When most think of Easter Island, located nearly 2,200 miles off the coast of mainland Chile, the first thought that comes to mind is, “How did those heads get there?” While the giant stone structures known as moai are quite fascinating, they are only one of the island’s impressive features. With its westernized name, it is easy to forget that the island, known as “Rapa Nui” to its natives, has been populated for centuries. The Tapati festival was born to celebrate that heritage. 

The Tapati festival began in the 1970s as a way to educate the world about Rapa Nui’s people and their customs. More importantly, it is a way to reconnect children on the island with their heritage and identity. In the last few years it has grown in popularity, and it is featured on many tours to the island. This year it was rescheduled due to the pandemic, but the celebration is set to happen early next year. 

The two-week festival consists of music, dance and ancestral sporting events like swimming, canoeing and horse racing. The competitions take place between two clans in the spirit of the island’s Polynesian history. The events take place all over the island from day to night with the people of Rapa Nui emphasizing their heritage through face painting and dress. Each group also nominates a woman who receives points from the winners of the physical competitions, and the two compete to become the queen of Tapati at the end of the celebration.

What Tapati is most noted for is the triathlon, the Taua Rapa Nui. This three-pronged competition is held at the Rano Raraku, a massive volcanic crater that many of Easter Island’s moai sculptures were carved from. The events that make up Taua Rapa Nui are the Pora, the Aka Venga and the Vaka Ama. 

The Pora is a canoe race in which solo competitors in traditional outfits and body paint paddle across the crater lake on reed boats. Upon reaching the other side, they immediately transition into the Aka Venga, a running race made more difficult by the need for contestants to carry two banana bunches on their shoulders. This event is notorious for taking out racers. 

When the last lap around the lake is done, Vaka Ama begins and contestants must swim across the lake with a reed raft acting as a board. Those who have witnessed it say the physical feat of the Taua Rapa Nui is stunning, and a video of the competition can be seen here. 

Another impressive event is the Haka Pei, where dozens of men cloaked in only body paint and a cloth race down the steepest hill on the island in sleds made of banana tree trunks. 

Beyond physical competitions, there are many ancestral skills competitions like cloth making from mahute tree bark, stone and wood carving, and clothing designing. Another event is a cooking competition where women of the island face off with their creations of traditional Rapa Nui dishes. Additionally, there is an agricultural showcase in which farmers compete to see who has the biggest and heaviest products. As it is a two-week event, countless different cultural traditions are highlighted throughout the festival. 

For visitors, the grand celebration of Rapa Nui and its people is a valuable way to respectfully learn about and appreciate islanders’ traditions. It is a culturally immersive experience, and the people on the island know that their heritage is worthy of recognition. Often, island cultures get isolated from global conversations as the beautiful landscapes distract from traditions. Festivals like the Tapati ensure that Rapa Nui’s residents are never forgotten. 

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Renee is currently an English student at The University of Georgia. She lives in Ellijay, Georgia, a small mountain town in the middle of Appalachia. A passionate writer, she is inspired often by her hikes along the Appalachian trail and her efforts to fight for equality across all spectrums. She hopes to further her passion as a writer into a flourishing career that positively impacts others.