Rapa Nui – At the navel of the world…

CrossCultur'Roads

We will make a stop on May 21st on the lands of Rapa Nui
Thousands of kilometers from the Chilean coast
In contact with a Polynesian people
Whose arrival date is the subject of rich debate

Who were they?
Who are they?
What were their projects, their customs, their constraints, their hopes?
Why did they erect hundreds of moaïs,
Aligned with the ahu, the ceremonial platforms?

What can we learn from their history, from their struggles?
What to remember about the arrival of the settlers
Starting with Jakob Roggeveen
Who in 1722 named this place "Easter Island"
Because of the day he accosted here?

Will we remember
What Thor Heyerdahl's expedition carried out?
And more specifically the anthropologist William Mulloy
Member of his team and soon mentor of Sergio Rapu,
Who was to become governor of Rapa Nui

And while tourism has taken over from these times
What are Rapa Nui's current challenges
Whether they are socio-political, economic, ethical, and of course environmental?

Will we look for the answer at the "navel of the world", Te Pito O Te Henua
With the chiefs of the 9 ancestral tribes?

Will we find it at the bend of a future deciphering
Of the enigmatic tablets written in rongorongo?

Rapa Nui - Au nombril du monde...

Nous ferons halte le 21 Mai sur les terres de Rapa Nui
À des milliers de kilomètres des côtes chiliennes
Au contact d’un peuple polynésien
Dont la date d’arrivée fait l’objet de riches débats

Qui furent-ils
Qui sont-ils
Quels furent leurs projets, leurs coutumes, leurs contraintes, leurs espérances
Pourquoi érigèrent-ils des centaines de moaïs,
Alignés sur les ahu, plateformes cérémonielles

Que retenir de leur histoire, de leurs combats
Que retenir de l’arrivée des colons
À commencer par Jakob Roggeveen
Qui en 1722 nomma « l’Île de Pâques »
En raison du jour où il l’accosta

Se souviendra-t-on de l’éclairage
Que porta l’expédition de Thor Heyerdahl
Et plus particulièrement de l’anthropologue William Mulloy
Membre de son équipe et bientôt mentor de Sergio Rapu,
Lequel deviendra gouverneur de Rapa Nui

Et tandis que le tourisme a succédé à ces temps
Quels sont les défis présents de Rapa Nui
Qu’ils soient socio-politiques, économiques, éthiques, et bien sûr environnementaux

Irons-nous chercher la réponse au « nombril du monde », Te Pito O Te Henua
Auprès des chefs des 9 tribus ancestrales

La trouvera-t-on au détour d’un futur déchiffrement
Des énigmatiques tablettes écrites en rongorongo

Tales of Tales

Makemake in Rapa Nui…

“On Rapanui (Easter Island) people believed in a variety of god or 'atua' Most prominent among the 'atua' was the Creator God, Makemake, who was a 'birdman'. Makemake was born from a floating skull that was washed from a temple into the sea. He created the first humans. Together with his companion, the goddess Haua, he brought flocks of migratory seabirds to the island.
As well as the creator of mankind and Makemake was also regarded patron of the Bird Cult, the principal festival of Easter Island, and was worshipped in the form of sea birds, which were considered his incarnation. His material symbol, a man with a bird's head, can be found carved in hundreds of petroglyphs on Easter Island, human figures with the heads and tails of birds, into the rocks. He was the god of fertility and the chief god of the “Tangata manu” or bird-man cult (this cult succeeded the islands more famous Moai era, when the famous stone heads were carved).” (astrology.richardbrown.com)

 

Indefinition

ahu

Stone platforms in Rapa Nui esp. dedicated - Ahu Tongariki is the largest one with presently (it has been restored) fifteen moai. Others include: Ahu Akivi, Ahu Huri a Urenga, Ahu Nau Nau, Ahu Tahai, etc.

ahu

Plateformes de pierre à Rapa Nui, notamment celles de Ahu Tongariki, la plus grande avec auj. 15 moai (elle a été restaurée). Parmi les autres : Ahu Akivi, Ahu Huri a Urenga, Ahu Nau Nau, Ahu Tahai, etc.

Any suggestion, improvement…? Many thanks and please, contact us…
Indefinition

moai

Moai - Monolithic human figures carved by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island - moʻai, means “statue” in Rapa nui. The complete name is Moai Aringa Ora, which means “living face of the ancestors“. “They stand with their backs to the sea and are believed by most archaeologists to represent the spirits of ancestors, chiefs, or other high-ranking males who held important positions in the history of Easter Island.” (pbs.org)

Any suggestion, improvement…? Many thanks and please, contact us…
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