Port of Call - Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile Kang Je-Suk from South Korea with Rapa Nui friends visiting the famous Rapa Nui Moai 　'Te Pito o Te Henua' or the Navel of the World, is another name for the isolated Polynesian island whose people are the farthest removed from any other population. The closest inhabited land is Pitcairn Island, nearly 2000 kilometres away! Although separated from South America by over 3700 kilometres of Pacific Ocean, Rapa Nui is governed by Chile. But the cultural traditions and people are more Polynesian, more Rapa Nui, than Chilean - and the recent resurgence in indigenous culture and language are good evidence of this. Despite a brutal colonial history during which the Rapanui population was decimated to a mere 200 people, and the island became a livestock ranch for 60,000 sheep, the Rapanui people today number 4000 and rely on the tourism and salt industry for their main sources of income. Vai-a-Heva Rapu Drago with Peace Boat friend in traditional Kari Kari dance wear 　Vai-a-Heva Rapu Drago, a 23 year old woman from the main town of 'Hanga Roa' was Peace Boat's guest speaker during the Santiago to Rapa Nui leg of the cruise. While onboard, 'Vai' taught indigenous dance workshops and gave participants a taste of Rapa Nui's rich musical culture. Once Peace Boat arrived in Rapa Nui, a group of participants joined Vai and her 'Kari Kari dance group' to learn more about indigenous performance. Apparently, the fifty or so performers at the Kari Kari school evolved from a casual group of friends who enjoyed singing traditional Rapa Nui music together back in the 1970s. Today, the enthusiastic group of musicians, dancers, singers and artists have set themselves up in a theatre called a 'living cultural centre' where they can not only showcase their musical culture to visitors, but also strengthen their indigenous knowledge and skills, and ensure that Rapa Nui culture is passed on to future generations. Peace Boat participants were lucky to also enjoy their Kari Kari friends' homemade cooking, which included taro, fish, 'umu' (lamb cooked in an underground earth), kumera and maize. Peace Boat participants collecting rubbish around a ceremonial site on Rapa Nui 　Instead of making a beeline for Rapa Nui's most famous attraction, the colossal moai - or 2 to 21 metre statues made from volcanic rock, a large group of participants stopped off at the special ceremonial site of 'Hanga Tuhata', and collected rubbish for one hour. In the spirit of wanting to give something back to the local Rapanui people rather than be conventional tourists, Peace Boat built this environmental community work into the day's itinerary. After listening to local people tell us about the various rituals that are performed in the cave of Hanga Tuhata, the sixty or so Peace Boat people wandered high and low and returned an hour later with a vast array of litter. Old rope, plastic bottles, thongs, glass, wrappers - ceven a plastic laundry basket - were amongst the items of trash collected, which was then more thoughtfully disposed of by our Rapanui companions. Ahu Tongariki where fifteen Moai are lined up facing the sea 　Arriving at 'Ahu Tongariki' took everyone's breath away. Here there are fifteen stately Moai standing above the largest 'Ahu' (stone platform). Exactly how the ancient people of Rapa Nui from the 10th century onwards managed to construct and move these massive statues is both mystifying and impressive. The Ahu supporting the Moai is a mass of loose stones held together by retaining walls and paved with flat stones on the surface, and surrounded with a vertical wall on the seaward side. Participants made a conscious effort to tread carefully and not intrude upon the sacred zone surrounding the Moai simply because they might have wanted to take a better photo. The group then moved onto the extinct volcano of 'Rano Raraku', the quarry where the Moai were cut. As we climbed up to the top to check out the spectacular panoramic view and peer down into the volcano's crater where a small lake has formed, we weaved between dozens of Moai in various stages of progress. Most of the human-like statues seemed relatively short compared to those at Ahu Tongariki, but this, we realised, was because they were buried up to their shoulders or necks in earth, so that only their heads protruded. Besides feeling in awe of the handiwork and cooperative labour of the ancient Rapanui people, there is a sense of spirituality and mystery to be experienced when one is among the legendary stone antiquities. Playing jump rope with children from 'Hogar Menores' in Hanga Roa 　'Hogar Menores' or Children's Home, is a safe haven for Rapa Nui children who come from dysfunctional families. A large group of Peace Boat participants spent a day with the fifty or so children aged from 6 to 17, and had plenty of fun and laughs together. The recipe for an afternoon of playful good times was prepared in advance by Peace Boat participants, who brought with them a variety of Japanese games, sports gear and friendly, smiling faces! Origami and Japanese calligraphy attracted dozens of kids like bees to nectar, while the more active types played jump rope and soccer out in the sun. Finger-painting and hand printing was also a favourite. The team from Peace Boat's 'Momoji no Te' (a project to support and interact with underprivileged children around the world) brought a huge banner covered with messages & the colourful handprints of Japanese school children. They then asked the children from Hogar Menores to decorate another banner with their own hand prints, designs and messages so that this Rapa Nui token of friendship could be presented to the children in Japan. Kakki with an affectionate little buddy from Hogar Menores Children's Home 　On top of chatting and playing together, each party showed the other a little of their musical talent. Singing, dancing, and improvising to the beats of popular songs from Rapa Nui and Japan were great ways for everyone to loosen up and have a relaxing time together. Before leaving, Peace Boat handed over bags full of useful things for the children, including pens, pencils, notebooks, calculators, soccer balls, musical instruments and pencil cases. This was the first time Peace Boat visited Hogar Menores and everyone had a wonderful time. We are looking forward to meeting up and playing with our Rapa Nui friends again soon! Rapa Nui - Indigenous Polynesian name ('Rapanui' is used to describe the people) Isla de Pasqua - Spanish name Easter Island - English name Peace Boat's 40th Voyage index