Tapati

Held every year, on the first two weeks of February, the Tapati is the island cultural festival, when the Rapa Nui window is opened for the world to see. It includes shows of different activities, from handicraft and sports to dancing and singing. The goal of the festival is to elect the island queen, among two candidates. The competitors in each activity participate for one candidate or the other and, by the end of the festival, the candidate able to collect more points wins. In this season, the island fills up with tourists from everywhere, so it is in part true that the festival is held for them and the feeling I got was that most Rapa Nui are bored of it, because it is the same every year. Moreover, some of the supposed traditional activities have been naturally "adapted" to make them more attractive to see or even polynesian traditions from other islands have been imported and are now presented as Rapa Nui. This is the sad part of it, when you realize some things are being staged and in fact you are not going deeper into their culture. However, the simple truth is that it is beautiful and fascinating anyhow.


Most of the time that I spent on the island was dedicated to the Tapati. The first big competition was a downhill slide on banana trunks. The one that would cover the greatest distance would win. The event was celebrated with a typical curanto, free for everyone to join and eat and it was excellent! Handicraft are also part of the festival: sculpting, flower and shell collars, typical chicken feather dresses and even the traditional Rongo-Rongo, the native written language lost in time and that nobody can now decipher. There were also sports activities like canoeing, swimming and even a triathlon, held inside Rano Raraku, the moai factory, of canoeing, running with around 20kgs of bananas and swimming.


However, the most fascinating events were the dancing and singing competitions. These were always held at night, on a designated festival area, with plenty of small bars with cheap and tasty food. The competitions varied from an adapted version of tango and tragic songs to individual or large groups on stage singing and dancing in choreography (see videos below). There were also special performances of the local groups Kari Kari and Matato'a, the latter worldwidely known. In fact, there is definitely something about polynesian music, one or two instruments that make the difference, strong beats and fast rhythms make your body move unconsciously. The dancing movements are very tribal in men, strong and loud, and very sensual in women, with constant and strong hip movements followed by gracious hand and arm swings. All this, together with the typical tribal outfits and paintings, transport you into a parallel world and is part of the special island atmosphere. Sitting there under the moonlight, every night, I took the time to realize where I were and how probable this would be a couple of years ago. Then, I would step into this parallel world and find, once again, paradise...

Ute Song


Ariki Adult Ensemble

Tapati Photo Album