“Iorana, welcome Manutara and thank you for coming to Rapa Nui” are the first lines of a song written by Parapina Araki when the legendary seaplane, coming from east to west, descended over Vinapu and alighted on the sandy strip at Mataveri. Manutara is the Easter Island seagull which each
The rebirth of ancestral medicine The Rapanui community of today is in the process of reclaiming many different aspects of their social and political life. One of them is the rebirth of ancestral medicine. Currently on the Island is an old field hospital, built in the 1970s, which was originally
AVA RANGA UKA A TOROKE HAU German Archaeological Excavation (2nd Stage) New studies are being done by the German and Swiss archaeological team, together with the Anthropological Museum and the Mata Ki Te Rangi Foundation of Rapa Nui, at Ava Ranga Uka a Toroke Hau near Vaitea (located in the
The Tokotoko guard the secrets of our land “Bind life to other life”… was the call to our ancestors to set sail toward new islands. Our women took the valuable seeds, the harvests of our future, and bound them to their bodies. Under each breast they would roll a cutting
Rosa Ika Paoa The daughter of Napoleón Ika and Flora Paoa, Rosa today is 73 years old. With her 17 brothers and sisters, she belongs to the aristocratic Miru tribe. “My father is the son of a Frenchman who took refuge on the Island after his cargo ship, the “Jean”,
Overfishing on Rapa Nui A group of scientists, sponsored by the National Geographic Society, recently arrived on Easter Island following an exploration of the ecosystems of the Salas y Gómez Islands, where it was supposed that man had not yet intervened, and Easter Island. The Chilean government put the Chilean
Nga Rongoa Ancestral Medicine on Rapa Nui Within the philosophical world view of the Rapanui, good health is based on the union of man and nature, between life and death, in the present, the past and the future. Any mishap or disease has its origin in supernatural forces and is in
The Maori legend Uru Kehu says: “The ancient seas roared under the influence of the moon and the stars and the Uru Kehu o Nga Tupuna finally disembarked. Our ancestors with the red and golden hair arrived to our island. Most of them perished in the cold ocean when the
Guerillas of “Che” Guevara in Rapa Nui Political asylum On February 26, 1968, while I was Governor of Easter Island, I received a radio-telegram – we didn’t have telephones then – from the then Minister of Interior, Edmundo Pérez-Zujovic, who informed me that the Chilean government had accepted a petition
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
