[1][2] He was from the royal lineage of the ‘ariki mau (King of Easter Island), which, according to Polynesian belief, "went back to the gods themselves.
"[3] According to Alfred Metraux, he was the grandson of Ngaꞌara and likely the son of ‘ariki mau Tepito, as well as a cousin of a previous king, Maurata [fr]; however, in Steven Roger Fischer's book Island at the End of the World, he listed Manu Rangi as a son of Maurata.
[1][5] As a young boy, Manu Rangi was the atariki, the heir apparent to the kingship of Easter Island.
[5] Still a child, Manu Rangi became the ‘ariki mau at a time when the position was increasingly losing authority.
I remember well that when I arrived on Easter island the young [Manu Rangi] was introduced to me as being the only real chief; he was also the one who wore the hair long.
When for cleanliness sake I asked one of the Mangarevans who was with me to cut his hair, the child opposed it firmly and yielded only through force or fear.