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Port of Call |
LAST UPDATE January 10, 2006
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| November 18, 2005 |
Rapa Nui, Chile – The Beauty of the Pacific: Meeting the locals of Rapa Nui |
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| Some of the famous moai at Tongariki stand proudly in the morning sun |
A visit to the most isolated inhabited island in the world was a privilege that participants were lucky to experience when Peace Boat arrived at Rapa Nui (also called Easter Island) on November 18. As well as the obvious attraction – the world famous giant stone statues (termed moai) and the stone platforms (termed ahu) – around 30 participants had the chance to meet locals and enjoy the unique food, dance, music and friendliness of this unique Polynesian island. |
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| Peace Boat participants boarded small tender boats to take them from the Pacific Ocean to the small port at Rapa Nui |
Although it is more than 3700 kilometers from the coast of South America, Rapa Nui is governed by Chile. The island’s isolation has however, allowed it to develop and maintain a fascinating culture, despite years of occupation, a long civil war, and a population that once dwindled to only 200 people.
At just 166 square kilometers, Rapa Nui is too small to accommodate large passenger ships such as Peace Boat. Therefore, the ship anchore several hundred meters from shore, and passengers took small tender boats to reach the shore. |
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| Participants were able to experience a Rapa Nui umu feast – meat and vegetables cooked underground |
Participants in the cultural exchange tour began by visiting the moai – huge carvings that are considered to represent deceased people who had made great contributions to the Rapa Nui community. Under the guidance of Rapa Nui local Emilia Tepano, who was a guest educator onboard Peace Boat between Chile and her homeland, they were able to gain an appreciation of the significance of the impressive moai.
After viewing the imposing line up of 15 moai at Ahu Tongariki, they went to Rano Raraku, an extinct volcano that served as a quarry for the basalt used for the construction of the moai. Here, they could witness and imagine various stages of the complex creation process, including incomplete moai still in the rock face. |
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| Male participants from Peace Boat try a traditional Rapa Nui dance for fertility |
After a brief stop at beautiful Anakena beach, participants went to a local house to meet members of a new cultural group in Rapa Nui, called Heimana, which means “Sacred Crown” in Rapa Nui’s native language.
The group, which has around 60 members, was formed with the aim of protecting the unique culture of Rapa Nui through language, dance and music classes.
After a hearty welcome to Rapa Nui music, participants enjoyed viewing a traditional cooking method typical to Polynesian countries, called umu. Meat and vegetables were covered with banana leaves and slowly cooked underground, in a hole lined with heated stones. |
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The delicious meal was followed by a traditional dance and music session by around a dozen members from Heimana The group then enjoyed more dance, playing both Japanese and Rapa Nui musical instruments and making origami, as they formed friendships in Spanish, English, Japanese and the local Rapa Nui language.
A representative from the Heimana, Raquel Roe Tuki, said the exchange was the first official performance of the group, whose members ranged in age from 12 to 37. The group was a working attempt to encourage people – particularly young people – to maintain and take pride in their culture, she said. “Today I can see the union of two cultures and it is beautiful,” she said.
Peace Boat passenger Yuka Naito, from Nagoya Japan, said she found the Rapa Nui locals to be warm and friendly.” I was surprised and happy at how welcoming everyone was on such a small island,” she said. They [the people of Rapa Nui] are a beautiful people and I feel lucky that I could experience this exchange of our cultures and traditions,” she said. |
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