Tapati Rapanui: energy and Polynesian tradition

It is held every year during the first half of February and thousands of tourists come to enjoy a week of music, competitions, games and culture.

In this celebration all the inhabitants of Easter Island participate and the preparation is done throughout the year. One of the events are the sports competitions, which are carried out in the same way as they were practiced by the first inhabitants of the island. The islanders participate in different tests to show their physical prowess and beat the other clans, as in the ancestral times.

Sports Competitions: Most of the Tapati Rapanui competitions are inspired by the legend of the Tangata Manu - birdman - a competition held by the island's clans in ancient times to name the "Sacred Birdman", who would have great power over the island and the majority of rights over the rest of the clans.

The test consisted in searching for the first seasonal egg of the Manu Tara bird (shadow tern) in the Motu Nui Islet. To do this, the competitors had to swim from Easter Island to the islet and then return with the egg by climbing the cliff of Rano Kau. The test was very dangerous and many died from sharks, falls or blows. Currently, the participants of the Tapati Rapanui recreate some of these tests in sectors of the island. For example, in the cove of Hanga Roa Otai the "Haka Honu" is performed, where the islanders slide only with their bodies over the waves like turtles. Another test is the "Haka Ngaru", which is very similar but with a totora reed float. This allows them to surf faster. In the Maunga Pu'i hill, the Haka Pei takes place, where participants dressed and decorated in the traditional way, with paint all over their bodies called takona paint, risk sliding from a height of 200 meters on a rustic sled made of banana tree trunks. Participants reach speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour in an adrenaline-filled descent. The winner is the one who manages to cover the longest distance.

Another test is canoe paddling. The Polynesians have sophisticated canoes that they know how to move over the waves in the Hanga Roa cove. The distribution of the competition are canoes of six paddlers that travel the sea in stretches of 3 to 5 kilometers. Another competition based on ancient traditions is sport fishing. Here the "here" is used, a kind of hook that manages to catch eels. It can be either shore or underwater fishing. A more modern event is the Rapanui Triathlon or Tau'a Rapanui, which includes three stages inside the crater of the Rano Raraku volcano. This 18-kilometer circuit begins with a "Vaka Ama" rowing race, where participants cross the crater lagoon aboard totora reed rafts, a plant widely used for construction on the island. Upon reaching the shore, the second test "Aka Venga" is performed, where athletes hang two heavy banana heads from their necks and run around the lagoon. The last phase consists of submerging again in the crater, this time swimming and only using the "pora", a float also made of totora reeds. Horses are very important and valued in Easter Island, so horse races are also one of the competitions during the Tapati Rapanui. These races are held without saddles in the area of Vaihu, with young jockeys running between 500 and 1000 meters.

Gastronomy, crafts and culture: In the Tapati Rapanui there are also competitions in other traditional arts. One of them is painting, called Tingitingi mahute. The mahute is a plant that has been used since ancient times to make costumes, canvases and ornaments. The women use a wooden stick called "tingi tingi" to stretch and shape the bark until it is rounded and a kind of cloth known as "maea poro". The winner is the one who makes the largest cloth. These same fabrics are painted with vegetable pigments, inspired by the cave paintings found inside the caves or stone houses. There are also carving contests, making figures such as moais, the petroglyphs of Orongo and other ornaments such as the reimiro (half-moon shaped ornament), rongo rongo tablets, among others.

One of the most colorful and attractive to see is the making of necklaces of flowers and shells, called pipi. The flower necklaces are used to welcome visitors and the pipi necklaces are used to bid them farewell. Also famous are the gastronomic contests of typical dishes of the island such as the "Umu tahu" or traditional curanto, the Polynesian cebiche, the "poe" or banana or pumpkin cake and the "Tunu Ahí", a fish prepared on a hot stone. In addition, samples of the largest banana head, the most succulent fruits and other products of local agriculture, such as sugar cane, pineapple, among others, are usually presented.

Culture and tradition: The Tapati rapanui has as its purpose the election of the Tapati Queen and there are several events before her coronation on the final night. Among them are a colorful parade of floats and clans dressed in traditional costumes. Tourists are also invited to participate in this celebration, paint themselves with the traditional takona paint with natural pigments, and be part of the procession of the floats, singing and dancing through the streets. The final show culminates with a beautiful fireworks display. In addition to this, throughout the evenings there are dance competitions with traditional rhythms of the island, in which children and adults participate. Ritual takona painting contests, traditional songs in the Riu, rival choir competitions in Koro Haka Opo and ancient customs such as reciting stories by making complex figures with threads, known as Kai Kai.

As the Tapati rapanui is one of the most important festivals in Polynesia and one of the most attractive events during the year, we recommend you to secure your place in advance. We assure you that you will not regret living this experience and fill yourself with the attraction, magic and sensuality of Easter Island.