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> But the island, called Rapa Nui by its Indigenous people Then why have you titled it Easter Island? I'm inclined to agree with the idea that the destruction
by markdown 6y ago
> But the island, called Rapa Nui by its Indigenous people
Then why have you titled it Easter Island?
I'm inclined to agree with the idea that the destruction of the once-thriving island was caused by the arrival of Europeans, as it was elsewhere in the world... mainly by disease and enslavement.
Blackbirding was in full swing in the Pacific:
> Almost 150 men, women and children paddle out to the ship. Some swim. On board they are invited to share a feast (or, some say, view the wares) below deck. But as soon as they descend the stairs, the trapdoors slam shut and the ship sails away with about half the population of ‘Ata locked in its hold.
- https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/currently-history/blackbirding-new-zealands-shameful-role-in-the-pacific-islands-slave-trade https://www.noted.co.nz/currently/currently-history/blackbir...
- trentnix 6y agoThen why have you titled it Easter Island? Because that's how most people interested in reading the article would recognize it. Had the title been 'Rethinking Rapa Nui's Historic "Collapse"', I would have certainly browsed right past. Perhaps many others might have as well.
- SEJeff 6y agoIndeed, and that name makes the most sense. For the GP, the official name is not Rapa Nui, but Isla De Pascua as it is "owned" by Chile. The native inhabitants of this small island called it Rapa Nui after themselves. I've spent a week there in Hanga Roa and a few days in Tahai. It is a really special place to experience if you can.
- markdown 6y ago> Indeed, and that name makes the most sense. How does that make the most sense? It is the indigenous inhabitants, and not foreigners who should get to name their land.
- Nasrudith 6y agoCountries are already named on a per language basis and it isn't an exact process or accurate to the original. It would be like taking offense at referring to calling "Estados Unitos" offensive as a name for the United States or "Russia" offensive because the actual pronunciation is more like "Rossiya" and spelled Россия.
- flobosg 6y ago> the official name is not Rapa Nui, but Isla De Pascua There was a proposal to change the official name to "Rapa Nui – Isla de Pascua" a few years ago but I am not sure if it went through.
- JetSetWilly 6y ago"Greece" is called "Hellas" by Greeks themselves - and nobody cares. A name doesn't have to be the same as that used by the natives, as the point of the name is not to be accurate to what natives call it, but to provide a commonly understood reference. In English names for places and things are quite often different to what it is called in other languages - that's fine. There's no central authority that mandates what syllables should be used to refer to things.
- 082349872349872 6y agoNo central authority, but there is a central reference, Wikipedia, which allows one to quickly translate between names for places and things, so the need for a canonical name is much less than in the days when one might need to consult a reference book or have various names in one's readily-accessible memory. İstanbul (not Κωνσταντινούπολη): "Why did Constantinople get the works?"
- markdown 6y agoSure, but surely in 2020 we can be more respectful of the wishes of the indigenous people. We should call people what they want to be called. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ibSvOWAMg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5ibSvOWAMg
- occamrazor 6y agoThe Greeks cared enough to change the country code from ISO-3166 GR to EL in all Eurostat official statistics.