In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about 3700 km from South America lies the serene Easter Island which is home to the famous Mo’ai, or what is commonly known as the Easter Island Heads. Little do a lot know, the island is inhabited by indigenous people of Polynesian origin which are the Rapa Nui. They may be a small and simple group of islanders, but they are abundant in having one of the greatest tourist attractions, cultural heritage, scenery, and natural resources that is unique anywhere in the world.
1) Vaka Ama participant paddling his reed raft across the lake; 2) Aka Venga — the second event of the Triathlon where the participant carries two bunches of bananas; 3) Haka Ngaru — swimming on a pora across the lake to win the race.
Tapati Rapa Nui is an annual two-week long cultural festival that takes place at the beginning of February. It is all about cultural competitions against two young female candidates and their families to win the annual title of Queen of the Tapati. Mastery in Rapa Nui traditions is the factor to determine the victor of this event. There are a lot of activities that are deeply rooted in the rich culture and tradition of the Rapa Nui. These range from simple day-to-day activities such as cooking to artistic events such as wood carving, body painting, and of course, singing and dancing competitions. Most importantly, like any other festival, unique events are also included such as the Haka Pei, horse racing, and a triathlon among the Rapa Nui that symbolize their roots and identity.
The Tau’a Rapa Nui or the Rapa Nui Triathlon is one of the main highlights during the festival which occurs inside the crater of a dormant volcano known as Rano Raraku. The first event is called the Vaka Ama wherein participants paddle across the lake using small rafts made of reed bundles. Once the participants reach the shore, they enter the next stage known as Aka Venga. Here, the participants hang two bunches of bananas over their shoulders and clamped against their chest. Men aging from 22 to 40 years carry 44 pounds, while men over 40 carry 22 pounds, and the women together with those aging from 17 to 21 run without the heavyweight bananas. After circling the lake, the athletes return once more to the water to cross the lake again by swimming using a pora or a floater. The winner, for sure will be exhausted but will add important points to their family and gain the honor of winning the triathlon. It is said that the Tau’a triathlon is a cultural recreation of a historic race they know as Birdman which was a test that allows the tribal leader to become the king for the forthcoming year.
Another most awaited event by both the islanders and tourists is the Haka Pei. It is known as one of the most unique and boldest sports known to the world. This risky event is one of the main highlights of the festival as it occurs by sliding down the side of the volcano, Maunga Pui, using a banana-trunk sled. The participants wear only a hami or their traditional loincloth and their traditional takona or body paintings. Despite the danger this sport brings, the Rapa Nui holds this tradition dear to their rootedness as it is believed to be an ancient rite among their people. It was considered as a test of maturity and courage for young men that signifies their transition from childhood to adulthood. In addition to that, the Haka Pei was also believed to be a form of training for warriors to become brave to fight other clans. Thus, the Haka Pei has a significant bond with the culture and identity of the Rapa Nui which is why they have revived it as a cultural event done annually during the Tapati Rapa Nui.
After all the exhausting activities all day, the rival families present song and dance performances under the stars as part of their competition. These beautiful performances are one of the greatest attractions of the festival. A variety of dancers from children to adults are dressed in native costumes while dancing to the beat of indigenous rhythms. Performances also vary from being done in groups, partners, or individually which serves the purpose of telling stories. An example of this is a group dance called Sau Sau which tells the story of a boat being rocked back and forth by the waves.
These cultural events are not only done for the sake of a festival but rather it is to help the indigenous people of Rapa Nui remember their ancient traditions and develop their sense of cultural identity. It was during the 1800s when slave raids and epidemics happened that reduced the population of Rapa Nui. Because of this, their collective memory of who they were in the past was shattered. Thus, Tapati Rapa Nui is seen as more than a competition to beat the rival clan but to re-establish their lost ties with their ancestors and ancient traditions. It is a unique festival not for the sake of deities or other people but rather for themselves.
With Tapati Rapa Nui’s unique and one of a kind nature, it is inevitable for tourists to be curious and yearn to experience the uniqueness of Tapati Rapa Nui. Tourists can participate in the festival by joining a dance competition and parade. Costumes will be made and given by the family the visitor supports. However, the visitors must be present on the island by January to complete the needed preparation. With such a once in a lifetime experience, since 2005, thousands of tourists have been visiting Easter Island to experience the festival of
Tapati Rapa Nui. This resulted in a massive boom to the island’s tourism industry and currently has experienced one of the most magnificent increases in tourism in the world. The attention and awareness towards the Tapati Rapa Nui and the Easter Island itself are an excellent achievement for the Rapa Nui but also caused some damaging effects. The influx of tourists to the island has contributed to major environmental concerns like pollution, water shortage, and electricity blackouts. Aside from the environmental effects brought by the increase in popularity of the island and its festival, the tourism boom also brought about economic impacts. It was a blessing to the people of Rapa Nui that the tourism industry has helped with the development of their economy. About 91% of Easter Island’s local economy is based on revenues from tourism. This however can be viewed as a negative impact on the island’s economy. The problem with the booming of the tourism industry is the tendency of the Rapa Nui to depend solely on tourists for their economy. Without visitors, the local economy would crash and be greatly devastated.
A group of tourists watching a spear competition as part of the Tapati Rapa Nui
With the dependency of Rapa Nui on its tourists for the island’s revenue, this has become a major problem especially with the COVID-19 pandemic that has greatly affected the tourism industry. Tapati Rapa Nui for the year 2021 was already modified to be celebrated only once a week without the participation of tourists for the first time in decades. There will also be no new candidates for the Queen of Tapati Rapa Nui. Rather, this year’s festival would be focused on reconnecting and uniting Rapa Nui’s unique cultural heritage with the world. The organizational social networks have been busy preparing to broadcast the festival virtually for the world to see. This pandemic has a great toll on the life and economy of the Rapa Nui. However, despite setbacks and hindrances, the people of Easter Island are still willing, more than ever, to showcase their unique and beautiful cultural heritage through Tapati Rapa Nui.
The winners of the Tapati 2020, Ariki Nani Tuki Pont and Aito Pio Haoa | Photo: TapatiRapaNuiOficial
About the author
Shanley Carmela Mikaela Sandoval is a 3rd year BS Legal Management student from the Ateneo De Manila University. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, and binge-watching different genres of series and movies. She also has a passion for writing and an interest in knowing more about the different cultures from all around the world. Her curiosity about diversity started when she was a little girl as she grew up in a foreign land which made her eager to experience other cultures as well. One of her dreams is to be able to travel and see the world once the pandemic is finally over.
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