The Puku Rangi Tea performance group from Rapa Nui, holding the flag of Rapa Nui. The group performed at Te Papa to a packed out crowd. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor
It's been 19 years since a performance group from Rapa Nui has visited the shores of Aotearoa New Zealand.
For the first time in nearly two decades, the songs of Rapa Nui rang out around the walls of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa.
Puku Rangi Tea are a performing group from Rapa Nui, a special territory of Chile also known as Isla de Pascua or Easter Island.
The island has a population of about 10,000 people. The performance at Te Papa coincided with Chilean Independence Day on 18 September, when Chile declared its independence from Spain in 1810.
Puku Rangi Tea performers at Te Papa on 18 September Photo: RNZ Pacific/Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor
The cultural leader of Puku Rangi Tea Antonio Atan said the trip is important as there had been little contact between Aotearoa and Rapa Nui for many years.
He said that the performance was intended "to reconnect and open the bridge between Aotearoa and Rapa Nui, and through all life we have been united through the triangle of Polynesia - Hawaii, Rapa Nui and Aotearoa."
"We are part of Chile, but we never forget that Rapa Nui is part of all Polynesia."
Maohi Pakomio, one of the other performers, is a descendant from the first King of Rapa Nui Hotu Matuꞌa.
He spoke about how beautiful Aotearoa is, and how the group see Māori as family. Pakomio said it's been special sharing their songs, culture and traditions during this trip.
"It's really important for us to go around the world and show our culture."
(L to R) Tongariki Tuki, Maohi Pakomio and Rodrigo Pakarati. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor
Pakomio also said that "we are fighting to recover our culture again because we have lost a lot of information due to different problems on the island."
"Now, we are trying to save that, trying to recover what we have lost"
When asked about the importance of the Pacific remembering that Rapa Nui is part of the Pacific family, he had this to say:
"We have had a lot of problems in the past, a lot of people died on our island during war, slavery, and disease that Europeans introduced on the island.
"That's why, around Polynesia, people don't know so much about the island, but we are working on going out of the island to represent our culture, and to show people on the other side that we are Rapa Nui. We are still here."
(L-R) Chile's Ambassador to New Zealand Manahi Pakarati, and one of the leaders of Puku Rangi Tea, Antonio Antan Photo: RNZ Pacific/Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor
The Chilean Ambassador to New Zealand Manahi Pakarati is the only diplomat of Polynesian Rapa Nui ancestry in the Chilean Foreign Service.
She said there are similarities between Te Reo and Rapa Nui language.
"I would say that our language, Te Reo Rapa Nui, is the same language as the Māori people. It's just that we have been isolated for such a long time, we have never had to mix with other people, we didn't have foreigners come into our island, so we kept our language very old."
Pakarati said they can understand about 50 to 60 percent of te reo Māori.
She said that Rapa Nui shares similar cultural connections to other parts of the Pacific.
"We have two kinds of artistic expressions: one of them is related to war just like the hoko (war dance). The men do the hoko, it's just like the same with the haka Māori. But we also have the other part as it's a celebration, it's a joyful rhythm and closer to the Cook Islands and Tahiti."
Pakarati said the group will visit other places in Aotearoa during this trip.
