In all human societies, textiles play important roles in social, economic, and religious life. As in other Polynesian societies, on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the second half of the 19 th century, textiles were important locally and served, above all, as objects of exchange with foreign visitors. This article examines cultural transformations that occurred on Rapa Nui, as reflected in the use and signification of textiles, particularly in the use of introduced cloth and clothing during the times of the first missions and the first colonial agents. Our analysis is based on information taken from missionary writings and from the reports of travelers and explorers who visited the island during that period. Understanding that material culture cannot be separated from the cultural practices in which it is embedded, our analysis will focus on accounts referring to material objects as elements that reflect the social and cultural transformations of the historic context in which they were created. We argue that the islanders redefined Western textiles that were introduced, using them in ritual contexts appropriate to the island's culture. European textiles acted as status markers within a new social organization, and also served as sociopolitical markers among island groups (Christian converts and non-converts).

Analizamos algunos aspectos de los intercambios materiales y el rol de los textiles en las relaciones entre los nativos de Rapa Nui y los europeos de las tres primeras expediciones que la visitaron en el siglo XVIII. Buscamos entender el rol de los textiles y las vestimentas al interior de la cultura rapanui analizando el contexto y las creencias en las que estos se insertan, y en particular el rol de las telas de corteza batanada (o tapa) y los textiles europeos, intercambiados en esas ocasiones. El objetivo del análisis es comprender estos primeros encuentros por medio de la agencia de un elemento de la cultura material y desde de la perspectiva indígena. Demostramos que las formas de entender y utilizar el textil corresponden a una estructura simbólicamente significativa y compartida con el resto de la Polinesia, que les permitió articular lo autóctono con lo extranjero y regular las fronteras en una situación de contacto cultural.