Terevaka Archaeological Outreach 2014 field report: Meeting community objectives

Abstract

Work completed in July of 2014 marks the eleventh year that Terevaka Archaeological Outreach (TAO) has offered educational opportunities for high school students local to the Rapa Nui community. Fifteen Rapanui students enrolled in this year’s program, representing La Aldea Educativa and Colegio Hermano Eugenio Eyraud—two of the high schools on the island. Five of those fifteen students were returning students, having successfully completed their first year of the TAO curriculum in July of 2013. The goals of the TAO program have remained the same since its inception in 2003. First, our work aims to utilize archaeology as a foundation for education and opportunity within Rapa Nui’s island community. Second, our projects promote awareness of and expertise in archaeology and cultural conservation. And third, we document, study, and conserve the remarkable treasures of the past that remain on Rapa Nui today. In order to fulfill these goals, TAO staff and students have undertaken a variety of innovative projects on the island and presented findings through various media (Rutherford et al. 2008; Shepardson 2006, 2010; Shepardson & Torres Hochstetter 2009; Shepardson et al. 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013; Torres Hochstetter & Shepardson 2005). As TAO becomes a more established institution on the island, one of our challenges is to make sure that projects are closely aligned with the everevolving community objectives in sustainable development. Our 2014 program focused on two specific projects: (1) non-invasive archaeological site documentation and surveillance, and (2) raising awareness of Rapanui artifacts that currently reside in museums overseas.