Another corner of home

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Rapa Nui Aerial

Photo by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

This weekend I’m heading off to another corner of home…..Easter Island, or Rapa Nui. One of the smallest, most remote inhabited places on the planet, it is nearly 2000 miles from any other populated land and it has a surface area of only 60 square miles – about the size of Washington D.C. But, unknown to many, it has a thriving population of over 6000 people, not to mention the 80,000 or so tourists that visit each year.

This is the first time in 10 years that I will travel to the island without Ta’u. I will miss his presence very much, but I’m getting excited to take on this new challenge. I’ve definitely let him lead the way with his huge extended family there – he’s related to most of the islanders which can get pretty confusing trying to keep them all straight and remember who’s related to who. Knowing who someone is there means knowing how they are related to you, so when you get introduced it’s not just, “this is so and so” but, “this is so and so, he’s your cousin, he’s the grandson of my father’s brother’s daughter.” You’ve got to learn fast, and as someone who’s terrible with names anyway, this is the ultimate challenge. When in doubt I know to smile and wave at everyone I see just in case they are family (which most likely they are) and try not to let on that I can’t remember who’s cousin’s wife’s brother-in-law they are. So being there on my own, I hope, will force me to learn by doing, shall we say.

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I won’t have too much time to see family, though, because for most of my visit I’ll be leading and guiding a tour on the island. They will meet me in Santiago, Chile, and then we’ll head to the island together where I’ll get to share the statues, or moai, in all their glory, as well as the less glamorous, but just as important everyday features like house foundations and rock walls. This group is all about lecturing and continuing education so I’ll be doing a lot of this fancy posing while I discuss the details of life in the past.

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I’ll also get to enjoy views like this. Oh, I miss this little island so much. I can’t wait to get there.

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We have some exciting posts planned for while I’m away, so keep checking in. One of them may or may not include an epic video about our recent log rolling experience, and we have a whole week of Boundary Water Canoe Area (BWCA)-themed posts including survival skills and gourmet food.

Happy weekend!

Posted in: Culture, Easter Island (Rapa Nui), family, Islands, Love, our travels, Ruminations, Travel \ Tagged: , , ,

Healthy Obsessions: Polynesian Voyaging

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I’ve recently had to work on several projects that required I study up on how polynesians navigated the Pacific Ocean thousands of years ago. Being from Easter Island (also part of Polynesia), my ancestors were these same ancient voyagers who trekked across miles of open ocean to settle new islands. The general understanding is that the ancient polynesians sailed using double hulled sailing canoes.  The hulls were made out of wood (usually from giant fallen Koa trees) and the sails were fashioned out of the bark of plants like the paper mulberry bush.

Lele from cliff kapono on Vimeo.

Most recently, there has been a navigational renaissance throughout the nations of the Pacific.  The Polynesian Voyaging Society and their ship the Hokulea were one of the first to start the rescue of ancient knowledge.  The Hokulea has logged numerous sails across throughout the polynesian triangle and now is planning an around-the-world sail in 2014.  In addition, there are at least seven other vessels that have been built and are reviving the ancient practice of wayfinding using currents, winds, waves, and the night sky.  A big backer to this renaissance has been Dieter Paulmann and the Okeanos Foundation as they try to spread a message of caring for the ocean and our natural environment.

Sorry for the lecture, but polynesian navigations is a topic that keeps fascinating me.  I’ve stumbled across a documentary called Our Blue Canoe about these seven canoes and the message they are trying to spread. As of August 2013 it is still in production, but here is a trailer of what they have so far:

If you want to learn more about Okeanos, Hokulea, or Our Blue Canoe, there is a ton of information on their websites.

Posted in: Culture, Film, Islands, videos we like \ Tagged: , , , , , , ,