Ara o te, the moai road Halfway up the side of the Rano Raraku volcano and buried up to their chests, more than a hundred giant statues (Moai) never reached the sanctuary (Ahu) for which they were destined. Carved out of the quarry, they were lowered by ropes to an
Toromiro Revives on Rapa Nui Etnobotany Recovery The toromiro, a sacred tree planted around ceremonial centers, was declared extinct over 50 years ago. The last one was seen in the crater at Rano Kau during Thor Heyerdahl’s expedition in 1956. There have been many attempts to recover this endemic
María Haoa Ive had a very sad life. My mother, Estela Haoa, abandoned me when I was born. She was only 17 when she got pregnant. I was raised by grandparents, Adela Haoa and Isaias Fati, whom I always considered as my true parents. My biological father never recognized me
Vaitea Vaitea is the name given to the area in the center of the Island where there is abundant water coming from the Rano Aroi volcano. Each trip by road to Anakena Beach crosses through the forests of Vaitea, mostly eucalyptus trees, where Islanders will stop to collect wood for
Each newborn receives his Mauri, Varua, Ha y Hau When Te Uru Tai flows from the womb of a fertile woman and joins Te Wai Tai, the seed of a man, a child begins to grow and form his Mauri, his physical appearance – the shape of his head, nose,
Analola Tuki The daughter of Lucas Tuki-Schmidt and Ana Teao-Manuheuroroa was born on June 21, 1928. She is the youngest of 11 siblings, all of whom are now dead. Many people considered that Analola was one of the most beautiful women of Rapa Nui. In the 1950s, she worked
American satellites tracked in Rapa Nui It was the year 1966. A US Air Force base with 120 men under the command of Colonel John Ashley was installed on Rapa Nui with the name of Ionosphere Research Center ITT, which was authorized by the then Chilean president, Eduardo Frei-Montalva as
Rock Paintings from Orongo During their visit to the stone houses in Orongo where the men of the Bird-Man cult used to perform their rituals, Commander Geisler and his purser Weisser were able to see that inside the rooms, on the opposite wall to the door or on the ceiling,
Caress and Cultivate the Child of Peace No one knows if Today will be followed by Tomorrow. No one is sure if the Seed that we sow will prosper. No one is certain that Life will continue. Everything is a Gift. We are all creatures of Tane Mahuta, the
María Ignacia Paoa Rangitopa María Ignacia is the daughter of María Carmela Languitopa and Alberto Paoa-Bornier, a grandson of the French settler Dutroux-Bornier, who took over the lands of the Easter Islanders and proclaimed himself “King of Easter Island”, prior to the Chilean annexation. Everyone knows her by her nickname
Climate Changes on Rapa Nui Effects on animal life in the Eastern Pacific Ocean: El aumento de las lluvias relacionado con El Niño aumenta la turbidez del agua y disminuye su salinidad, influyendo en los procesos de fotosintesis submarina. Ello afecta la relacion natural entre los peces y su medio
French Expedition of 1872 Pierre Loti dibujó y registró en sus cuadernos de guardiamarina sus impresiones, datos de la población y paisajes, logrando llevar a Francia un testimonio real de la cultura Rara Nui. Pierre Loti drew in his midshipman notebook impressions, population data and landscapes, succeeded in bringing France
