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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE December 28, 2007
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| December 13, 2007 |
Rapa Nui, Chile – Experiencing the Unique Culture of Rapa Nui with Local Youth |
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| The mysterious moai of Rapa Nui stand proudly as they watch over the island |
Participants were excited to visit the beautiful Polynesian island of Rapa Nui, the most isolated inhabited island in the world. Its isolation, however, has allowed it to develop and maintain a unique and fascinating culture despite years of occupation, a drawn out civil war and a population that once dwindled to 200 people. When Peace Boat anchored here, a group of participants were given an opportunity to not only view the mysterious moai that stand guard over the island but to participate in a cultural exchange program with Rapa Nui youth. The exchange took place at the family house of Pantu, a local man of Rapa Nui stock whose passion for preserving the distinctive culture and heritage of the island has endeared him to Peace Boat participants in the past. As participants were welcomed with song and dance to the house which is perched on a cliff overlooking the vast, topaz colored Pacific, their breath was taken away by the sheer rugged beauty of the landscape. |
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Participants enjoyed an unusual lunch straight from the ground – the traditional umu feast consisted of beef, potatoes and banana which were cooked in the ground under banana leaves |
Through the tangles of native flora in his large garden was a patch of earth where umu was waiting for lunch. This is a traditional cooking method typical to Polynesian societies in which meat and vegetables covered with banana leaves are slowly cooked underground in a pit lined with heated stones. Before uncovering the steaming food, Pantu called to his ancestors in the sky so that their spirits could also participate in the feast. With a string of thunderous calls of “Harae mae” (come), he invited the spirits to bless and join in the festivities. Over the unusual yet delicious meal, the youth and participants began to get to know each other and formed friendships in Spanish, English, Japanese and the Rapa Nui language. |
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Youth painted traditional Rapa Nui markings on the faces of participants with a paste made from earth and water. The markings are used for special ceremonies, celebrations and festivals |
After lunch, small groups formed and were dotted all over Pantu’s garden as participants instructed the youth on a range of Japanese cultural traditions, such as calligraphy, tea ceremony, making origami and putting on a kimono. In turn, the Rapa Nui youth painted the faces of participants with traditional motifs made from a paste of earth mixed with water. This practice is usually undertaken at a special ceremony or festival. They also taught participants a dance which has traces of both the Hawaiian Hula and Maori Haka. |
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| Through making origami, participants and youth were able to spend time together and get to know each other |
Pantu took the opportunity to tell the participants of the myth of how Rapa Nui came to be. According to legend, King Hotumatu’a from Hiva, a small island in the South Pacific went towards the island which appeared to him in a dream, accompanied by seven servants. The king was divinely instructed to follow the rising sun, and after many days at sea, they arrived at the island’s pristine Anakena Beach. There are seven moai which stand on the island facing Hiva, and they are the only moai on Rapa Nui that face the ocean. It is said that these seven moai are the servants that traveled with the king. |
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| Participants try a traditional Rapa Nui dance led by local youth who take pride in their unique culture |
Relaxing together under the shade provided by untamed trees in the garden, participants learnt that indigenous Rapa Nuians, who make up 1200 of the population, are the ethnic minority on the island since Chile gained control in 1888. Since then, the Chilean population has grown so that now there are some 3000 people from Chile and other nationalities living on the island. Despite Spanish being the common language, indigenous people continue to speak Rapa Nui. Because of their minority status, the indigenous Rapa Nuians have worked hard to preserve their unique culture and are justly proud of their efforts to do so. However, while they treasure their past, they are also becoming global citizens and the youth are granted many opportunities to study in Chile and other countries, especially at the university level because a university hasn’t yet been established on the island. The youth also engage in cultural exchanges in other Polynesian nations such as Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Hawaii where Maori and Hawaiian cultures share the same Polynesian roots. |
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| A breathtaking sunset over mysterious and beautiful Rapa Nui |
As the sun began to set, participants reluctantly said goodbye to their new friends. The new connections between Japan and Rapa Nui are testament to the fact that despite the geographical and cultural distance between the two cultures, it’s a small world after all. |
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