Reviving Rapa Nui
Preserving an ancient language and the heritage it represents for future generations
Consejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
Ko-Turi Atán Rodríguez
Tapati (2012)Consejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
Growing up as a Rapa Nui in the 21st century is a constant search for balance. There are certain complexities that come with being part of a small and isolated culture that is opening up to a global world.
On the one hand, there’s the wisdom, vision, and understanding of the Maori culture handed down by our ancestors, from all those cultures in the Polynesian Triangle that are recognized as having shared customs (including Maori in New Zealand, Hawaiian in Hawaii, and Rapa Nui on Easter Island). On the other, there are elements of modernity, which are an inevitable consequence of globalization (Tepano, 2018).
TapatiConsejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
The perpetual tension between modernity and ancestral culture has created enormous differences in the knowledge and use of the Rapa Nui language between generations. According to a UNICEF study, in 2009, only 12% of the indigenous population could speak and understand the indigenous language, and 10.6% could only understand it.
TapatiConsejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
On the contrary, 77.3% of the indigenous population neither speaks nor understands their indigenous language; 5.6% higher than in 2006, when that figure was 71.7%. The rates of speaking and/or understanding the indigenous language are highest among adults and older people, while younger generations have been losing it.
Tapati (2012)Consejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
But why is use of the language in indigenous communities important? UNICEF says that: "The use of languages is a central element in defining a community's culture and identity. The population's knowledge and use of languages enable cultural transmission and preservation processes to be observed, as well as making it possible to identify phenomena that contribute to the loss or strengthening of identity in indigenous communities" (2011).
TapatiConsejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
So, how can these processes for producing and reproducing the language be supported? How can its use in public and private settings be reinforced? What are the best ways to strengthen the indigenous language among new generations?
AnakenaConsejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
In the public sphere, very few people speak the Rapa Nui language, and the same is true inside homes, so the first challenge is to create more spaces where our language is spoken.
Honga_a o te re_o Rapa NuiConsejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
On Rapa Nui, efforts in recent decades have focused mainly on educational spaces linked to municipal schools and kindergartens, because educational institutions are the primary—albeit not the only—source of resources.
TapatiConsejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
However, the structure of formal education does not allow for the incorporation of traditional actors and the active participation of the community in the teaching of the language, such as the wise men or native speakers who do not have a university degree.
If the language and its use in both public and private settings are to be promoted, that process must involve upholding our culture's fundamental and crosscutting principles: Moa (respect), Re’o (language or tongue), and Hua’ai (family and community). These principles, among others, must be built upon by the community in constant collaboration with formal schooling and educational spaces rooted in Polynesian traditions.
The Tikaηa—the proper way of doing things according to Maori culture, traditions, and language—helps to balance these elements (Berrios, 2019).
TapatiConsejo de Ancianos de Rapa Nui | Council of Elders of Rapa Nui
Reviving the Rapa Nui language with Woolaroo
Technology can play a role in efforts to recover languages around the world, providing lasting and accessible resources to international and local communities alike.
Discover the Rapa Nui language through the world around you with Woolaroo — point your camera and take a picture to see and hear an endangered language come to life.
Ko-Turi Atán Rodríguez
Berrios, M. (5 de junio de 2019). (K.-T. Atan, Entrevistador)
Madariaga, C. (5 de Enero de 2020). Sobre la importancia de la Lengua Rapanui. (L. Edmunds, Entrevistador)
Tepano, A. (2018). Educación Rapa-Nui. revitalización del Idioma y cultura Ma'ori Rapa-Nui. Santiago.
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