1888: the Agreement of Wills
Chile annexed Rapa Nui under a treaty committing to respect land rights and chiefly authority.[1]
· Agreement
Agreement of Wills annexation, 1888
Chile annexed Rapa Nui under a treaty committing to respect Rapa Nui land rights and chiefly authority.
2001: founding of the Rapa Nui Parliament
A rival Council of Elders established the Rapa Nui Parliament, pursuing independence via the UN.[2]
· Organisation founded
Founding of the Rapa Nui Parliament, 2001
A rival Council of Elders established a parliament pursuing an independence process before the UN.
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: Rapa Nui was annexed to Chile under a treaty signed on 9 September 1888, known as the Agreement of Wills, which established respect for the investiture of Rapa Nui chiefs and reserved land ownership for the Rapa Nui people; Rapa Nui claimants argue this commitment has not been honoured.
- Indigenous peoples' rights to autonomy and self-government: the case of Rapa Nui, Chile (International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA)) link, 1888 Agreement of Wills section. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
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2.
Claim: In 2001, a rival "Council of Elders No. 2" established the Rapa Nui Parliament; its leader Rafael Tuki has pursued the island's case before the UN Special Committee on Decolonization, stating his aim to begin an independence process, a minority position distinct from the broader movement's focus on autonomy.
- Rapa Nui in Chile (Minority Rights Group) link, Rapa Nui Parliament founding section. Advocacy organisation perspective Source record
- On Remote Easter Island, A Rising Independence Movement (Worldcrunch) link, Tuki's UN decolonization pursuit section. Source record
Printed from https://independenceatlas.com/movements/rapa-nui-self-determination/history · last substantive update 24 September 2026.