Easter Island's Tapati Rapa Nui

Most visitors to Easter Island are lured by the Moai — the mysterious stone heads scattered around this remote speck in the southeastern Pacific. But for two weeks every February, the monoliths take second billing to a festival honoring the culture of those who erected them. Easter Islanders, many of whom can trace their ancestry to the island’s first Polynesian inhabitants, the Rapa Nui, celebrate their ancestors during Tapati Rapa Nui, or Rapa Nui week, which began as a way to help young people connect with and maintain their heritage.

During the festival, the island divides into...

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