AN EXHIBITION of EASTER ISLAND ART in PARIS and a REVIEW of the ACCOMPANYING TREASURES of EASTER ISLAND (Review)

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

AN EXHIBITION of EASTER ISLAND ART in PARIS and a REVIEW of the ACCOMPANYING TREASURES of EASTER ISLAND (Review) Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 22 Issue 2 October Article 15 2008 AN EXHIBITION OF EASTER ISLAND ART IN PARIS and A REVIEW OF THE ACCOMPANYING TREASURES OF EASTER ISLAND (Review) Paul Horley Follow this and additional works at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj Part of the History of the Pacific Islands Commons, and the Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Horley, Paul (2008) "AN EXHIBITION OF EASTER ISLAND ART IN PARIS and A REVIEW OF THE ACCOMPANYING TREASURES OF EASTER ISLAND (Review)," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 22 : Iss. 2 , Article 15. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol22/iss2/15 This Book or Media Review is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Hawai`i Press at Kahualike. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation by an authorized editor of Kahualike. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Horley: EXHIBITION OF EASTER ISLAND ART IN PARIS and TREASURES OF EASTER ISLAND (Review) Rapa Nui Journal· Vol. 22, NO.2· October 2008 AN EXHIBITION OF Since its opening, the exhibition has attracted significant EASTER ISLAND ART attention in the media and a large number of visitors. More­ over, the gallery has a special day dedicated exclusively to IN PARIS excursions of school children superbly guided by the gallery's and dlr~ctor, Quentm Laurens. Explaining the peculiarities of Rapa A REVIEW OF THE NUl culture, he encourages the children to participate in ACCOMPANYING creative dialogues, helping them to gain a better perception TREASURES OF and understanding ofthe artefacts they see. At the end of the visit, the .kids are given a unique opportunity to make drawings EASTER ISLAND of the objects so they can focus on fine-detail study ofa by Catherine & Michel Orliac particular carving. Before leaving, each child is presented with an exclusively-designed T-shirt featuring a glyph carved on the head ofone of the exhibited moai kavakava (but not a single Review by Paul Horley word associated with Easter Island; in this way, each partici­ pant will need to recall the things that he or she heard at the exhibition to explain the meaning of this design to family and This Summer was marked by an exceptional commemorative fnends). In my point of view, such excursions are extremely event in Paris - the exhibition of60 objects from Easter ~ssential: They kindle interest and inspire imagination, so that Island in Galerie Louise Leiris, which took place during III the future some ofthese children will decide to dedicate between June 3 and July 31,2008. The design of the their efforts to research and preservation of a fragile cultural exhibition h.all offered the optimal ambience for contemplating heritage created by the previous generations. the masterpIeces of Rapa Nui woodcarving; large-format The exhibition is tied to a special event - publication of photos ofmoai from Rano Raraku and Abu Tongariki assisted a monumental bi-lingual volume, Tresors de l'Ile de Paques / in creation ofa special atmosphere for immersion into a Treasures ofEaster Island, written by Catherine and Michel fascinating world of Easter Island culture. Orliac and translated into English by Paul Bahn.* The book The artifacts displayed at the Gallery are exceptional. focuses on the objects belonging to the collection of the Con­ Thirty-one objects represent the entire Rapa Nui collection of gregation of the Sacred Hearts and is richly illustrated with the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts ofJesus and Mary over 200 photos, drawings, and maps. The reader will find (SS.Cc.); the remaining twenty-nine items include wooden here portraits of the missionaries who were working on the carvings acquired during famous historical visits - a moai island, such as Eugene Eyraud, Gaspar Zumbolun, Theodule kavakava obtained by Pierre Loti in 1872, a large ao paddle Escolan, as well as the Missionary Superior, Bishop Tepano collected during GeiselerfWeisser expedition aboard the Jau.ssen from Tahiti. The book includes three historical maps Hyane in 1882, and so on. datmg back to 1870s, one ofwhich is unique - it is the first Upon entering the exhibition hall, visitors are greeted by a document recording no fewer than 74 Rapa Nui place names. group of seven lizard-like carvings - moai tangata moko. The Numerous illustrations made by early visitors include next show-case contains a whole constellation of eleven drawings by Pierre Loti and three watercolors from the HMS tahonga and a wooden skull from the SS.Cc. collection, ac­ Topaze expedition (1868), depicting the two-headed female companied by feathered headgear (hau kurakura) and a set of statue from Vinapu - an image with a similar composition mata 'a spearheads. Two large show-cases are dedicated to the but s.lightly different details as compared with the drawing classical Rapanui carvings - ten moai kavakava, three moai publIshed by Heyerdahl (1961 :73, Fig. 8); the second picture tangata, and four moai pa 'a pa 'a, supplemented with a joint renders the interior ofa crypt constructed under the toppled double-figure feminine/masculine image. Another unique colossi ofAbu Vinapu I, as seen from the northern comer of artifact - an iron cast of moai kavakava made in 19th century the structure, supplementing Palmer's aquarelle that shows the - IS shown side-by-side with the original statuette. All moai crypt from its southern side (Van Tilburg 1994:53, Fig. 35); mir~ are skill.fully arranged to display the most interesting and the third watercolor illustrates transportation ofmoai Hoa detaIls of theIr design, such as elaborate head or back carvings, Haka Nana I'a down the slopes ofRano Kau, supine and on a etc. Two reimiro pectorals from SS.CC. are shown in sledge. individual glass cases. Treasures ofEaster Island presents an outstanding docu­ The exhibition offers a unique opportunity to see three mentation of the artefacts belonging to the SS.Cc. collection authentic rongorongo tablets - Tahua, Aruku Kurenga, and with numerous high-detail color photos showing the objects Mamari, displayed in cases equipped with a special anti­ from multiple angles, including breathtaking full-page close­ reflective glass coating, allowing a clear view ofboth in­ up images; at the same time, many archival images taken in scribed sides ofeach artefact. Further on, eight dance paddles 19th century are also included, allowing the reader to see the (rapa) form a dynamic composition, evoking a rhythm ofa original state of the artefacts upon their collection. dance itself. Finally, visitors can contemplate wooden carvings The book consists offour chapters. The first presents used as chiefs insignia ofpower: two large double-bladed ao general facts about Easter Island - geography, nature, history, paddles, four massive ua staves, and a short paoa club. - 144- Published by Kahualike, 2008 1 ..............,;;""..--------------- ...i Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation, Vol. 22 [2008], Iss. 2, Art. 15 Rapa Nui Journal· Vol. 22, NO.2· October 2008 culture, and its position in the larger Polynesian family. This became later referred to as) the Stephen-Chauvet fragment. All expanded introduction supplies the reader with all the neces­ of these artefacts are illustrated with historical pictures from sary information for understanding the main types ofEaster the late 19th to early 20th centuries; the objects currently Island art and its evolution and role in the society. Special belonging to the SS.Cc. collection (Tahua, Aruku Kurenga, attention is paid to the discussion about the island's environ­ and Mamari) are additionally documented by modern color ment, including the recent research results concerning the ori­ images, showing details of both sides ofeach tablet. ginal Rapa Nui flora. The latter appeared to be diverse and The fourth chapter of the book analyses the wood used by abundant, offering the ancient carvers a large variety ofwood. the ancient carvers, aiming to reveal the connections ben¥een Fruits of the extinct pink apple tree (Eugenia malaccensis) and the material and carved images. The discussion is based on a palm (Paschalococos disperta) also contributed to the diet of immense research work carried out by Catherine and Michel the islanders. Orliac, the main results of which were presented at the VII The second chapter narrates the establishment of the International Conference on Easter Island and the Pacific in SS.CC. mission on the island, telling the history of the settle­ Gotland (Orliac 2008, in press). In particular, it was shown ment, observations of the missionaries, collection ofartefacts, that the famous toromiro wood, which allows good surface and the search for inscribed kohau rongorongo tablets, as well polishing and becomes dark-red upon aging, was the material as describing a conflict with Captain Dutrou Bornier and the ofchoice for the statuettes ofmoai kavakava and moai tangata calling of three ships: HMS Topaze (1868), Glilner (1869), whereas the fine-grained makoi wood was more preferred for and 0 'Higgins (1870). tahonga, reimiro, and rongorongo tablets. The third chapter ofthe book emphasizes the detailed An additional 70-page exhibition catalogue was published documentation and analysis of the artefacts belonging to the to supplement the main book, illustrating 29 objects that do collections ofSS.Cc. Each type ofcarving is considered in a not belong to the SS.Cc. collection. Each object is briefly separate sub-section, prefaced with an extensive introduction described with dimensions, materials used, collection date, and mentioning similar objects from other collections, followed by the existence ofprevious publications. The last pages of the discussions on morphology, stylistic variations, and the evo­ catalogue contain the general gallery ofall 60 artefacts lution of wood carvings in general and designs adorning them displayed. A special collector's "boxed edition" including both in particular.
Recommended publications
  • Easter Island
    Birdman or Birdbrain About the Show When The Book pages transform into rongorongo script, Freddi, Samantha, and Fred transport back to 1765 to Rapa Nui (a.k.a. Easter Island) and face to face with a 15-ton moai! It’s just another day at Curriculum Connections the beach as the trio jump off cliffs, swim through shark infested • ancient civilizations waters to the Birdman’s Island (Motu Nui), oh, and try to find The Book • archeology • Easter Island along the way! Subject Areas Introduction • language arts • social studies Historical mysteries are a sure-fire way to get students interested in the past. Studying the origins and meaning of the giant stone statues of Rapa Nui give students a wonderful opportunity to delve into a civilization that remains an enigma. Historical Background Rapa Nui, an island in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Chile, is more than 1,000 miles away from the nearest inhabited island, Pitcairn Island. Rapa Nui received the name Easter Island from Admiral Jacob Roggeveen, who sailed a trade ship for the Dutch West India Company. He landed on the island on Easter Day, 1722, and named it in honor of the holiday. It is now a Chilean territory. A mere 66 square miles, Rapa Nui was inhabited for thousands of years by Polynesians who raised crops, built houses, and worshipped gods in nearly complete isolation from the rest of the world. They also created enormous stone statues, moai, that still stand. These statues are thought to honor sacred chiefs and gods and may have emerged out of friendly competitions between groups of craftsmen.
    [Show full text]
  • News and Notes
    Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 18 Article 24 Issue 1 May 2004 News and Notes Follow this and additional works at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj Part of the History of the Pacific slI ands Commons, and the Pacific slI ands Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation (2004) "News and Notes," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 18 : Iss. 1 , Article 24. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol18/iss1/24 This Commentary or Dialogue is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Hawai`i Press at Kahualike. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation by an authorized editor of Kahualike. For more information, please contact [email protected]. et al.: News and Notes MOAl ~lGtt\"lNGt~ IN OUR VOLUME 17(1) ISSUE of Rapa Nui Journal (May 2003), we noted that tissue cases in the shape of a moai head were on sale from Ebay; one pulls a tissue from its nose. Since then, these 'Tiki Head Tissue Box Covers" have ap­ peared in catalogs all over the country, advertised as a "delightfully heady presence". We now have received dozens of the e advertisements (please, folks, no more....). MEANWHll..E, RAPANUIPHILE, Bob Chisnell wrote a letter of This "moai sighting" was sent in by Avonne Bradshaw of Phoenix, protest to a magazine that was advertising them: Sirs: I have and rather leaves us speechJe s. In that Light, we ask our readers to supply an appropriate caption.
    [Show full text]
  • Vaikava Rapa Nui Easter Island’S Rapa Nui People Uphold Tradition As Guardians of the Ocean
    A fact sheet from The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Bertarelli Foundation March 2018 Vaikava Rapa Nui Easter Island’s Rapa Nui people uphold tradition as guardians of the ocean Easter Island, a territory of Chile that lies some 4,000 kilometers (2,485 miles) west of that country’s coast, is world famous for its Moai statues, which are recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Now the treasures off the shores of this remote island are safeguarded as well with the creation of the Rapa Nui Marine Protected Area (MPA) in 2018. The surrounding waters, which contain unique biodiversity, feed the local Rapa Nui people and help them continue centuries-old cultural traditions. Though still largely unexplored, Easter Island’s waters are known to contain geological hot spots teeming with life in an area of the Pacific Ocean that is otherwise extremely poor in nutrients. A chain of underwater seamounts provides conditions that help sustain unique wildlife such as the Easter Island butterflyfish, or tipi tipi in local dialect, and the Nazca bigeye—two of the more than 140 species found only in Rapa Nui waters. The area also harbors 27 Threatened or Endangered species, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is an important spawning ground for many species, including tuna, marlins, and swordfish. The seafloor off the island is also home to the only hydrothermal vents in Chilean waters. Overfishing threatens the island’s biodiversity Increasingly, commercial fishing fleets are pushing into every nook of the world’s oceans. Left unchecked, this activity could quickly—and irreversibly—damage Easter Island’s special marine environment.
    [Show full text]
  • Human Discovery and Settlement of the Remote Easter Island (SE Pacific)
    quaternary Review Human Discovery and Settlement of the Remote Easter Island (SE Pacific) Valentí Rull Laboratory of Paleoecology, Institute of Earth Sciences Jaume Almera (ICTJA-CSIC), C. Solé i Sabarís s/n, 08028 Barcelona, Spain; [email protected] Received: 19 March 2019; Accepted: 27 March 2019; Published: 2 April 2019 Abstract: The discovery and settlement of the tiny and remote Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has been a classical controversy for decades. Present-day aboriginal people and their culture are undoubtedly of Polynesian origin, but it has been debated whether Native Americans discovered the island before the Polynesian settlement. Until recently, the paradigm was that Easter Island was discovered and settled just once by Polynesians in their millennial-scale eastward migration across the Pacific. However, the evidence for cultivation and consumption of an American plant—the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)—on the island before the European contact (1722 CE), even prior to the Europe-America contact (1492 CE), revived controversy. This paper reviews the classical archaeological, ethnological and paleoecological literature on the subject and summarizes the information into four main hypotheses to explain the sweet potato enigma: the long-distance dispersal hypothesis, the back-and-forth hypothesis, the Heyerdahl hypothesis, and the newcomers hypothesis. These hypotheses are evaluated in light of the more recent evidence (last decade), including molecular DNA phylogeny and phylogeography of humans and associated plants and animals, physical anthropology (craniometry and dietary analysis), and new paleoecological findings. It is concluded that, with the available evidence, none of the former hypotheses may be rejected and, therefore, all possibilities remain open.
    [Show full text]
  • Moai of Easter Island: a Quest for Ideal Proportions Paul Horley Chernivsi National University, Ukraine
    Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 20 | Issue 1 Article 6 2006 Moai of Easter Island: A Quest for Ideal Proportions Paul Horley Chernivsi National University, Ukraine Follow this and additional works at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj Part of the History of the Pacific slI ands Commons, and the Pacific slI ands Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Horley, Paul (2006) "Moai of Easter Island: A Quest for Ideal Proportions," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 20 : Iss. 1 , Article 6. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol20/iss1/6 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Hawai`i Press at Kahualike. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation by an authorized editor of Kahualike. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Horley: Moai of Easter Island MOAI OF EASTER ISLAND: A QUEST FOR IDEAL PROPORTIONS Paul Horley Chernivsi National University, Ukraine HE MONOLITHIC SCULPT RE OF Ea ter I land is a key A we know, the head, in general, composes 1/3-1/2 Ta pect of its unique cultural heritage. Moai played a very (i.e. 0.33-0.5) of the total height of the moai (Van Tilburg important role in the prehistoric Rapanui society. The cere­ 1994: 131); other ource report the proportionality coeffi­ monial platfonns adorned with the stone giants were sacred cient 2/5 = 0.4 (Skj01 voId 1961 :346) and 3/7 = 0.429 places where the supernatural world met the world of hu­ (Metraux 1940:293).
    [Show full text]
  • Chile and Argentina Easter Island Ext Feb2022 Updatedjun2020
    E CHE SEM A N CHEESEMANS’ ECOLOGY SAFARIS E S C 2059 Camden Ave. #419 ’ O San Jose, CA 95124 USA L (800) 527-5330 (408) 741-5330 O G [email protected] Y S cheesemans.com A FA RIS Easter Island Extension Mysterious Moai February 23 to 28, 2022 Moai © Far South Expeditions EXTENSION OVERVIEW Join us on an exciting extension where you’ll stroll amongst the monolithic moai statues of Easter Island, carved from basalt lava by Polynesian settlers centuries ago. Visit abandoned settlements, explore ceremonial centers, and take a boat ride for a different perspective of the island, where you might see petroglyphs painted high on the cliffs above. Come along for an unforgettable journey of exploration into the history of Easter Island (Rapa Nui). HIGHLIGHTS • Learn about Easter Island’s moai statues and the tangata manu competition where rulership of Easter Island was defined through a ritual race for a bird egg. TRIP OPTION: This is a post-trip extension to our Chile and Argentina trip from February 11 to 24, 2022 (http://cheesemans.com/trips/chile-argentina-feb2022). Cheesemans’ Ecology Safaris Page 1 of 6 Updated: June 2020 LEADER: Josefina ‘Josie’ Nahoe Mulloy. DAYS: Adds 3 days to the main trip to total 17 days, including estimated travel time. GROUP SIZE: 8 (minimum of 4 required). COST: $2,230 per person, double occupancy, not including airfare, singles extra. See the Costs section on page 4. Date Description Accommodation Meals Feb 23 Fly from Punta Arenas to Santiago from our Chile Santiago Airport D and Argentina trip.
    [Show full text]
  • Rapa Nui Rulebook
    A game by Fabrice Besson and Guillaume Montiage Illustrated by Miguel Coïmbra Be the chief of a Rapa Nui clan, and participate in the grand adventure of the moai builders. Use your wisdom and expertise to guide the workers of your villages, and become the most acclaimed chief of the isle! HISTORY From the 13th through the 17th Century, more than 900 monumental statues, moai, were erected on the Polynesian island Rapa Nui, also known as Easter Island. Moai stood on immense stone terraces, called ahu, along the coast, gazing inland; they were often topped with pukao, red stone headdresses. 1 CONCEPT AND GOAL OF THE GAME Sculpt, transport, and erect moai to gain resources, then transform these resources into offerings by adding headdresses to the statues. Whoever has accumulated the most valuable offerings at the end of the game wins! CONTENTS • 1 double-sided board representing the island of Rapa Nui 1 • 21 Moai figurines in 3 different sizes and colors (6 large, 7 medium, 8 small) 2 • 20 Pukao pieces 3 • 2 gray Villager figurines 4 2 3 14 • 27 Offering tiles 5 , including 7 Outstanding Offering tiles 6 9 • 29 Ahu tiles 7 4 11 12 • 2 Ahu & Improvement Tile summaries 8 • 1 Master Stone Carver token 9 10 13 In each player color: 16 17 • 7 figurines (5 Villagers 10 , 1 Sorcerer 11 , 1 Chief 12 ) • 1 player board 13 • 4 Improvement tiles 14 8 • 1 Rongorongo Tablet tile 15 7 • 4 Resource cubes 16 • 1 Animal Totem token 17 15 6 5 1 SETUP (illustration shows a 3-player setup) • Place the board 1 in the middle of the table, with the side corresponding to the num- • Place a random Ahu tile face down on each of the 21 Ahu spaces on the board 11 .
    [Show full text]
  • Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island: Chronological and Sociopolitical Significance Claudio P
    Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 13 Article 1 Issue 3 September 1999 Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island: Chronological and Sociopolitical Significance Claudio P. Cristino Institute for Easter Island Studies Patricia Vargas Casanova University of Chile Follow this and additional works at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj Part of the History of the Pacific slI ands Commons, and the Pacific slI ands Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Cristino, Claudio P. and Vargas Casanova, Patricia (1999) "Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island: Chronological and Sociopolitical Significance," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 13 : Iss. 3 , Article 1. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol13/iss3/1 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Hawai`i Press at Kahualike. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation by an authorized editor of Kahualike. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Cristino and Vargas Casanova: Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island: Chronological and Sociopolitical Si Ahu Tongariki, Easter Island: Chronological and Sociopolitical Significance Claudio P. Cristino 1 Patricia Vargas Casanovcl Institute for Easter Island Studies, University ofChile Hanga Nui Bay, on the eastern end of the southeast coast the post-contact period. After the toppling ofthe statues, most of of Easter Island, is currently the focal point of research in an these ruins continued to be used as burial sites, greatly altering intensively studied archaeological area that extends from the the original structure, until the conversion of the population to plains at the foot ofthe southwest slopes ofthe Poike Peninsula.
    [Show full text]
  • Eastern-Island.Pdf
    1 http://chileprecolombino.cl/pueblos-originarios/rapa-nui/ambiente-y-localizacion/ RAPA NUI Location and geography Rapa Nui, as Easter Island is known to local inhabitants, is one of the most remote populated places on the planet. Set in the midst of the Pacific Ocean, the island is on the southeastern axis of the great Polynesian archipelago, more than 3500 kilometers west of mainland Chile. Volcanic in origin, it originally had a dozen tree species very similar to those found in Polynesia, and is now populated by migratory birds, marine mammals, fish, insects and small terrestrial snails. Economy In ancient times, the people of Rapa Nui subsisted by growing several varieties of plantain, squash, tubers and sugar cane, and complemented their diet with fishing, hunting and gatheringfood from the sea. They also used the native trees on the island to make textiles and obtain pigments and high quality timber, and they introduced the Polynesian mouse and domestic chickens to the island. Art The Rapa Nui people developed an advanced and sophisticated megalithic art tradition that emerged from their intense devotion to ancestor worship and is unparalleled in Polynesia. Over a period of five hundred years, they erected close to three hundred altars, called ahus, and carved more than six hundred stone moaistatues. These monumental pieces expressed the competition for power among different lineages on the island and a clear desire for ostentation through the construction of ever-larger and more elaborate works. The ahuswere the product of an architectural tradition that emerged gradually, free from external influences. The oldest of these platforms feature large walls composed of enormous blocks of lava fitted together with incredible precision.
    [Show full text]
  • UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations
    UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Ono Tupuna, the richness of the ancestors. Multiples Landscapes Relationalities in Contemporary Indigenous Rapa Nui Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/4kk483h5 Author Rivas, Antonia Publication Date 2017 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Ono Tupuna, the richness of the ancestors. Multiples Landscapes Relationalities in Contemporary Indigenous Rapa Nui By Antonia Rivas A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of degree requirements for Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Charles L Briggs, Co-Chair Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Co-Chair Professor Laura Nader Professor Leti P Volpp Summer 2017 Abstract Ono Tupuna, the richness of the ancestors. Multiples Landscapes Relationalities in Contemporary Indigenous Rapa Nu By Antonia Rivas Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology University of California, Berkeley Professor Charles Briggs, Co-Chair Professor Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Co-Chair Contemporary Rapa Nui is formed by a multiple and complex set of interactions, encounters, and circumstances that comprise the core of their indigenous identity, like many other indigenous people's realities. In this dissertation, I argue that there is not a simple or straightforward way of thinking about indigenous identities without falling into the trap of essentialism and stereotyping. Indigenous people are not what remained of ancestral civilizations, nor are they either invented nor folklorized commodities produced by ―neo-shamanism‖ discourses. Recent theoretical contributions to the understanding of the relationship of native peoples with their territories have been fundamental to rethinking the meanings of indigeneity, but I argue that they continue to essentialize indigenous people relations with their past and the ways in which they are understood in the present.
    [Show full text]
  • Rongorongo and the Rock Art of Easter Island Shawn Mclaughlin
    Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 18 Article 2 Issue 2 October 2004 Rongorongo and the Rock Art of Easter Island Shawn McLaughlin Follow this and additional works at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj Part of the History of the Pacific slI ands Commons, and the Pacific slI ands Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation McLaughlin, Shawn (2004) "Rongorongo and the Rock Art of Easter Island," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 18 : Iss. 2 , Article 2. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol18/iss2/2 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Hawai`i Press at Kahualike. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation by an authorized editor of Kahualike. For more information, please contact [email protected]. McLaughlin: Rongorongo and the Rock Art of Easter Island f\2-0M TH£ £DITO{l.~ th 1!J! THIS ISSUE IS MAKING its appearance as the VI Inter- memories of wonderful feasts with wonderful friends. The national Conference on Easter Island and the Pacific, held this tradition of umu feasting is an interesting social phenomena as year in Chile, is ending. We plan to have news about the well as a delicious meal. While many umu are small family meetings and the papers presented in our next issue. A great affairs, at times an umu is prepared to feed the entire island deal of planning and effort went into making the VI1h Interna­ population.
    [Show full text]
  • Rock Art of the Sacred Precinct at Mata Ngarau, 'Orongo
    Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 22 Issue 2 October Article 6 2008 ROCK ART OF THE SACRED PRECINCT AT MATA NGARAU, 'ORONGO Paul Horley Yuri Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University Georgia Lee Easter Island Foundation Follow this and additional works at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj Part of the History of the Pacific Islands Commons, and the Pacific Islands Languages and Societies Commons Recommended Citation Horley, Paul and Lee, Georgia (2008) "ROCK ART OF THE SACRED PRECINCT AT MATA NGARAU, 'ORONGO," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 22 : Iss. 2 , Article 6. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol22/iss2/6 This Research Paper is brought to you for free and open access by the University of Hawai`i Press at Kahualike. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation by an authorized editor of Kahualike. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Horley and Lee: ROCK ART OF THE SACRED PRECINCT AT MATA NGARAU, 'ORONGO ROCK ART OF THE SACRED PRECINCT AT MATA NGARAU, 'ORONGO Paul Horley Yuri Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University Georgia Lee Easter island Foundation INTRODUCTION rock surfaces are covered with numerous petroglyphs, creating the highest concentration ofrock art on Easter Island (Lee he ceremonial village of 'Orongo is one of the most 1992: 137). Due to intensive activity over a significant fascinating and important sites on Easter Island. historical period, the rocks of Mata Ngarau present evidence TLocated at the top ofRano Kau's precipitous cliffs, ofre-use and re-carving, allowing us to trace the evolution of 'Orongo offers awe-inspiring views toward the three off-shore petroglyph motifs from simple, incised fom1s to elaborate, islets of Motu Kao Kao, Motu Iti, and Motu Nui.
    [Show full text]