[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 25 (Wednesday, February 16, 2011)]
[House]
[Pages H947-H948]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      CALLING FOR A PEACEFUL SOLUTION TO THE EASTER ISLAND CRISIS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
American Samoa (Mr. Faleomavaega) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. FALEOMAVAEGA. Mr. Speaker, I'm not wanting to detract from 
today's spirited discussion or debate on H.R. 1, which I will discuss 
at a later point of time in the day, but I want to discuss with my 
colleagues and the American people the current crisis now happening 
between the government of Chile and the people of Easter Island, also 
known as Rapa Nui among its native people.
  Easter Island was settled by Polynesian voyagers about 700 AD. The 
island is famous for some 887 monumental statues carved out of stones 
weighing tens of tons. These statues are known throughout the world for 
their archeological wonder and mystery in terms of how these ancient 
Polynesians were able to carve and move these tremendous statues to 
different locations on the island. Less well-known is that Easter 
Island is home to roughly 2,500 indigenous people, known as the Rapa 
Nui Nation. The people of Easter Island carry a vibrant culture dating 
back centuries before the arrival of Europeans.
  Like many other islands in the Pacific, Easter Island has had its 
sovereignty determined by more powerful outside influences. In 1888, 
the Rapa Nui Nation entered into a disputed treaty with the government 
of Chile. The Chilean government used the treaty as a license to treat 
the island and the indigenous people as property of the State. Chile 
confined the people to a small area, about 1 square mile, believe this, 
Mr. Speaker, today known as Hanga Roa. To this day, the validity of the 
1888 agreement is contested by most of the Rapa Nui people.
  Chile then annexed Easter Island in 1933 without the consent of or 
even consultation with the Rapa Nui people. The government of Chile 
unilaterally leased the majority of the island to private sheepherding 
enterprises, without the Rapa Nui Nation's consent.
  The lands that were wrongfully taken from the Rapa Nui people have 
not been restored. Instead of returning the lands to their rightful 
owners, the Chilean government continues to favor private enterprises 
interested in exploiting the Rapa Nui culture for private gain.
  In addition, Mr. Speaker, to the serious land rights disputes, 
several other issues threaten the livelihood of the people of Rapa Nui. 
For example, roughly 50,000 tourists each year flock to Easter Island 
to view these huge Moai statues. Yet the Chilean policies prevent the 
Rapa Nui people from benefiting from the tourism industry. Non-
indigenous individuals and corporations possess most of the land, while 
jobs related to tourism often go to continental Chileans. Uncontrolled 
migration to the island has caused widespread unemployment among the 
native people, exploitation of natural resources and increased 
pollution.
  Within this context, Mr. Speaker, the Rapa Nui Nation began taking a 
stand. In July and August of last year, the Rapa Nui people wrote 
several letters to the President of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, to 
negotiate a peaceful solution to the underlying problems of Chile's 
relationship with the people of Easter Island. The Rapa Nui people also 
began to peacefully reoccupy their ancestral lands, including the Hotel 
Hanga Roa, a five-star hotel supposedly being built by the Schiess 
family, a non-indigenous family, on ancestral Rapa Nui lands.

                              {time}  1110

  Mr. Speaker, while the Government of Chile attempted to initiate a 
dialogue with Rapa Nui individuals, the problem is that the Chilean 
Government also sent military police to this little island which is 
2,300 miles from Chile. I can't believe, Mr. Speaker--we have 17 
million people, good people, living in Chile--sending police forces to 
take control of this little island with some 2,500 Rapa Nuians and they 
have not even been given any consultation or even an opportunity to 
conduct consultations, serious consultations, with the Government of 
Chile.
  Mr. Speaker, I sincerely hope that the Government of Chile can begin 
a dialogue for ways to help the Rapa Nui people achieve a greater sense 
of self-determination and self-governance in their lands. I ask 
President Pinera to advocate for a more positive approach for 
partnership and dialogue with the indigenous people of Easter Island. 
It is my honest belief that the indigenous people of Easter Island do 
not wish any harm to the good people of Chile. Nor is there a 
possibility that the people of Easter Island will ever pose a threat to 
the military and strategic or national security interests of the people 
and the Government of Chile.
  Mr. Speaker, I also hope that the White House and the State 
Department and Assistant Secretary Valenzuela will take a stand against 
these violent

[[Page H948]]

evictions and express solidarity with the Rapa Nui nation, especially 
in light of President Obama's planned visit to Chile next month and 
Assistant Secretary Valenzuela's recent testimony before the House 
Foreign Affairs Committee yesterday. I sincerely hope that even our 
international community will build pressure on President Pinera and the 
Government of Chile. Let's treat these poor people with justice and 
give them an opportunity to live in peace in this area. I ask that the 
good people of America make this appeal and that the Government of 
Chile be responsive to this request.

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