Testimony from the Past Felipe Pakarati Tuki, blind since 1968, has left an important legacy for future generations in Rapa Nui. In the book “Papa Tu’u ‘i Hanga Kao Kao”, dedicated to his grandfather Timoteo Pakarati, he has been narrating the social and cultural changes of his time. A Hard
Tapati Rapa Nui 2011 From the 3rd to the 12th of February, the traditional Tapati Rapa Nui was held. This is an anual festival in which the families form alliances around two or three candidates for Queen, participating in cultural events and artistic and athletic competitions in an attempt to
Polynesian Legend A fact of life The Waitaha tribe of New Zealand tells us that in maorí communities there are always men and women who prefer to elect partners, or lovers of the same sex… “Some children are just born special. Some have both poles existing in their bodies and
Mokomae is the name of an ancestral warrior of the Ure tribe, who inhabited the Poike region in ancient times. Today that name resonates through Tito Hormazábal Araki, a Rapanui tattoo artist who has chosen to carry that name as his own identity, connecting his present with the history of
The Failure of the Moai Testimonials and legends confirm that there were difficult times. Juan Tepano, a major source for Routledge, Macmillan Brown and Metraux, told them that when he was young the old people spoke of the “failure of the overthrown statues”. He also remembered a story about when
Rapa Nui An enormous petrified sponge Under a thin layer of soil over the ancient volcanic rocks lies an invisible world, cloaked in legends and mysteries. Rapa Nui has a volcanic bedrock which can be compared to a giant petrified sponge, riddled with caverns of varying sizes, from small grottoes
Testimony from the Past Esperanza Pakarati (1922 – 2005) was the great-granddaughter of the last Rapanui priestess, Te Oho A Neru, whom she actually knew, and granddaughter of important local personages, the catechist Nicolas Pakarati and Juan Tepano-Huke. She was married at a young age to Esteban Atan-Pakomio, who was
The Origin Myth: Rangi and Papa The Maorí believe that the universe is represented by the supreme god Taaroa and his union with Fei-Materai, who represents the night, from which Ranginui (the sky) and Papatuanuku (the earth) were born Maori Legend. In the beginning, the sky and the earth were
Marine Park on “Salas y Gómez” The international conservation organization, Oceana, and the National Geographic Society scheduled an expedition to the Salas y Gómez Island in March of 2010. The scientific team, with their guide, Michel García, a diver from Easter Island, were able to record the underwater life that
by Jo Anne van Tilburg — Director, Easter Island Statue Project (EISP) With the ratification of excavation permits from the Island authorities, Jo Anne van Tilberg completed the first stage of excavations begun in Abril of 2010 in the quarry at Rano Raraku, which were interrupted earlier this year by
Sergio Tepano Cuevas Today, all the public services on Easter Island are locally administered by a Rapanui executive. One of these is Sergio Tepano-Cuevas, 35 years old, the son of Ricardo Tepano and Ximena Cuevas, who is the current Head of the Office of Indigenous Affairs, CONADI. His paternal grandparents
Ma’u Henua Informs Government pressure to modify the Contract of Concession of the Park. November 23, 2017 will be remembered as an historic day for the Rapanui people. The nation of Chile, through the government of the then-President Michelle Bachelet, signed Decree 119 of the Ministry of National Properties, turning
