Easter Island—Field Studies Blog
To sail to a destination as exotic and remote as Easter Island is a rare privilege.
To be at anchor off of Rapa Nui during its annual Tapati Festival is all the
rarer. From January twenty-seventh to February third, A+ World Academy
partook in one of the most immersive, cultural, timely and exhilarating Field
Studies of the 2015 – 2016 school year. The weeklong stay involved hiking,
camping, horseback riding and countless opportunities to gaze
upon moai statues for which Easter Island is most famous.
With the town of Hanga Roa as a base of operations, students were led by a guide well versed in the history of Easter Island, its people and Polynesian culture to several cherished moai locations: Tahai, Uinapau; Tongariki, the site of “the fifteen;" and Rano Raraku, the very quarry from which the iconic statues were carved.
How were these monuments cut from stone? How did the Rapa Nui transport them? How were they erected? How were the pukao placed atop statues’ heads? More importantly: why did families and clans ascribe such significance to moai in the first place?
Conversation pertaining to the history of the Rapa Nui people who had once all but made barren Easter Island, naturally led to discussion of sustainability, environmental degradation and Easter Island as a microcosm from which we can learn today.
But not all time ashore was dedicated to history and archaeology. Students camped in tents near Anakena, the beach on which the indigenous people of Easter Island first arrived. Swims were enjoyed. Campfire games were played. Hotdogs were barbequed. After a lengthy Pacific sail, students were grateful for the chance to unwind on solid ground. They even took the time to sculpt their own miniature moai before sunset.
The next morning, students with riding experience and those with none at all ascended the highest point on Easter Island, Mauna Terevaka—on horseback. From there they viewed the island in its entirety, and at anchor in the distance, their home, Sørlandet.
After a tasty lunch—empanadas washed down with fresh, local juice—students visited the ruins of the village of Orongo and the now dormant Rano Kau volcano, once the site of the Birdman ceremony, today the home of microclimates rich in biodiversity.
Of course, students were given the opportunity to explore Hanga Roa and Easter Island on their own too. After two days packed with Field Studies, students had the opportunity to tender ashore, kick back and enjoy one of three full days of shore leave. Some took to surfing, others to shopping local markets for clothing, crafts and fruits.
It was back to the festivities on the thirtieth, the day of the annual Tapati Triathalon. In the crater of the dormant Rano Raraku hundreds of spectators gathered to watch contestants paddle across, raft across and run around a lake (carrying forty kilograms of bananas), with the hopes of “winning the hand” of the year’s female candidate. Chilean media was in attendance. Japanese tourists turned up for the show. A+ students, faculty and crew were there too, while drones flew through the sky, recording contestants racing in loincloths below, in a sporting event that married the traditional and new.
As their stay in Easter Island neared its end, students and teachers enjoyed a family dinner at an idyllic restaurant overlooking the Pacific. After the meal, they walked the shoreline to the Tapati festival grounds where they watched the Rapa Nui showcase their oral storytelling and traditional dance in a vibrant performance.
Later, aboard, students were privy to a Guest Lecture Series led by James Grant- Peterkin, a published author and the UK Consul to Easter Island. Mr. Grant-Peterkin shared stories of his years on Rapa Nui and what brought him from Scotland to Easter Island in the first place: linguistics. He detailed the migration of language across Polynesia and also discussed how tourism has shaped the sociopolitical environment of Easter Island.
And after more than a week’s anchorage, students and faculty had the chance to see the Tapati spear-fishing competition before setting sail. They embarked Easter Island with a comprehensive experience of a small place that will remembered fondly.
