Francisco Haoa Pakomio

Testimony of Life

Francisco Haoa was born on May 28th, 1960 in Rapa Nui. He is the son of Timoteo Haoa and Liria Pakomio. “Timoteo is the son of Antonio Haoa Koropa and Parapina Araki Bornier. My mother Liria, is the daughter of Nicholas Pakomio Angata and Maria Aifiti Tekena Hey.” Francisco grew up in a large family, consisting of eight siblings, three of which are still alive. In his home, his father Timoteo was not only a father figure, but also an example of hard work “My dad built his house himself and a pond for water, it was important in those years because it was only achieved with a lot of effort. Over time I have wanted to maintain the structure of my parents’ house, keeping a wall so that the façade remains in history”. As a child, Francisco also experienced the love and care of his parents, especially as the youngest child, which led him to be the “spoiled” one in the family. Although he confesses that his older siblings went through greater difficulties that he did not have to face, his childhood was marked with joy, “the childhood I had was not so terrible at that time, because my parents took good care of me,” Francisco recalls with gratitude.

Francisco says that many times he dreamed that he appeared on the continent and that intrigued him. When he was still very young, at the age of 19, Francisco joined the army ranks at the invitation of his uncle Leviante Araki, who was a captain in the Chilean Army, “he told me: son, the military is good”. His mother was already deceased so he had to look for opportunities for the family, the island in those years only had education up to eighth grade and he wanted to live new experiences. He communicated with island friends who were on the mainland, “that got me excited, to go and meet and visit them”. Thus began his initial training in Valparaíso, “it was very nice to see the lights and the ships, it was a sudden change but for the better”.

During his time in the Army, he was part of various divisions, including telecommunications and special guards in the fifth region, Santiago and other locations in Chile in the 80’s, “we were about 30 young men in my group, I was the only Rapa Nui, I was there for 2 years but I was transferred to different places”. It was in the Army where Francisco developed his skill in the game of dominoes, which he learned as a way to make the long hours of duty more bearable “at the beginning it was very hard, but with time one gets rights”. “I played dominoes with my colleagues so as not to get bored, and whoever won didn’t go on duty. I always won, I got used to it and to this day I still like to play,” he says, laughing. After two years Francisco decided to leave the army and return to Rapa Nui. At the age of 25 and already married, he returned to live for a few years in Santiago in the neighborhood called República. He met his wife through friends who organized trips around the island and in 1990 they got married. “While I was living with her in Santiago, I enrolled in a high school at night”, I had many continental friends, I got a lot of personality and we shared very well. When he returned to the island he worked on a land as a farmer, planting fruits and vegetables.

One of Francisco’s most notable legacies has been his contribution to the archaeological preservation of Rapa Nui. After returning from the mainland, Francisco became involved in several restoration projects of the moai and archaeological sites that are part of the island’s identity and history. Together with figures such as archaeologist Sergio Rapu and Rafael Rapu, Francisco participated in important projects, such as the restoration of the ahu Tongariki & Hanga Piko, which he says was the most destroyed and also played an important role in planting the palm trees that today distinguish that place. “When we restored the moai, it wasn’t just work, I felt like I was reconnecting with the history of my ancestors, I was able to understand the technique the ancients had for building,” he says.

Francisco remembers with special affection his participation in this work “it is something symbolic, like giving something back to the land that has given us so much, it is incredible the energy and what our ancestors did. We had to investigate, review those ahu that were in better condition and see how we could restore those that were completely disassembled, as in the case of hanga piko”. Also in Vaihu and Hanga Te’e they built supports to protect and prevent erosion and the impact of the sea on the ahu. He recalls how nice it was to work with other Rapa Nui, highlighting Pato Pakomio, who is now resting. “Most of us were Rapa Nui, everyone was able to learn archaeology with professionals such as Claudio Cristino and Jose Miguel Ramirez who are Chilean and even professionals from other countries”.

In Hanga O Teo was his last archaeological work in 2016, which was in charge of Sonia Haoa, the work lasted seven months where they did drawing work of the different petroglyphs, photometry, measuring the impact of erosion. For him, the restoration of archaeological sites not only preserves the past, but also creates a future for future generations, uniting young people with their Rapa Nui identity. Despite the challenges, Francisco remains committed to the idea of continuing to work on archaeological restoration and passing on his knowledge to new generations. “I would like the young people of Rapa Nui to continue this work, to continue caring for the land and preserving what makes us unique,” he expresses with hope. His greatest wish is that the young people continue the work of cultural preservation, he tells us that he wants to address this dream to the new administration of Ma’u Henua so that they consider to continue restoring “it is a slow but beautiful work”. He would love to participate in specific projects “There is an ahu that I would like to restore, in Hanga Ika Iri, and it doesn’t need much money. It’s very simple, it doesn’t need a crane, they are small moai”. “There is another ahu in ‘One Makihi that I would also like, the platform is ready. It is beautiful because it is made of red stone, hani hani, you just have to patch the moai with a good technique that I know”.

In addition to his archaeological work, Francisco has always had a deep connection to the land. He developed a passion for gardening that he inherited from his father as he was a farmer, he describes that knowledge as a treasure. “The cleanliness of my garden makes me happy, I am the richest man on the island on my feelings with my plants, the care and knowledge of the land that we inherited from the old people,” Francisco explains proudly. In his property, he has created a beautiful garden that he considers his most valuable legacy, because it expresses his vision of a life in harmony with nature, he tells all the young people to come to him for flowers, because his dream is to see the island full of them, “we have beautiful flowers and the young people in a square meter can have their orchard or nursery”. Together with his wife, Francisco has developed a tourism business in his home. Through this business, they not only manage to support themselves economically, but also promote responsible tourism, showing visitors the beauty of the island and its traditions. The venture has gone through difficult times, but Marcia and Francisco’s perseverance has allowed the project to continue and grow. “I almost gave up twice, but my wife, brave as she is, kept pushing, and in the end, here we are.”

Currently, Francisco works in the municipality of Rapa Nui, where he has been in charge of overseeing public spaces and road order, ensuring that the streets and pedestrian areas are safe for residents and tourists. Thanks to his calm character and his ability to handle situations with respect, Francisco has gained recognition in his community, actively contributing to the well-being and safety of the island.