Continuity in adaptation: a history of Rapanui music

This thesis presents a history of Rapanui music, and aims to test the hypothesis that traditionalRapanui musical practices have influenced and are manifested in contemporary performances,despite widely held perceptions of cultural loss. The adaptation of introduced musicalinfluences is presented as a continual process by which Rapanui musicians negotiate theirunderstanding of music and the place of music in their society and culture. The emphasis onadaptation provides a frame of reference that circumvents such culturally loaded terms asacculturation, instead allowing for a framework in which perceived ancient and modemmusical practices are viewed side by side and in historical relation to each other. The ethnographic research method for this study included lengthy periods of fieldwork. participant-observation, interviews with Rapanui musicians, and case studies of particular Rapanui songs and ensembles. Most of the fieldwork occurred on Rapanui, but other locations (particularly in Chile) were included during the research process. The theoretical literature pertaining to the field of ethnomusicology has provided the basis upon which the research findings are presented, though resources from adjunct ethnographic fields of research have also been consulted. A further area of theoretical enquiry concerns the social responsibility of the researcher, and reciprocity is presented as an essential component of the research method.