Rapa Nui Journal Volume 12 Issue 3

Easter Island Foundation News

Chlldress,D.H. Ancient Tonga & the Lost City of Mu'a. Including Samoa,Fiji,and Rarotonga (1996); Ancient Micronesia & the Lost City of Nan Madol Including Ponape, Kosrae, Guam and Yap. Adventures Unlimited Press (1998).

Review by Georgia Lee

Moai Sightings

What's New in Polynesia

Obituary

What's New Elsewhere

The La Perouse bay area houses several large ceremonial structures, area with rock carvings, and other prehistoric sites. Hanga Ho'onu probably was favorable for settlements and provided a good harbor in prehistoric times. The area is still used as a fishing harbor and a few recently built houses are occasionally occupied by fishermen. At this location the large principal ceremonial center consisting of Ahu Heki'i and associated small platforms, is found. Other major ceremonial sites in the area are Ahu Ra'ai to the east and Ahu Te Pito te Kura to the west of Heki'i. Ahu Ra'ai may, for example, represent a secondary ritual center within this territorial unit.

Dolphins, whales and porpoise collectively known as cetaceans, cause excitement wherever they are seen. This excitement may stem from the impressive size of the large whales, or the playful exertions of the acrobatic dolphins, not to mention the many stories of cetaceans coming to the aid of shipwrecked sailors and stranded fishermen. Whatever the origin of their appeal, cetaceans have featured prominently in mythology from ancient times. It comes as little surprise, then, that Oceania, so dominated by the waters of the vast Pacific, is rich in cetacean legends and mythology. From Australia and New Zealand to Hawai'i and Easter Island, dolphins and whales frequently appear in Pacific Island folklore. The majority of discussions about cetaceans in the past, however, have concentrated on the dolphin's role in Greek mythology, with scant regard for the beliefs of the sea-faring peoples of the Pacific.

It was a colorful moment for the Father of Color. The 150111 anniver ary of the birth of French post-impressionist Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) saw the French government paying eloquent tribute to the famous painter. France flew 65 of Gauguin's European descendants, most of them from Denmark (Gauguin's abandoned wife Mette was Danish), to Pape'ete, Tahiti. Then it wined and dined them in luxury aboard the cruise ship Paul Gauguin during the 1,400-kilometer voyage northeast to Hiva 'Oa's main settlement of Atu 'Ona on the Marquesa Islands, Gauguin's last resting place. They were brought to celebrate the painter's sesquicentennial on June 7, 1998. The passengers and crew of the inter-island freighter Aranui feted too, along with assorted Marquesan and governmental guests of honor. All Hiva 'Oa delighted in the rare event.

During late April and early May 1998. I was asked to take part in the filming of a NOVA TV special on Easter Island that examined hand method for moving and erecting moai and duplicated the results achieved by the island's pre-contact Rapa Nui people. Featured was the field test of a scherne developed by a team of researchers at UCLA led by Dr Jo Anne Van Tilburg and previously published by her in Archaeology magazine (Jan / Feb 1995) and the Rapa Nui Journal (Vol. 10:4, 1996). I was to critique her methods as a neutral observer, unfamiliar with Easter Island, but experienced in handling large rocks elsewhere (e.g., with NOVA in Peru, 1994). Also, as a professional alpine guide and mountain rescue expert, I was to devise and field test a technique for safely hand-lowering moai from the quarry cliff onto the gentler slopes below. Finally, based on 15 year in the Andes studying Inca architecture, I was to comment on Heyerdahl's hypothesis of Inca influence in the best-fitted stonework, as exemplified by the ahu at Vinapu I.

The study of the origin of each member of a couple gives a clear idea about the movement of a population. Due to its geographical isolation and its tiny size, Easter Island is a suitable place for the study of endogamy.