January 3, 2009

Iorana (That’s “Hello” in Easter Islandese)
Easter Island’s main claim to fame is its Moai, very large stone figures that all look the same. There are over 900 of the statues on the island with about half of them in one location: the quarry where they were carved. Most of the Moai were 15 to 20 feet tall and are estimated to weigh in the neighborhood of 2 or 3 tons. The quarry contained a special kind of rock that was easily carved because it was rather porous but then hardened so that they would last a long time. The moai were carved at the quarry and then transported over roads made of logs and erected on platforms that served as a kind of alter. Moais were thought to bring good “mana” or luck to the tribe that erected it. Many moai broke as they were being transported and were abandoned, the tribes believing that the moai breaking was a sign of bad luck. The 400 or so moai that remained in the quarry were there because they were either not finished or, for some reason, the tribe could not transport them. When finally erected, the moai always faced inland with their back to the ocean. Don’t ask why. The three archeologists who spent over 30 years on the island restoring and researching these moais who served as our guides did not know.

Some of you may be aware of the story of the Birdman legend of Easter Island. There were many tribes on the island constantly battling for supremacy. At some point the warriors grew tired of the chiefs sending them into battle and staged a mutiny of sorts. There is a lovely little islet about a mile off of the main island where a particular breed of Pacific tern comes to breed. It was decided that each tribe would send a warrior to the island when the terns arrived and the first to return with a fertilized egg would be considered God and he and his tribe would rule for one year. We think that makes as much sense as our primary system for presidential elections. (Opps! Didn’t mean to get political in this blog).
The island had the feel of being in Hawaii although it was not nearly as lush as the Hawaiian Islands. There are only 4500 people on the island but they are fiercely loyal to the island. The ones we encountered were also very friendly.
One other interesting tidbit about Easter Island. Its airport has the longest runway in the Pacific. Why? Because the United States government built it as an alternate landing site for the space shuttle! Easter Island has several very nice paved roads because every 10 years we come in and rebuild the runway and Easter Island recycles the old pavement for its roads. Of course, NASA uses only the best pavement!!!
Again, thanks for the comments. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have. However, there is one exception to this: Bev – no more questions about the airplane – or comments about the fanny pack! We hate them but they sure are handy. Since everyone is wearing them – and carrying back packs we don’t feel too weird.
Iorana! (It’s like “aloha” – means both hello and good bye)
Tim and Lynda