Rapa Nui, or Easter Island, a volcanic island in the South Pacific Ocean, is one of the most isolated inhabited places on the planet. The nearest inhabited island is over 2,000 kilometres (1242 miles) away. To its inhabitants it is Te Pito te Henua, “the navel of the world”. Estimates of when the island was first inhabited vary widely; most estimates fall within the range of 300-800 CE*. Some recent estimates place the date of initial colonisation closer to 1200 CE. Whatever the date, the voyage to such a remote island is undoubtedly one of the greatest ever undertaken by a group of humans.
The Rapa Nui, now a population of under 8,000 people, face significant environmental and health challenges, and pressures from tourists who number around 100,000 each year. In recent years, poor behaviour from tourists has led authorities to limit the number of tourists allowed to visit the island, as well as reducing the length of stay for non-inhabitants. The protection of the island’s sensitive environment, communities and the Moai – the statues which made the island is famous – is a high priority for the people of Rapa Nui, for they for inhabit a living landscape.
With respect, I acknowledge and celebrate the Rapa Nui.
*common era (AD)
Gingamegs Art 