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book: Articulating Rapa Nui
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Articulating Rapa Nui

Polynesian Cultural Politics in a Latin American Nation-State
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2015

About this book

In this groundbreaking study, Riet Delsing narrates the colonization of the Pacific island of Rapa Nui and its indigenous inhabitants. The annexation of the island by Chile, in the heydays of world imperialism, places the small Latin American country in a unique position in the history of global colonialism. The analysis of this ongoing colonization process constitutes a “missing link” in Pacific Islands studies and facilitates future comparisons with other colonial adventures in the Pacific by the United States (Hawai‘i, American Samoa), France (Tahiti), and New Zealand (Maori and Cook Islands).

The first part of the book surveys the history of the Chile–Rapa Nui relationship from its beginning in the 1880s until the present. Delsing delineates the Rapanui people’s agency along with their cultural logic, showing their resilience and will to remain Rapanui— indigenous Pacific islanders rather than an ethnic minority forcefully integrated into the Chilean nation-state. In the second part, the author describes the Rapanui’s contemporary emphasis on the revitalization of their language, traditional concepts about land tenure, a unique corpus of material and performative culture, renewed contact with other Pacific island cultures, and creative acts of resistance against Chilean colonialism. Emergent in her analysis is the effect of Rapa Nui’s vibrant tourist industry—commodification of Rapanui difference is creating the possibility to loosen economic and political ties with Chile.

Drawing on statements of several Rapanui, she concludes that over the past few decades they have acquired a different kind of interpretive power, based on which they are making choices that serve them as a people on the road to cultural and political self-determination. Contemporary Rapa Nui is thus a modern, articulated place, marked by spirited identity politics that show the resilience and adaptability of the indigenous people who inhabit this island.

Author / Editor information

Contributor: Riet Delsing Riet Delsing is a Dutch anthropologist who spent most of her professional life in Santiago, Chile. She earned a PhD in anthropology from the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Reviews

For an appreciation of how the descendants of the original Polynesian settlers of circa 1000 CE developed political and cultural strategies to withstand foreign influence, this book is a must. Tourists, especially, will greatly benefit from reading this volume. . . . Essential --- Articulating Rapa Nui is a fundamental work for understanding the recent political history of Easter Island, especially for the post-1980 period, the contemporary conflicts about land ownership, and the discussion of a political autonomy project.

Topics

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    Frontmatter

    i
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    Contents

    vii
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    Acknowledgments

    ix
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    Introduction

    1
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  • Part One. Challenging the Nation- State
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    Chapter 1. Chilean Colonization and Rapanui Resilience

    27
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    Chapter 2. Integration into the Nation- State and the Beginnings of a Rapanui Identity Discourse

    61
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    Chapter 3. The Road to Self- determination

    87
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  • Part Two. Polynesian Cultural Politics and Global Imaginaries
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    Chapter 4. Rapanui Appropriations and Re sis tance

    129
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    Chapter 5. Performing Culture

    145
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    Chapter 6. Vanaŋa Rapanui

    164
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    Chapter 7. Kaiŋa Rapanui

    178
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    Chapter 8. The Polynesian Homeland: A Sea of Islands

    191
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    Chapter 9. Rapa Nui as Fantasy and Commodity

    207
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    Conclusion

    230
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    Epilogue

    236
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    Notes

    241
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    Bibliography

    257
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    Index

    271
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    About the Author

    293
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
July 9, 2018
eBook ISBN:
9780824854614
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
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https://doi.org/10.1515/9780824854614
eBook ISBN: 9780824854614
Audience(s) for this book
For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research
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