Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation Volume 21 Issue 2 October Article 6 2007 Modern Rapanui Retroglyphs Georgia Lee 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 Lee, Georgia (2007) "Modern Rapanui Retroglyphs," Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation: Vol. 21 : Iss. 2 , Article 6. Available at: https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol21/iss2/6 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]. Lee: Modern Rapanui Retroglyphs Modern Rapanui Petroglyphs Georgia Lee NJ R.EADERS MAY RECALL the article in the previous R issue by Laura Jean Boyd, concerning her film project on the island. (RNJ 21(1):14-25, May 2007). Her contribu­ tion included a photograph of herself, taken at 'Anakena. In the picture and just behind Laura Jean, looms a petroglyph of a Makemake face. While Makemake faces are found in many parts of Easter lsland, this motif was not documented by us during our exhaustive study of 'Anakena's petro­ glyphs (Lee 1988; 1992), nor had any of us seen it previ­ ously. Yet there it was: large, deeply carved, and positioned on a hillside where many other (ancient) petroglyphs can be found. We contacted Jose Miguel Ramirez, who has great knowledge of Ea ter 1 land and its rock art sites, and dis­ covered that he had not seen it before either. As it happened, Shawn McLaughlin wa on his way to the island, and we The new Makemake face above the parking lot at 'Anakena. Note the stone wall behind it. Photo: Shawn McLaughlin. asked him to check it out and take some photographs which we include with this article. He not only came back with the Makemake from 'Anakena, but other newly-made designs from the area north of the island's new high school. Jt is clear that the'Anakena Makemake petroglyph is a modem one, carved by persons unknown, and in the general style of the ancient faces (although the mouth is not typi­ cal). Sadly, this is not the first time that we have noted mod­ em petroglyphs on the island, carved by Rapanui islander themselves. New petroglyphs appear from time to time, and most tend to be copies of ancient designs. In the past, it appeared that most of them were made by individuals, and in a rather ad hoc manner. However, not long ago, one of the instruc­ tors at the island's high school assigned an astonishing pro­ ject to his students: Make a petroglyph. We include photo­ graphs ofa few of these. Close-up ofthe new Makemake face at 'Anakena. Mo t of it fea­ tures follow the ancient traditional carvings; however, the mouth is Two ofseveral new petroglyphs carved as a scbool a signment. They atypical, a clue to its being a modem design. Photo: Shawn are near the high school and the old leper station, north ofHangaroa. McLaughlin. Photo: Shawn McLaugblin. Rapa Nui Journal 128 Vol. 21 (2) October 2007 Published by Kahualike, 2007 1 Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation, Vol. 21 [2007], Iss. 2, Art. 6 entitled to make petroglyphs wherever they wi h - and thi is exactly the opposite lesson that tudents should be learning about their hi tory and the petroglyphs. Last year when a Canadian arti t cre­ ated 'Iandworks' on Easter Island by mov­ ing rocks around to form various arrange­ ments, i landers were outraged and com­ plained about his misuse of sacred place . The artist was fined, his film confiscated and he wa expelled from the island (Anon 2005; Haun 2006). But these new petro­ glyphs, made by Rapanui islanders, seem to not excite the same reaction. Perhap some fear to peak out against such activ­ ity. Rapa Nui's petroglyphs are works of faith and art, and are the [illest in Oceania. The ancient Rapanui reflected their beliefs by modifying their landscape and they carved image on rocks and created the magnificent statues that are now an icon Another new petroglyph near the high chool, north of Hangaroa. Thi Makemake with a for the i land. We, all of u -Rapanui and pointed no e wa one done a a cia assignment. Photo: Shawn McLaughlin. non-Rapanui-are the inheritor. But that doe not give the right to alter the meaning At this time, the petroglyph are freshly carved and of the petroglyph by creating new ones. The ancient Ra­ thu they tand out clearly a being 'new'. However, in the panui are long gone; if the modern Rapanui fail to re pect, i land' climate, rock patinate very rapidly and, in a few not what it means to be Rapanui, but what the petroglyph year, they will appear to be a ancient a the original meant to their ancestors, the e meaningle fake will only petroglyph . This po e a eriou problem for archaeology, contaminate the magnificent hi tory of thi island and ulti­ and for the under tanding of the pa t hi tory of Rapa ui. mately send to oblivion everything important that tho e The petroglyphs left by the ancient Ea ter I landers ancient carvers intended when they fir t imbued the i ­ had ignificance and meaning; they were not ca ually land's stone with ignificance. made. They may have functioned a a sort of communica­ tion y tem and many were a ociated with legend . AI 0, ACKNOWLEDGEME T design motif: are not equally distributed around the island. With thank to Shawn McLaughlin for earching out and Some ite, uch as 'Orongo, have great concentrations photographing the new petroglyphs. (1,274 petroglyphs); other site may have only one or two motif. We discovered that petroglyph that depict fish­ REFERENCES hooks are found at specific ite on the northeast coa t; canoe forms are also located at certain ite, and not found at other. Although a few Tangata manu designs are scat­ Anon. 2005. Vandalism vs "conceptual art.'" Rapa Nui tered el ewhere, the bulk of the birdmen motifs cluster near Journal 19(2): 149-150. 'Orongo (Lee 1992). The e data are telling us omething Boyd, L. 1. 2007. Mythologizing the history ofEaster Is­ and thu , when new petroglyph are created and added to land through documentary film . Rapa Nui Journal 21 the rocks, the waters become murky. The data become (l): 14-22. kewed. Haun, B. 2006. Aesthetic Aggre sion: A Canadian Arti t AI understand it, many islander believe that, a vi it Rapa Nui. Rapa uiJournaI20(I):82-83. long a these "modern" petroglyph are created by a Ra­ Lee, G. 1988. Fit for a king: the petroglyphs of Anakena, panui, that omehow makes it permi able. We deplore thi Rapa ui. Clava 4:49-62. Museo Sociedad Fonck, hort ightedne s. Viiia del Mar, Chile. In my opinion, it is not "okay" to change the record Lee, G. 1992. The Rock Art ofEaster Island. UCLA: The left by tho e ancients who carved motifs on the island' Institute of Archaeology, Monumenta Archaeologica dense rock as they chanted and prayed. Creating clum y 17. copie for a school project denigrate and cheapens them. Ramirez, J. M. 2007. Per onal communication. And what kind of lessons will those tudents take with them as they leave school? They will believe that they are Rapa Nui Journal 129 Vol. 21 (2) October 2007 https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol21/iss2/6 2.