wayfinders circle governance report english - Flipbook - Page 21
Rapa Nui Governance
With a population of 7,750 the Rapa Nui municipality and Indigenous territory on
Easter Island, Chile, is the most isolated inhabited place on the planet—a small island
in the middle of the Pacific Ocean some 3,800 kilometers from Chile and 4,000 from
Tahiti. The Rapa Nui people have worked constantly to defend their territory,
environment, culture, and rights as Indigenous peoples. In 1966, after ongoing
uprisings and demands, the State of Chile recognized them as a people with rights,
creating the Department of Easter Island and its Municipality. The Rapa Nui people
then elected their first Mayor, and since then have chosen their own leaders.
The Rapa Nui people’s governance structure has three traditional representative
bodies: the Council of Elders, the Rapa Nui Parliament, and the Honui or Assembly of
Clans, which represents the 36 families that make up the municipality. These bodies
work in consultation and side by side with the municipality. The mayor is a member
of the Rapa Nui Council of Elders, the highest representative and traditional body.
The Municipal Council, whose members are all Rapa Nui, works on cultural,
environmental, social and human rights initiatives. The Municipal Council, with the
approval and support of the community, maintains the principles of traditional Rapa
Nui customs and organizes conversations open to the whole community that tackle
themes that affect the territory. They conduct consultations, identify needs and
determine short, medium, and long-term planning. They execute programs, conduct
dialogues with the State and plan for the future.
S E E A N N E X F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N
GOVERNANCE REPORT
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APRIL 2022
21
