Adventures Online: Easter Island & the Mystery of Rapa Nui
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At a Glance
What You'll Learn
- Join Chilean archaeologists for an expert-led look into the lives of the Rapa Nui people and their society.
- Thrill in online field trips to important archaeological sites like Rano Raraku, Tongarik, Tepito Kura and Moai Quarry to see the megalithic development of the original moai.
- Take an online field trip to the unique Birdman Village in Orongo where the Birdman Festival was held until 1835.
General Notes
Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.
Activity note: Today’s session will begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 5:00 p.m.
Afternoon: 2:00 p.m. Welcome, Orientation, Introductions. Our Group Leader will greet everyone and review the program theme, the daily schedule and any changes, Zoom meeting protocols, roles and responsibilities, and answer any questions. We will then say hello to our fellow Road Scholars. 2:30 p.m. Lecture. Our expert instructor will review ideas about the origin and evolution of the Rapa Nui culture. We’ll also learn how Polynesians mastered ocean navigation techniques and how their exceptional knowledge of currents, winds, stars, and canoe technology made them expert explorers. 3:00 p.m. Virtual field trip. We’ll learn about what the Rapa Nui people called “Te Pito O Te Henua,” roughly translated as “Navel of the World.” Covering only 66 square miles, this is the most remote island on earth, 2,000 miles from Tahiti and 2,500 miles from Chile. Rapa Nui National Park is a UNESCO-designated World Heritage Site. From the UNESCO inscription: “Rapa Nui, the indigenous name of Easter Island, bears witness to a unique cultural phenomenon. A society of Polynesian origin that settled there c. A.D. 300 established a powerful, imaginative and original tradition of monumental sculpture and architecture, free from any external influence. From the 10th to the 16th century this society built shrines and erected enormous stone figures known as moai, which created an unrivalled cultural landscape that continues to fascinate people throughout the world.” 3:30 p.m. Q&A session. 3:45 p.m. Break. 3:55 p.m. Lecture. We will learn about oral traditions and archaeological findings of Rapa Nui colonization as well as evidence that some explorers continued towards Chile. In addition to the moai, still a mystery are the engraved wood Ongorongo tablets that, even today, cannot be translated. 4:40 p.m. Q&A. 4:55 p.m. Wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 5:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.
Activity note: Today’s session will begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 5:00 p.m.
Afternoon: 2:00 p.m. Review of the day with our Group Leader. 2:10 p.m. Lecture. We will learn about the emergence of a megalithic culture, before the moai and ahu. Where did the model for the gigantic “moai” come from? We will delve into the origin of their construction, techniques used to move the monumental moai, and compare those on Rapa Nui the Island to others found in Polynesian societies. 2:45 p.m. Virtual field trip. With our expert instructor, we “visit” archeological sites to see the megalithic development from the original moai. We will also see the archaeological sites of Rano Raraku; Tongarik, with its 15 huge restored moai; Tepito Kura and the impressive moai quarry where 400 remain in different stages of carving; and the destroyed Ahu Vinapu with its Inca-like masonry. We will end our field trip in Anakena Beach and hear the beautiful legend behind the beginning of this Island society. 3:30 p.m. Q&A session with our Group Leader. 3:45 p.m. Break. 3:55 p.m. Lecture. We will focus on the collapse of Rapa Nui Society. It was once thought that the old culture collapsed because of the society’s over-consumption of scarce resources, but theories have changed dramatically. We’ll learn how they were able to adapt the social, political and economic order after a natural catastrophe. br> 4:30 p.m. Small group discussion. We will break into smaller groups to further discuss the collapse of the Rapanui Society. 4:55 p.m. Wrap-up and notes for tomorrow. 5:00 p.m. Today’s session will end.
Activity note: Today’s session will begin at 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time and end at 5:00 p.m.
Afternoon: 2:00 p.m. Review of the day. 2:10 p.m. Virtual field trip. We will “explore” the restored ceremonial village of Orongo, This village was used only a few weeks each year, particularly as the focus of the Tangata Manu — Birdman — cult. We will learn about the annual games that determined which tribe would have enhanced powers and privileges. Each tribe would choose a champion to compete in a demanding race and the winner was declared the “birdman.” This peculiar event was held in the spring of each year until 1835. 2:45 p.m. Lecture. Our expert instructor will address the contact Rapa Nui has had with the western world since 1722. We will learn about the dramatic slavery raids and epidemic diseases in 1862, the annexation to Chile in 1888, the lease to a British sheep company, the new deal since 1966 with Chile, and the Easter Island Law. 3:30 p.m. Q&A. 3:45 p.m. Break. 3:55 p.m. Lecture. We’ll have a presentation on the economic and social impact of tourism, the restoration of the Rapa Nui culture, and the present crisis revolving around the exhaustion of natural resources, waste management, and rising sea levels. 4:30 p.m. Small group discussion. We will break into smaller groups to discuss how modernity impacted and continues to impacts the old civilization’s traditions, as well as the pros and cons of changes. 4:50 p.m. Wrap-up and farewells. 5:00 p.m. This concludes our program.