mysteries in the history of Easter Island is the method used by the ancient Rapa Nui to transport these sculptures throughout the entire island.
Outfit
The significance of the color white is high and varied in the Rapa Nui culture. In ancient times, tribal sorcerers used white paint to pigment their bodies during rituals and cult work. On the other hand, it also represents the religion that today is the main one of the Rapa Nui, Catholicism.
Today, Rapa Nui men often wear white pants in formal ceremonies and Polynesian-made shirts.
Similarly, the population today tends to use a large number of Polynesian garments. As decoration, those who belong to this ethnic group adorn their bodies with sea shells, flowers, feathers, the bark of some trees and natural elements belonging to various Polynesian islands.
Huru-huru
The traditional clothing used in dance and musical ceremonies is known as huru-huru. It is a feminine dress, which usually consists of skirts and bras decorated with feathers, as well as fiber from the banana plant and maute wood ornaments.
Kakenga
The Kakenga is a garment used for certain traditional dances, which also has a variation for war dances, called hoko. These garments are usually accompanied by sea shells and feathers from various birds that inhabit the island.
Other clothing accessories are the teeth of dead animals, as well as skins or, in many cases, whole stuffed animals. It is also customary to wear a crescent-shaped necklace or wooden carvings with shapes sacred to the Rapa Nui inhabitants.
Music
The music of Easter Island has its origins in the roots of Polynesian civilizations. At present there is no written record of the ancestral dances and songs of the Rapa Nui, but the legends and stories told orally by the aborigines narrate stories of gods and spiritual warriors with several centuries of validity.
Obviously, Rapa Nui music is represented mainly in the dances of its people. Among the most important, the following stand out:
sau sau
The sau sau is a dance with…