« Reines des fêtes » : ritualités, identités collectives et genre à Toconao (Andes) et Rapa Nui (Polynésie). Chili, XXe siècle - temps présent

Abstract

The work analyses festive rituals of queen election in the Chilean territory, in Toconao (Andes) and Rapa Nui (Polynesia), from the second half of the 20th century, through ethnographies, qualitative methods and archival work. It compares the aims and mechanisms of these symbolic coronations that take place during the Tāpati Rapa Nui, the Fiesta del Verano and the Fiesta de la Vendimia de Toconao. Queen elections are established in these territories as imported 'civic' festivals. They are transformed to the point of participating in the assertion of differentiated ethnic and cultural identities, in front of an audience that is partly external to the Rapanui and Toconar communities. The elective process, based on a competitive and collaborative game, activates social components of the groups and brings to the fore certain dynamics. The political uses of festive royalty by certain organisations and institutions also complicate the apparent unity of the representation made on stage. The candidates and queens, with similar but changing profiles and experiences, are placed at the heart of this device. They take on a pre-established gendered role, which they can nevertheless partly renegotiate in the effervescence of the celebration.

Keywords

• gender
• identities
• festive rituals
• Tapati
• Fiesta del Verano
• Fiesta de la Vendimia