What red ornament appears on the flag of Easter Island?

A red reimiro appears on the flag of Easter Island.

The flag is a white banner bearing the crescent-shaped ornament in its center. A reimiro was a traditional Rapa Nui pectoral ornament, and the flag’s red version is associated with mana, or spiritual and chiefly power. Its ends feature anthropomorphic faces representing ariki, or chiefs.

The ornament’s crescent form is also linked to a Polynesian canoe: the Rapanui name is connected with words for a boat’s stern or prow. Reimiro ornaments were worn as prestigious chest pieces, and some had a hollow inner side filled with powdered seashell chalk. The motif is therefore both a cultural object and a symbol of Rapa Nui identity.

The white-and-red reimiro flag emerged in the late 19th century, with the design dated to 1880 in accounts of the island’s flag history. Chile annexed Easter Island in 1888, but the Rapa Nui flag continued to represent the indigenous people and island. It was officially adopted for the Municipality of Easter Island in 2006. Moko, tabua and hei-tiki are different Polynesian cultural objects, not the emblem shown here.