The development of Easter Island 1967-2001
Date
2002
Authors
Shephard-Toomey, Tania Margaret
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
2000 miles off the coast of Chile lies a small island called Easter Island (Isla de Pascua in Spanish) also known as Rapa Nui by the native islanders, who call themselves Rapanui. After years of slave labor raids, missionary intervention, disease, and the erosion of traditional Polynesian culture, Chile annexed Easter Island in 1888. Since then, the island has been run as a sheep farm, endured a brief period of Chilean Navy rule, and begun its course of "modernization" with the arrival of the first commercial flight in 1967.
Past and present research on Easter Island has focused on the "mysteries" of Easter Island, attempting to answer the "how" and "why" quandaries concerning the mass production and erection of the moai. Consequently, inadequate research has been conducted on the human or cultural aspect of Easter Island: its indigenous inhabitants, the Rapanui. In contrast, the purpose of this study is to focus on contemporary Rapa Nui and produce a historico-geographical account focusing on the social, economic, and political development of Easter Island since 1967 as well as examine future development visions. The study therefore asks two main questions. First, how has Easter Island been developed since 1967 and second, what are the future development visions concerning the hinterland held by international, national, and Rapanui stakeholders?
Research methods include documentary research, participant observation, visual anthropology, and semi-structured interviews. The collection of documents and records, along with recorded observations, was utilized to gather data pertaining to the process of development over the past three decades. Photographs captured images depicting changes associated with modernization and the survival of the traditional Rapanui culture within a colonial system. Thirty-three interviews were conducted with Rapanui and Chilean authorities who were or are involved in the development process on Easter Island, and discussed issues such as land reform (the return of Chilean state land to native Rapanui), important infrastructure changes and projects (airport and port expansions) and their impact on heritage sites.
Findings show that the modernization process since 1967 has contributed to infrastructure improvements in the areas of transportation and communication, the betterment of education and health services, the development of a tourism industry, and an increase in the overall standard of living for the Rapanui. However, this process has also created irrevocable social, economic, cultural, political, and environmental problems for the Rapanui people. The lack of Rapanui participation in the decision-making process regarding past and present development initiatives has contributed to discontent among the Rapanui and resistance towards Chilean planning agencies. Furthermore, different beliefs, opinions and visions concerning the future development of Easter Island held by different stakeholders have created an unstable social and economic development platform.