Rapanui was annexed by Chile in 1888 and the Chilean government requires the use of Spanish as the official language in government, business, and schools. As a result, the number of fluent Rapanui speakers has drastically decreased, and UNESCO has classified the Rapanui language as 'severely endangered'. A 2016 study found that while 70% of Easter Island's elders spoke the language fluently, that figure dropped to just 6.7% among the island's children under 12. Loss of language results in loss of traditional Polynesian culture, knowledge and values, and linguistic studies demonstrate that ages 2 to 5 are critical for language acquisition. The EIF recognizes that increasing the number of young Rapanui speakers is essential to a flourishing Rapanui community. Beginning in 2023 the EIF has chosen to support the Honga'a Reo Rapanui Language Immersion Program which provides a complete Rapanui educational and cultural program for pre-school age children.
Please donate to this critical program
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