Aotearoa and Rapa Nui: Ancestral Connections.

Aotearoa and Rapa Nui are two Islands of Polynesia, they believe that the first inhabitants in Rapa Nui were from Marquesas Island or from Aotearoa and that’s why they have similarity in their languages, culture and beliefs.

Māori think that they have the same ancestors and they can feel it visiting Rapa Nui, they can feel the energy of their ancestors. They think that they are brothers who came from the same ancestors and they were separated, “I’ve re-connected with descendants of my ancestors”. And you can see that on some of the names of their ancestors, for example, to Maoris Tangaroa is the god of the sea and to Rapa Nui Tangaroa is an ancestor who was a whale, they are not the same for both but they have the similarity of the sea and for both culture Tangaroa is very important because both believe that the water is one of the most important aspects in their lives.

Both have a deep respect for their ancestors and that’s something very honorable because nowadays in our culture we don’t have that kind of beliefs, we don’t remember and we don’t respect our ancestors, and they (Maoris and Rapanuis) honor their ancestors because they know that they are where they are because of them.

Both culture fight for keeping their traditions and languages alive, teaching their children the past of their cultures and in the next documentary you can see a Maori visiting Rapa Nui and you can notice the similarities in their traditions, their beliefs and their lifestyles. 

                                      Maori

 

                                                                                                               Rapa Nui 

Do you think Māori and Rapanui are similar? Do you think they are connect by their ancestors? I think they are, because their traditions are similar, their dances, their beliefs, their way to protect their land and their people.