Mitología pascuense
Mythologie rapanui
Mitologia pasquense
Mitologia de Rapa Nui
Rapa Nui mitolojisi
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Rapa Nui mythology
In today's world, Rapa Nui mythology is a topic that has gained great relevance and interest. Its impact has been felt in different aspects of society, from politics to popular culture. In this article, we will explore in detail the different nuances and perspectives surrounding Rapa Nui mythology, analyzing its influence on the modern world and its role in shaping contemporary mindsets and dynamics. Through an exhaustive and multidimensional analysis, we aim to shed light on this topic and understand its importance in the current context. Additionally, we will examine possible future implications and possible avenues to address the challenges that Rapa Nui mythology presents in our ever-changing world.
Rapa Nui mythology, also known as Pascuense mythology or Easter Island mythology, refers to the native myths, legends, and beliefs of the Rapa Nui people of Easter Island in the south eastern Pacific Ocean.
Origin myth
According to Rapa Nui mythology Hotu Matuꞌa was the legendary first settler and ariki mau ("supreme chief" or "king") of Easter Island. Hotu Matu'a and his two-canoe (or one double-hulled canoe) colonising party were Polynesians from the now unknown land of Hiva Nuku Hiva, Hiva Oa, Fatu Hiva, Mount Oave, Marquesas Islands, Tahiti, Fenua. They landed at Anakena beach and his people spread out across the island, sub-divided it between clans claiming descent from his sons, and lived for more than a thousand years in their isolated island home at the southeastern tip of the Polynesian Triangle until the arrival of Dutch captain Jacob Roggeveen, who arrived at the island in 1722.
Ancestor cult
The most visible element in the culture was the production of massive statues called moai that represented deified ancestors. It was believed that the living had a symbiotic relationship with the dead where the dead provided everything that the living needed (health, fertility of land and animals, fortune, etc.), and the living through offerings provided the dead with a better place in the spirit world. Most settlements were located on the coast and moai were erected along the coastline, watching over their descendants in the settlements before them, with their backs toward the spirit world in the sea.
Tangata manu cult
The Tangata manu or bird-man cult succeeded the island's Moai era when warfare erupted over dwindling natural resources and construction of statues stopped. The deity Make-make was the chief god of the birdman cult. The cult declined after the island population adopted Catholicism, though the birdman's popularity and memory were not erased and it is still present in the decoration of the island's church.
Deities and heroes
- Make-make, creator of humanity
- Uoke, tectonic deity
- Hotu Matu'a, legendary king and cultural hero
- Aku-Aku, spirits of the dead
- Manana Take
- Tangata manu
- Hanau epe
- Haua
- Hina-Oio
References
- ^ Carlos Mordo, Easter Island (Willowdale, Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd., 2002)
- ^ Steven L. Danver (22 December 2010). Popular Controversies in World History: Investigating History's Intriguing Questions. ABC-CLIO. pp. 223–224. ISBN 978-1-59884-077-3. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ Barbara A. West (2009). Encyclopedia of the peoples of Asia and Oceania. Infobase Publishing. pp. 683–684. ISBN 978-0-8160-7109-8. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ Phil Cousineau (1 July 2003). Once and Future Myths: The Power of Ancient Stories in Our Lives. Conari Press. pp. 181–182. ISBN 978-1-57324-864-8. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ Steven L. Danver (22 December 2010). Popular Controversies in World History: Investigating History's Intriguing Questions. ABC-CLIO. p. 225. ISBN 978-1-59884-077-3. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
Further reading
- Kjellgren, Eric; et al. (2001). Splendid isolation: art of Easter Island. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 9781588390110.
- Robert D. Craig. Dictionary of Polynesian mythology. Greenwood Publishing Group, 1989 ISBN 0-313-25890-2, ISBN 978-0-313-25890-9
- Peggy Mann. Easter Island: land of mysteries. Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1976. ISBN 0-03-014056-0, ISBN 978-0-03-014056-3
External links
- Easter Island legends and myths - Easter Island Traveling
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