Exploring the Cosmos from Rapa Nui
By Claudia Berardi
Writer and academic Alexandra Edwards, together with her co-authors Edmundo Edwards and Enzo Moglia, have launched a book called “On the Edge of Infinity: Rapa Nui Cultural Astronomy”. In this interview, Alexandra shares the discoveries that most surprised her during her research, the cosmic links of the ancient islanders and the importance of rescuing this ancestral knowledge today.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Alexandra’s research in particular is the wealth of documents to which modern researchers have access thanks to digitization. This has allowed for comparative studies throughout Polynesia, revealing surprising connections between island cultures.
A. Edwards points out that the Rapanui and other Polynesians saw figures in the large dark spots in the Milky Way, usually a shark or a canoe with the name of that fish surrounded by what would be a “Water Way”. In addition, she points out that certain constellations, such as Orion, could be connected with the observation of variable stars, long before these were documented in Western astronomy.
Another relevant finding regarding the work of Edmundo Edwards, Enzo Moglia and the children of the Kahu Ra’a workshop, is the importance of the tupa, astronomical observatories that played a fundamental role in the Rapa Nui culture.
“On the Edge of Infinity”: The cosmic connection of Rapa Nui
The title of the book, “On the Edge of Infinity”, suggests a deep connection between the human and the cosmic. A. Edwards explains that in the Rapa Nui culture there is the term “tahito”, which refers to the horizon where the sky merges with the sea. This concept represents the place where the elements disappear from sight, but continue to exist. For the Rapa Nui, the sky is not only a vault of stars, but a reflection of the ocean and a pathway to the AO, the afterlife of the Gods.
Edwards emphasizes that traditional Rapa Nui astronomy not only served for navigation, but also marked the rhythm of daily life. The positions of the stars at dawn and dusk indicated seasons and agricultural cycles, as well as ceremonial rituals. This knowledge was inherited from the ancestors of the Lapita culture and adapted to the conditions of each island.
Cultural similarities under the same sky
In her research, Alexandra Edwards has found fascinating parallels between Rapa Nui astronomy and other Pacific and Latin American cultures. The same stars, such as the Pleiades (Matariki) and Orion, functioned as calendars in different places, and obscure constellations, which for the Incas and Australian Aborigines, shared similar figures, such as snakes or birds.
For Edwards, it is impossible to talk about Rapa Nui astronomy without contextualizing it in the religion and social structure of the island. Oral traditions, which preserve cultural memory, are the fundamental vehicle for understanding the names of the stars and the astronomical orientation of archaeological structures on Rapa Nui. The book establishes a cultural framework that allows us to interpret this knowledge in a comprehensive way.
Alexandra Edwards and her co-authors have big plans to continue exploring the relationship between Rapa Nui culture and the cosmos. One of their most ambitious projects is the Rapanui Planetarium and Observatory, where they seek to disseminate and further study the island’s traditional astronomy, both locally and internationally. In addition, they hope to work with the young Rapanui to inspire a new generation of scholars in this field.
“On the Edge of Infinity” is not just a book about astronomy; it is a portal that connects past and present, earth and sky, science and tradition. Alexandra Edwards invites us to rediscover a vision of the cosmos that transcends borders and unites us as human beings under the same starry sky.
