My Self Assessment

One of the hardest parts about growing up in a small town, going to a small college, and living in the
United States is the bubble I am in.  I believe the best way to understand others is by understanding their
background and where they come from. Every person has an identity that is grown and shaped from
everything they have experienced.  I did not want to only know my personal background and experiences.
I wanted to understand what the world has to offer because this world is so grand. I am an avid traveler,
but I wanted to experience something even more personal.  

This summer, I went to Easter Island, Chile to deepen my understanding of the legends and religions
surrounding the ancient architecture on the island.  Of course, Easter Island is filled with myths and
plenty of unanswered questions. However, the indigenous people on the island have their own records
still to this day.  I took this trip for a couple of reasons. First, I have a personal interest in the people
and the culture of the island.

Also, as I study both Spanish and Engineering at W&J, this was the perfect trip to add to my resume.  
The language of the island is almost entirely Spanish. There are a few tour guides that speak English,
and Rapa Nui is spoken by the native people on the island.  I just completed my study abroad program
in Costa Rica shortly before I left for my Magellan Project, so I was further integrated into a different
Spanish speaking culture.  Most of the architecture on the island is still unexplained by many engineers
and archaeologists. The giant Moai were found in the 1700s and have continued to be unearthed
throughout the last century.  It is unclear how many Moai exist on the island, but they are a great source
of legends, myths, and religious investigations.

I started my three week journey by visiting the museums and libraries on the island.  The Sebastian
Englert Museum holds the artifacts and documents found by Sebastian Englert and other primary
archaeologists.  The museum catalogs, cleans, and displays all the pieces they are given. Also inside
the museum is the William Mulloy Library.  This library is part of the National Digital Library and
holds all writings, photographs, maps, interviews, and field investigation reports for all excavations
on the island.  There is a reading room in the library that allows visitors to read through any of the
writings. There are always professionals on site at the library that I was able to get more personal
information from.  Although the real library was burned down a month before I arrived, the library
committee had copies of all the work from the library. They gave me personal access to those documents
and helped me navigate my way through them all.  I also visited the Rapa Nui National Park. This
National Park covers roughly 44% of the island, giving access to almost all of the island’s Moai. Along
with the great statues, this park also allows access to two ceremonial villages.  These ceremonial sites
were where the ancient people gave gifts to their many chiefs and gods. These areas were crucial for
me to find out more about the religious ceremonies on the island. The entrance tickets for all of these
places last for a few days, so I will be taking advantage of the exclusive access multiple times.  

Since I was on the island for approximately three weeks, I was able to take my time and meet with
people on the island.  I made contact before I arrived, but I also met plenty of people there. Museums
and tourist attractions were not enough to truly learn and understand the rich culture and history of this
remote island.  The island has clashing cultures of ancient and modern. I explored the ancient legends
and stories that have been passed down for hundreds of years. I also explored the scientific discoveries
and explanations for many of the great architecture and ancient tales on the island.

My time on the island was better than I ever could have imagined.  I made so many friends, and learned
about the indigenous life and how it is still prominent today.  I thought my small town was small, but
Easter Island is disconnected from the rest of the world! It was fun to explore remote places, shop at
indigenous markets, learn how to dive and fish using ancient techniques and even learn some Rapa Nui
phrases.  I learned more about myself on this trip than I thought I would, too. I am so grateful for this
experience. I will cherish these memories forever and carry them with me always.

My plan was to just go: Go across the street and share a smile and go across the world and share a
lifetime of experiences.  After completing multiple semester trips abroad, I realized how much I wanted
to visit places that are not fairly represented or understood. Easter Island, Chile, is well known for the
giant stone heads greeting everyone who crosses the Pacific Ocean.  Aside from that, most of the culture
and people are underappreciated. I loved the chance to change that. I wanted to know their culture and
history that spans the entire age of the island. I loved to come back and educate the people around me
about the polynesian culture that is far south of us.  I also loved the chance to represent the United
States as a respectful, curious, and cautious traveler. I did not want to be merely just a tourist, but instead,
I left the island as a friend.

As a senior at W&J, my “adult” life is quickly approaching.  This trip will be added to my resume as
nothing but a positive addition.  With this solo trip, I was able to understand language, archaeology,
engineering, and people more than I could on any other trip.  I was pushed out of my comfort zone, but
in an area that is safe and reliable. This trip was truly once-in-a-lifetime. The island does not get too
many visitors each year, and those that do go are not usually so young with ambitions as big as my
research proposal.  I come back to the United States with a book of experiences and a blog of historical
and archaeological finds. I will share my findings and ideas with anyone who is willing to listen!

My Final Days

My final days on the island and on my Magellan Trip were bittersweet. I was so happy to have had this
experience and to be going HOME after SEVEN long months of being abroad. I am happy knowing that
my research was better than I ever could have hoped for and that I have more friends to keep in touch
with. However, I am sad that this journey was coming to an end. I had so much fun, I worked hard and
played even harder on my Magellan on Easter Island. I am so thankful to everyone who helped me get
here and everyone who helped me while I was here!!

As my National Park Ticket is expired and I have traveled the ENTIRE island, I spent my last few days
here being with my friends and taking some time to do some extra things I wanted to do. I was able to
hang out with my hostel mom, be with my local friends, try more local food, learn to fish, and I saw every
sunset for the entire week! I even went to Tongariki for the best sunrise ever.

Watching the sunset for the equinox/solstice.

Some of my local friends were teaching me how to fish from the tide pools.

Enjoying a sunrise at Tongariki!

Thank you, Easter Island.

Day 16: June 19

Today was such a cool day.  I woke up from a restless night’s sleep to nothing but rain in the forecast.  
Although the weather looked dismal, I carried on. Today was technically my last day with a viable national
park ticket.  That essentially means that without a ticket you can only stay in town and on main roads.
Over 90% of the island is dedicated to the national park!  I wanted to get the very last things on my list
checked off.

I took the shuttle to Anakena beach once again.  There were not many people there obviously, because
it was raining and only 60 degrees.  I met an italian man who gave me a ride on his motorcycle to a
secret beach with secret caves called Ovahe.

Ovahe is a site of  flora and fauna conservation and studies.  Here they do control, manipulated and
experimental groups with the endemic and also the invasive species of plants on the island.  Invasive
species have dramatically affected the project to re-grow the endemic plants on the island to finally bring
it out of deforestation.

Also at Ovahe is an ancient ceremonial burial site.  There were markers to stay away from the sacred
burial ground.  This is intriguing because on other places of the island, this is not the case! Many sacred
areas you just use common sense to not go on, but if you wanted to you could.  This site is blocked off.

I had no words looking at it because I knew it must be incredibly important.  The burial ground is on a
cliff that juts out far into the ocean. It sits away from the rest of the coastline.  The waves crashed
around it on three sides. It was beautiful. Often times the intense waves pull some of the rock away
from the burial ground. There have been a few instances where ancient bones have been torn away
from the burial site. Archaeologists will keep the bones and do a few tests on them, but then give the
bones back to the people of the island. The true Rapa Nui descendants have a special ceremony
dedicated for times like this.

After that little adventure, I set off to find the last four checkpoints on my “must-see” list I created for myself.
 I made it to Ahu Te Pito Kura by hitchhiking with some tour guides who were on break. They were off to
go scuba diving, but they couldn’t resist helping the blonde girl hiking through the wilderness haha!  
They told me some of the legends about Ahu Te Pito Kura, also.

Ahu Te Pito Kura was quite a mystery for a long time.  Scientists are often skeptical about taking facts
or leads from legends and myths that have been passed down for hundreds of years. This moai was
never given a name, and the placement on the island did not fit the normal criteria for a king or chief of
the island.  No one knew who the man was that this moai represented.

Legend has it that this ahu and moai were created by a widow on the island. She was a powerful and
rich woman, but kept it a secret. She fell madly in love with her husband when they were only young.  
She was beautiful, but that is what all the men saw in her. The husband, however, saw her strength
and power along with her beauty. Together they had land that flourished and a fishing spot that helped
feed most of the island. People soon came together to respect and give their money to this couple.  
Their smarts and wits were never for bad, though. The woman had power and beauty and her husband
had the kindness and smarts that formed a perfect couple. However, the legend says that the husband
died while they were still young. She mourned the loss of her very best friend worse than anyone
should have.  They did not have children yet and the woman wanted to keep her husband’s energy
around. She took all of her money from their time together and ordered the greatest moai to ever be
built and erected.

Today, this moai is in fact the biggest moai to be constructed fully and make it to its ahu. The name for
this moai is “Paro” because he stood alone on his great ahu.  Paro is over 10 meters (32.8 feet) long
and weighs about 80 tons! The topknot, or pukao, weighs over 12 tons. It is the largest pukao to be
carved and moved from the Puna Pau quarry. This ahu, moai, and pukao are almost perfectly preserved.
This moai was knocked down during the crisis as well, but archaeologists have decided not to try to
erect it back on its ahu. The moai is too large and the risk is too great.  Even though it lays face down,
you can clearly see the perfectly preserved face of the moai. Upon walking up to the ahu, the enormous
size of the fallen moai is amazing. It is far larger than the rest of them on the island. It’s quite a
beautiful sight.

Also at this sight are five stones that are incredibly important to the Rapa Nui people.  Back in the
seafaring days, chiefs of polynesian people would have giant rocks to use as their “passport.”  These
rocks were usually a perfect sphere with a flat bottom for storage. They sometimes had ornate carvings
or markings on small parts of them as well.  Here lays the rock that the first chief Hotu Matu’a brought
with him to the island. This rock told other peoples who found the land first and where they were from.  
Somehow these rocks could be told apart from one another by other nations. This rock was brought all
around the island in case other people were there. It signified that the island was conquered and now
belonged to the Rapa Nui people.  After the chief and his men took the rock across the island, it found
it’s resting place on the northern end of the island near Anakena Beach. The other four stones point in
exactly the four cardinal directions. They surround the main chief rock and, again, show the importance
of seafaring and the directions.

The Rapa Nui people call this place the “navel of the world” because this was the start of the Rapa Nui
civilization.  This is where the people were born and they believed they could travel the entire world with
just their seafaring. It is also called that because, in the beginning, Chief Hotu Matu'a thought his two
islands might be the only places in the entire world.  Soon, they realized that could not be true. But this
is kind of their “Garden of Eden” moment.

 I got to talking with the ranger who was on site here and he told me all of this information.  He was born
and raised on the island and is a true descendant of the Rapa Nui people. The reason there is no plaque
explaining the rocks is because it is not “fact.”  This is again just a legend passed down for generations.
The archaeology committee will not put a plaque at sights that are not proven to be fact. The tourists
come by, take a picture, and then leave without even knowing what the rocks symbolize.  The park
ranger was very helpful explaining the importance of these stones. I was so grateful to him for sharing
his legends from his grandparents. It also turned out that he’s been to Pittsburgh because he moved to
Canada to follow a girl! It did not work out for them as a couple, so he found his way back to the island.
 It is truly a small world out there.

The Rapa Nui Cultural Committee moved the rocks to the site of Ahu Te Pito Kura in order to keep a
better eye on it. It is one of the most sacred artifacts on the island along with the giant moai Paro.  Here
there are always three park rangers on duty at all times. Two are at the front gates and one is always
guarding the precious rocks. Most other parts of the island are not even guarded by ropes or designated
pathways.  Here there are three guards keeping watch. It really shows how much this site means to
the history of the Rapa Nui people.

After visiting the very interesting and sacred Ahu Te Pito Kura, I ventured to find Papa Vaka.  Papa Vaka
is a ceremonial site filled with petroglyphs and rock formations. This place is a giant area of art. Papa
Vaka again shows the importance of the ocean and its resources it gives to the Rapa Nui people.  The
petroglyphs here were carved into the flat lava flow that ran across the ground. These giant slabs are
called “papa.” The biggest papa on the island is seen here and is over 12 meters (39.4 feet) long!

When I visited here, I had the place all to myself.  There was no one around for miles. The forecast had
rain coming every hour which deters many tourists from traveling about the island. However, the rain
here will last about a minute and then leave for a few hours.  I had no problem going about my travels!
Being at this place alone was magical. Aside from the petroglyph artwork, there are lava rocks scattered
about. At first, they seem random. However, I have come to learn, nothing on this island is random.  I
began to wonder if they reflect the constellations in the sky that are used for seafaring. After some later
investigations and asking some of my local Rapa Nui friends, I was right!

This is the image created from different xrays and light defraction readings of the lava rock.  This picture shows how many drawings are in the slabs.  Many of the images, like the boats, hooks, and sea creatures are still very visible.

Legend says that the rocks here were meant to help teach young scholars how to watch the sky when sailing.  This was like a giant map that you could physically walk through. That was so cool to me! This area had the same idea as the looking bowls, but on a larger, more permanent scale.  This was the first step to teaching the young intellectual students before they were ready to make real moves with the looking pools.

Each of these rocks is an exact mirror image of the night sky during certain seasons.  They were carved and shaped to be a map of the night sky to teach young scholars.  How cool!

Next, I found my way to Hiro’s Trumpet, also called Pu O Hiro. In ancient times, this was considered the talisman for fishing.  According to the legend, the noise made by blowing into the blowhole attracted fish to the coast. On Pu O Hiro, you can see how the holes were made and carved into the rock.  It stands quite tall, coming up to about my shoulders. There were small petroglyphs on the rock as well including fishhooks and small fish.

The stone was also not just a magical tradition to bring in the fish for harvest, it was also a war trophy.  At the beginning of the crisis time period, this stone was carried from one end of the island on several occasions.  What better prize to have than the ability to get more fish for your people?!

Hiro's Trumpet is directly to the right of this road.  Immediately to the left you can see the perfectly clear ocean and people are fishing there!  I wonder if they had any luck;)

On my trek back to the beach, I was greeted with more wild horses.  There were quite a few young babies,
so I gave the mamas and babies lots of space!  On my walk to find the beach again, I came across remnants of an
ancient, giant house!  These were the biggest carved stones I have seen in an ancient house. It was
relatively away from the coast, but close to the cave.  I wonder who lived there. There were no other
stones nearby, indicating that whoever lived here was important.  Even asking around to the locals they
all say “it’s just another piece of the story that now belongs to the horses.” They see so many artifacts
during their lives here on the island that they become immune to it! Haha!

On my long walk all the way back to the island, a tour guide that I made friends with last week
stopped and picked me up with his group!  We were laughing the entire ride back to the beach. The
group offered for me to stay with them and chat while they were at the beach for a bit.  Turns out, they
meant lunch too! They opened their arms, and plates, to me and we made rice, salad, and the best
ceviche I ever ate! We all shared our company together, laughing and telling stories for about two hours.  
I was so grateful to them for letting me tag along, but they were grateful to me! They were so
appreciative that an outsider would sit and talk with them (even with a slight language barrier) for the
afternoon. One of the older gentlemen even became a little emotional watching his family and new
friends all making and sharing food together.  I loved it so much. They wanted me to come with them
on the rest of their tour! These people paid for a tour and their lunch, and just wanted me to join in for free.
That is what true hospitality and friendship is. I am so happy I met them. I had already explored the
areas they were visiting and reserved my shuttle back from the beach or else I would have joined with
them. I hope our paths cross again one day.

We had dinner right here on the beach with a gorgeous sunset. 

Making ceviche for dinner!

Mis nuevos amigos <3

Day 15: June 18

Today I am off to finish my hike of the western and central part of the island.  There were many wild horses out to play today.  More than I have seen yet on the island. They are so beautiful.  I took some time to watch them play and get some pictures of them.  They were eating in front of a moai, with a rainbow and the crashing waves behind them.  It was like a picture out of a calendar. I wish my sister was here to see them all!! They’re so beautiful.  

Soon the park dog woke up and got the horses out of the sacred places.  He had to take a snooze for a bit first, though. Keeping the place horse-free takes a lot of effort!

After admiring all the animals around me, I found myself at Ahu Akivi.  According to legend, the seven moai here represent the seven explorers who came to explore the island before the rest of the people came with Chief Hotu Matu’a.  This ahu is also oriented astronomically. The moai here look straight at the sunset during equinoxes.

Ahu Akivi is especially cool to me because each face is clearly different for each moai.  The carvers accentuated the facial features of each of the seven explorers. It amazes me that it took about a year for each moai to be carved and transported, and yet, they can remember the way each man looked.  So much time and thought was put into each of the moai and each ahu.