essay

I'm not Chileno!: Rapa Nui identity

we are a people : narrative and multiplicity in constructing ethnic identity • Philadelphia • Published In 2000 • Pages: 142-150

By: Stanton, Max Edward.

Abstract

This article discusses the rise of Rapa Nui identity spurred by the influx of non-Polynesian Chileans who tripled the Island's population between 1960 and 1980. During this time, policy incentives that included no income tax, subsidized housing, and high wages attracted "continentals" who filled upper-level professional and administrative positions on the island. Other outsiders came to work as laborers on large infrastructure projects. With the construction of an airport in 1967, tourism became a major industry, helping to ignite a Rapa Nui cultural renaissance with the initiation of a ten-day celebration of pan-Polynesian culture, the [n]Tapati Rapa Nui[/n]. Reviving their Polynesian language, the Rapa Nui people have come to identify more with other Polynesians.

HRAF PubDate

2016

Region

Oceania

Sub Region

Polynesia

Document Type

essay

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

Ian Skoggard ; 2012

Field Date

1994

Coverage Date

1960-1994

Coverage Place

Easter Island, Valparaíso, Chile

Notes

Max E. Stanton

Includes bibliographical references (p. 150)

LCCN

99014398

LCSH

Easter Island