  the rapa nui are the native polynesian inhabitants of easter island, or rapa nui, in the pacific ocean. the easternmost polynesian culture, the rapa nui people currently make up 60% of easter island's population and have a significant portion of their population residing in mainland chile. they speak both the traditional rapa nui language and the primary language of the island, spanish. at the 2002 census there were 3,304 island inhabitantsâalmost all living in the village of hanga roa on the sheltered west coast. as of 2011, rapa nui's main source of income derived from tourism, which focuses on the giant sculptures called moai. some fruits are grown for local use. rapa nui activists have been fighting for their right of self-determination and possession of the island. recent protests by the indigenous rapa nui on easter island against chilean rule has led to violence against the rapa nui by the chilean police.rapanui: international community steps in to stop violence against the rapa nui nation - indigenous peoples issues and resourcesthe hawaii independent ==history==  ===pre-european contact (300â1722 ce)=== the rapa nui are believed to have settled easter island between 300 and 1200 ce. previously, the date of arrival was estimated to be around 700â800 ce, but more recent evidence from radiocarbon dating supports an arrival date as late as 1200 ce. the rapa nui people have been found to be of polynesian origin through genetic analysis of mitochondrial dna of pre-historic skeletons. genetic analysis performed by erik thorsby and other geneticists in 2007 revealed genetic markers of european and amerindian origin that suggest that the rapa nui had european and amerindian contributions to their dna during or before the early 1800s.thorsby, "molecular genetic studies of natives on easter island: evidence of an early european and amerindian contribution to the polynesian gene pool", 2007 scholars believe that the rapa nui had early contact with so
Easter_Island Ethnic_groups_in_Chile Indigenous_peoples_in_Chile Indigenous_peoples_of_Polynesia