PACIFIC SUPERHEROES

Aloha to our families and friends………

The battle being fought by our Polynesian brothers and sisters on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) continues…..On Tuesday, February 8, 2011, the Hitorangi Clan will be violently evicted and criminalized for the occupation of their ancestral lands.  The heavily armed Chilean troops have surrounded the Hanga Roa Hotel where the families have housed themselves and the troops are keeping anyone from coming in or leaving; the Clan has no way of communitcating with their families or attorneys. Our goal and urgent request is to raise $6,000 by FEBRUARY 5TH. Even the smallest amounts of donations is desparately needed; $10, $20, etc. all of which will go to help cover the legal fees of the Hitorangi Clan; the cost to cover filing fees, attorney travel costs to and from the island to the mainland, etc..  All other legal fees are being provided pro bono by the Indian Law Center.  You can make your donation by going to the Saverapanui website:  http://saverapanui.org/donate/html.  The Indian Law Center has set up a PayPal service specifically for this purpose and your donation is entirely tax deductible.  There is no court system on Rapa Nui so the costs to travel back and forth between the island and the mainland is mounting.  We are urgenlty seeking your support and the support of your networks as the battle is ongoing.  Time is of the essence.  Our ‘ohana on Rapa Nui needs our help in preventing their culture and people from being lost forever.  Your donation will help to pay for the legal protection of the Hitorangi Clan and ensure the protection of the Rapa Nui people from the heavy-handed assault by Chilean troops on an unarmed population.

Please visit the saverapanui.org website for updated information which is posted as it is received.  There you will be able to view a video of the attacks being harbored against the people of Rapa Nui and other information relative to the plight of the Rapa Nui people. The need is urgent; we are LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY from the case being heard in the courts in Chile.  Please help to get the message out. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Mahalo,

Auntie Sharon

He Hawai’i Au Mau A Mau

Sharon Ku’uipo Kana’e-Paulo

Commission Executive Assistant

City of Los Angeles DCA Board of Commissioners

201 North Figueroa Street, Suite 1400

Los Angeles CA 90012

213.202.5502

‘Iorana PACIFIC SUPERHEROES its time for the festival search of the summer to save up and hit in our pacific lounge and playground. Rapa Nui Island should be on your list of must see and ‘I’m there!’ attitude, with their annual Tapati Rapa Nui / Easter Island Festival celebrated during the end of January and first weeks of February.

Its two weeks of arts & culture with singing, dancing and sporting competitions all in there to woohoo and chaaahoooo about lolz. Only caution is this is party time on the island, so not much else gets done by the locals as many parties are run along side the official festival right through the break of dawn. Info and a link follows. Manuia paka-paka!!!

2009 Tapati dates: January 30th – February 14th

‘The yearly Easter Island festival, Tapati Rapa Nui, began in 1975. Back then, it was a song and poetry festival organized to attract tourists. Today’s sophisticated productions feature native dance, chant, and song, and competitions such as horse racing, woodcarving, fishing, kai kai (string figures), traditional body decoration, a parade, and a queen contest. The festival has become so popular that it has now been extended into a two-week event.

Tapati occurs at the height of the Summer season, usually at the end of January and the first of February. The dance and song performances generally are held in the island’s gymnasium but many are also out of doors, in front of one or another of the great ahu platforms, such as at Tongariki or Tahai. Some of these are more like “dance-drama” performances Continue reading ‘Tapati Rapa Nui’