Testimony from the Past

Patricia Lillo Chinchilla Patricia Lillo, daughter of Eusebio Lillo, thus a descendant of the composer of the Chilean national anthem, and Elba Chinchilla, has lived for more than 50 years on Easter Island, as a result of her older sister Elvira marring Marcelo Pont-Hill, a Rapanui, in Santiago in 1960.

When you think of leaders who have put Rapa Nui on the map of cultural resistance and territorial defense, one name stands out with particular force: Alberto Hotus Chavez. He is not a figure from ancient history books; he is a living man who has spent more than four decades

“Matusalem” Masú Hey Masú Hey’s family name really should be Edmunds. His father, Enrique, is the son of Henry Percival Edmunds, the English administrator for the Williamson & Balfour sheep company between 1903 and 1930, and of Sofía Hey, the mother of the first four of nine children Edmunds had

Testimony from the Past The current Governor of Isla de Pascua is the granddaughter of Rafael Cardinali, an Italian who arrived to the Island during the First World War looking for opportunities and founded the Cardinali clan, a name that is today considered Rapanui. Carmen Cardinali, school teacher and businesswoman

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

Testimony from the Past 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 Analola one of the most beautiful women of Rapa Nui. The Years with Thor Heyerdahl and

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

Testimony from the Past Ana Rapahango — 80 years old at the time of this account — is the granddaughter of Antonia Tepuku and daughter of Victoria Rapahango and the Englishman Henry Percival Edmunds, administrator of the Williamson & Balfour Company who resided on the island from 1906 to 1930.

Ursula Rapu My father was called Alejo Kana Kyoka. He was the son of a Chinese, but my grandmother’s husband accepted him as his son and gave him the family name of Rapu. He was white skinned and, when I was born and he saw me as dark as my

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”,

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