Rapa Nui people

This article is about the native inhabitants of Easter Island. For information on the island itself, see Easter Island.

Rapa Nui

Traditional dance of Rapa Nui people.
Total population
ca. 5,682
Regions with significant populations
Chile (particularly Easter Island)
Languages
Rapa Nui language, Spanish
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Oparoan, Tahitian

The Rapa Nui or Rapanui are the native Polynesian inhabitants of Easter Island, or Rapa Nui, in the Pacific Ocean. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the Rapa Nui people make up 60% of Easter Island's population, with some living also in mainland Chile. They speak Spanish (which is the most widely spoken language in Easter Island as well a the primary language of education and the language of administration) and Rapa Nui language.^{[citation needed]} At the 2002 census there were 3,304 island inhabitants—almost all living in the village of Hanga Roa on the sheltered west coast.

As of 2011, Rapa Nui's main source of income derived from tourism, which focuses on the giant sculptures called Moai. Some fruits are grown for local use.

Rapa Nui activist have been fighting for their right to self-determination and possession of the island. Recent protests by the indigenous Rapa Nui on Easter Island against Chilean rule has led to violence against the Rapa Nui by the Chilean army.

See also

• Rapa Nui (film)
• Rongorongo
• Hotu Matu'a
• Rapa Nui mythology
• History of Easter Island

References

• "Easter Island". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 21 May 2007.

External links

• Rapanui: The Edmunds and Bryan Photograph Collection—documenting Rapa Nui's archaeological wonders and everyday life during the early 1900s