Rapa Nui
Also known as: Easter Island
The Pacific island of Rapanui (Easter Island) represents the easternmost point of known Austronesian settlement. The island is famous for its stone statues (moai), which probably represented founding ancestors or chiefs. It is widely argued that Easter Island had suffered a demographic and cultural collapse several decades prior to European contact. This collapse, sometimes known as the "1680 event", has been attributed, most famously by Diamond (2005), to ecological overexploitation. However, the reasons for the event, as well as whether it occurred at all, are controversial.
Traditional Culture(1862)Expand All +
Belief
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Supernatural Beings |
| Nature Spirits | Present, and a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 316-317 | |
| Nature god(s) | Present, and a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 316-317 | |
| Ancestral spirits | Present, but not a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 308-341, 319-320 | |
| Deified ancestor(s) | Present, and a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 316-317 | |
| God(s) | Present, and the principal focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 309-316, 331-341 McCall (1994), pp. 40 |
|
Afterlife and Creation |
| One's actions while living can affect the nature of one's afterlife | Principal determinant of one's afterlife (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 119 | |
| The actions of others after one has died can affect the nature of one's afterlife | One factor in determining one's afterlife (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 119 | |
| Myth of humanity’s creation | Present, and evolutionary (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 314 | |
| Culture hero(es) | Present, and a major focus of supernatural practice (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 316-317 | |
General Features |
| Forces of nature are controlled by or imbued with the supernatural | Present (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 310 | |
Classes of Tapu |
| Social hierarchy tapu | Present (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 328 | |
| Resource management tapu | Present (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 328 | |
Mana |
| Mana as a personal quality | Present (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 130, 328 | |
| Mana as a spiritual or religious concept | Present (Source) |
| Kirch (1984), pp. 277 Metraux (1940), pp. 130 |
|
| Mana and social status | Tightly coupled (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 130-131 | |
| Mana linked to genealogy | Present, linked to both paternal and maternal lines (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 120 | |
Practice
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General Supernatural Practices |
| Headhunting | Absent (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 149-151, 329-343 | |
| Costly sacrifices and offerings | Present (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 118, 329-343 | |
| Largest religious community | Whole society or larger (Source) |
| Kirch (1984), pp. 277 | |
| Political and religious differentiation | Some overlap (Source) |
| Sahlins (1958), pp. 54-55 Kirch (1984), pp. 277 |
|
Rites |
| Piercing | Present in culture, but not as a rite or feature of a rite (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 228 | |
| Tooth pulling | Absent from culture (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 219-248 | |
| Scarification | Absent from culture (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 219-248 | |
| Tattooing | Present in culture, but not as a rite or feature of a rite (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 240-248 | |
| Genital cutting | Absent from culture (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 219-248 | |
Social Environment
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| Population | 4000 (Source) |
| Boersema (2015), pp. 113-114 Metraux (1940), pp. 20 |
|
| Population of largest political community | 1,000-9,999 (Source) |
| Kirch (1984), pp. 277 Metraux (1940), pp. 20-21 |
|
| Importance of Patrilateral descent | High (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 120 | |
| Importance of Matrilateral descent | Medium (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 120 | |
| Kinship system | Hawaiian (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 54 | |
| Polygamy | Limited polygyny (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 54 | |
Conflict |
| (No) external warfare | Occasional, at least every generation (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 36-49, 55-93 | |
| Conflict within community | Endemic (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 145-147 | |
| (No) internal warfare | Common, at least every five years (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 149 | |
Isolation
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| Contact with other cultures | Occasional but not often (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 53, 55 | |
| Distance to closest landmass inhabited by a different culture (km) | 2076.3 (Source) |
| Daft Logic Distance Calculator (2014) 'Pitcairn Island' (2021) |
|
| Distance to nearest continent | 3515.0 (Source) |
| Daft Logic Distance Calculator (2014) | |
| Pre-Austronesian population | Absent: No evidence of human occupation prior to Austronesian settlement (Source) |
| Bellwood (1995), pp. 109 | |
| Hindu / Buddhist influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (Source) |
| Cribb (2000), pp. Map 2.21 | |
| Islamic influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence and not in region of known contact (Source) |
| Cribb (2000), pp. Map 2.23 | |
| Christian influence on supernatural belief | No evidence of influence but in a region where contact is likely (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 53 Metraux (1940), pp. 314 |
|
Subsistence and Economy
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Land-based means of subsistence |
| Animal husbandry as a source of food | Medium (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 19, 38-39 | |
| Land-based hunting performed by individuals | Medium (Source) |
| Kirch (1984), pp. 271 Metraux (1940), pp. 19 |
|
| Land-based gathering | Medium (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 53-54 Metraux (1940), pp. 18, 331, 332 Kirch (1984), pp. 271 |
|
| Land-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Absent (Source) |
| Kirch (1984), pp. 271 Metraux (1940), pp. 18-19 |
|
| Agriculture / Horticulture | Principal (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 53-54 Metraux (1940), pp. 14 |
|
Water-based means of subsistence |
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by one or more groups | Medium (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 54 Kirch (1984), pp. 265, 261 Metraux (1940), pp. 172-192 |
|
| Fishing and water-based hunting performed by individuals | Medium (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 54 Kirch (1984), pp. 265, 261 Metraux (1940), pp. 172-192 |
|
| Water-based gathering | Medium (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 191-192 Kirch (1984), pp. 265 |
|
Commercial Activity |
| Trade / wage labour as a source of food | Medium (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 54 Metraux (1940), pp. 136-137 |
|
| Metalworking | Absent (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 165-172 | |
Physical Environment
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Geographical Range of Culture |
| Number of islands inhabited by culture | One (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 8 | |
Features of Island with Largest Culture Population |
| Island type (island with largest culture population or largest island if unknown) | Volcanic high island (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 7 | |
| Island Size (km²) | 165.0 (Source) |
| Boersema (2015), pp. 28 Metraux (1940), pp. 7 |
|
| Maximum elevation (meters) | 600.0 (Source) |
| Heyerdahl & Caviedes (2020) | |
Location |
| Latitude | -27.1 (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 8 Google Maps (2014) |
|
| Longitude | -109.4 (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 8 Google Maps (2014) |
|
Post Contact History(1862-2014)Expand All +
Religious History
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Conversion |
| Role of social status in conversion process | Primarily a bottom-up process, although those in power showed little or no reluctance. (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 44 | |
| Use of force in conversion | Low (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 44 | |
| Adoption of a world religion | Present and predominant (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 55 | |
| Resident missionary involvement in conversion process | Present, and from non-Austronesian societies (Source) |
| Metraux (1940), pp. 44 | |
Secular History
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Demographic and Social Changes |
| Foreign government systems | Present, and of high importance (Source) |
| Heyerdahl & Caviedes (2020), pp. 54 | |
| Immigration | Medium (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 53 Makihara (2005), pp. 728 |
|
| Language shift | High (Source) |
| Makihara (2005), pp. 727-728 | |
| Foreign education systems | High (Source) |
| Delsing (2009), pp. 325-334 | |
Economic Changes |
| Changes in means of subsistence | High (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 54 Metraux (1940), pp. 47-48 |
|
| Exportation of goods to other cultures | Present but minor (Source) |
| Delsing (2009), pp. 66, 101-133 | |
Modern Infrastructure |
| Vehicles and roads | Present and widely used (Source) |
| Delsing (2009), pp. 7 | |
| Air travel | Present and long-distance (Source) |
| Heyerdahl & Caviedes (2020) | |
| Sea port | Absent (Source) |
| Heyerdahl & Caviedes (2020) Delsing (2009), pp. 15 |
|
Loss of Autonomy |
| Nature of loss of autonomy | Largely voluntary (Source) |
| Delsing (2009), pp. 78-90 | |
| Loss of political autonoomy | High (Source) |
| Hays (1991A), pp. 53, 54 | |
Current Culture(2014)Expand All +
Belief
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Religious Demographics |
| Dominant world religion | Christianity (Source) |
| Delsing (2009), pp. 30 | |
External Links
References
Bellwood, P. (1995). Austronesian Prehistory in Southeast Asia: Homeland, Expansion and Transformation. P. Bellwood, J.J. Fox, & D. Tryon (Eds.), The Austronesians: Historical and Comparative Perspectives (pp 113-114). Canberra, Australia: ANU Press.
Boersema, J. J. (2015). The survival of Easter Island: Dwindling resources and cultural resilience. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Brunton, R. (1989). The Abandoned Narcotic: Kava and Cultural Instability in Melanesia. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
Cribb, R. (2000). Historical atlas of Indonesia. Surrey, UK: Curzon Press.
Daft Logic Distance Calculator. (2014). http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-distance-calculator.htm.
Delsing, M.R. (2009). Articulating Rapa Nui: Polynesian Cultural Politics in a Latin American Nation State. (Dotoral Thesis). University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.auckland.ac.nz/docview/304861594
Google Maps (2014). Retrieved from maps.google.com
Hays, T.E. (1991A). Easter Island. In Hays, T.E. (Ed.), Encyclopaedia of World Cultures (Volume II: Oceania). New York, NY: G.K. Hall & Co.
Heyerdahl, T. and Caviedes, C. N. (2020). Easter Island. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Easter-Island
Kirch, P.V. (1984). The Evolution of the Polynesian Chiefdoms. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
Makihara, M. (2005). Rapa Nui Ways of Speaking Spanish: Language Shift and Socialization on Easter Island. Language in Society, 34 (5), 727-762. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/4169464.
Marck, J. (1996). The First-Order Anthropomorphic Gods of Polynesia. The Journal of the Polynesian Society, 105 (2), 217-258. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/20706661
McCall, G. (1994). Rapanui: Tradition and Survival on Easter Island (2nd Edition). St Leonards, Australia: Allen & Unwin.
Metcalf, P. (2002). They Lie, we Lie: Getting on with Anthropology. London, U.K.: Routledge.
Metraux, A. (1971). Ethnology of Easter Island. Honolulu, HI: Bernice P. Bishop Museum Press. (Originally Published in 1940).
Pitcairn Island (2021). Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/place/Pitcairn-Island.
Sahlins, M. D. (1958). Social stratification in Polynesia. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press