Tourists return but Easter Islanders draw lessons from Covid isolation

RTL – AFP, 10 August 2022

Easter Island's giant human moai statues were carved by the indigneous
Rapa Nui people some time between 1200 and 1500 AD / © AFP

During more than two years of the coronavirus pandemic, Easter Island was closed to tourism -- forcing inhabitants to turn to a more sustainable way of life and relearn forgotten skills. 

Now that the island's borders are open once again, local people, including the Rapa Nui indigenous population, want to resist the temptation to return to their pre-pandemic lifestyle. 

"The time has come that the ancients predicted," Julio Hotus, a member of the Easter Island council of elders, told AFP. 

Hotus said the Rapa Nui people's ancestors had warned about the importance of maintaining food independence because of the risk the island faced of one day becoming isolated, but that recent generations had ignored the warnings. 

Before the pandemic, the island's food supply was almost exclusively provided by Chile. 

Easter Island lies 3,500 kilometers (2,100 miles) off the west coast of Chile and is world renown for its monumental statues of human figures with giant heads, called moai. 

With a population of just 8,000, it used to attract 160,000 tourists a year -- "an avalanche" according to Hotus -- but in March 2020 Easter Island closed its borders over Covid. 

No tourists, no income 

Olga Ickapakarati used to sell small stone moai figurines to tourists but once she was left without an income, she turned to agriculture and fishing to survive, just as her ancestors had lived before contact with European explorers. 

Easter Islanders pay their respects to the Mother Earth outside the island's
airport ahead of the arrival of the first tourists in 28 months / © AFP

"We were all left with nothing, we were left in the wind .... but we began planting," Ickapakarati told AFP. 

She took advantage of a program that delivered seeds before the island was shut off from the outside world. 

Ickapakarati planted spinach, beets, cilantro, chard, celery, basil, pineapple, oregano and tomatoes. 

What she didn't eat, she shared with neighbors, just as many families did in creating an island-wide support network. 

"All the islanders are like this. They have good hearts. If I see that I have a surplus of something, I give it to another family," said Ickapakarati, who lives with her children and grandchildren. 

This new focus on sustainable living does not mean an end to tourism on Easter Island. 

Last week, the first airplane of tourists for 28 months landed on the island, to much excitement from the locals desperate to see new faces. 

But there will be no immediate return to the two flights a day of yesteryear. There will be just two a week for now, although the number will gradually increase. 

Large hotel chains have decided to stay closed.

 "We will continue with tourists, but I hope that the pandemic has taught a lesson that we can apply for the future," said Hotus. 

'Archeological heritage at risk' 

Another thing the pandemic did was to create awareness of the necessity to look after natural resources affected by climate change, such as water and energy. And also the emblematic moais. 

Local Easter Island inhabitants like Olga Ickapakarati took to growing their own
 food during the pandemic as their tourism based income disappeared due to
the islands' borders being closed / © AFP

Carved from volcanic rock by the Polynesian Rapa Nui people between 1200 and 1500, there are more than 900 on the island, which measures 24 kilometers by 12 kilometers. 

The statues can measure up to 20 meters in height and weigh more than 80 tons. 

Most remain at the quarry where they were originally carved but many others were carted to coastal areas to look inland, presumably for ceremonial purposes. 

The moais have been damaged by heavy rainfall, strong winds and the ocean waves crashing against the statues and their bases, leading to fears for their future. 

"Climate change, with its extreme events, is putting our archeological heritage at risk," said Vairoa Ika, the local environment director. 

"The stone is degrading" and needs to be protected. 

"The problem with the moais is that they are very fragile," added Pedro Edmunds Paoa, the island's mayor, who says the statues' worth is "incalculable."

The iconic moais have turned Easter Island into a tourist destination but these
stone sculptures are at risk from the elements / © AFP

He said that authorities need to "forget about the tourist" vision and take protective measures, even if that means covering the statues "with glass domes", which would ruin not just the authentic view but also tourists' photographs. 

He also wants inhabitants to make maximum use of natural resources and to prioritize locals in employment, while resurrecting the ancestral practise of fostering community solidarity. 

"From now on the tourist must become a friend of the place, whereas before they were visiting foreigners," said Edmunds Paoa.

Peru: Tourists accused of damaging, defecating on Machu Picchu

A group of tourists has been caught allegedly damaging stonework and defecating in a sacred temple, according to Peruvian authorities. Most of the tourists are set to be deported, while one man is expected to face trial.

DW, 15 Januari 2020

Machu Picchu seen from above

Six tourists are in trouble after Peruvian police said they were caught vandalizing the famous Incan sanctuary Machu Picchu.

Authorities said four men and two women from Chile, Brazil, France and Argentina were arrested Sunday after they were found by park rangers in a restricted area of the Temple of the Sun. Several parts of the temple are off-limits to tourists for preservation reasons.

The group is said to have entered Machu Picchu on Saturday and hid in among the ruins to illegally spend the night.

Five of the tourists will be deported, and one man from Argentina will remain in Peru to face charges for "destroying Peru's cultural heritage." The 28-year-old acknowledged that he tried to remove a stone that fell to the ground, causing a crack in the floor, authorities said. He could be sentenced to four years in prison if convicted.

One of the tourists allegedly defecated among the ruins inside the Incan city.

Read more: Naked tourists arrested at Machu Picchu

It is not the first time that the 600-year-old Machu Picchu has been damaged by visitors.

In 2004, two Chileans were sentenced to six months in jail for spray painting a wall and were released only after agreeing to pay $100,000 in damages. In 2017, three Argentinians and a Colombian were arrested for painting graffiti on the ancient walls.

Machu Picchu is a UNESCO World Heritage site located near Cusco in southern Peru visited by more than 1 million tourists a year.

Cave of relics found under Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza

Yahoo – AFP, 5 March 2019

Archaeologists have discovered a cave filled with hundreds of artifacts beneath
the ruins of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico

Archaeologists have discovered a cave filled with hundreds of artifacts beneath the ruins of the Mayan city of Chichen Itza in Mexico, the lead researcher on the project said Monday, calling the find "incredible."

The massive cave is a "scientific treasure," Mexican archaeologist Guillermo de Anda told a news conference.

He said it could help scientists better understand the origins, lives and beliefs of the residents of Chichen Itza, a stunning city of stone in the Yucatan peninsula that was founded sometime around 750 AD.

The cave was found about two kilometers (1.2 miles) from the Temple of Kukulcan, the giant stepped pyramid that dominates the center of Chichen Itza.

It sits about 24 meters (80 feet) underground, and contains multiple chambers connected by narrow passages -- often so narrow that researchers had to crawl or drag themselves through them, De Anda said.

His team has explored about 460 meters of the cave so far, and does not know how far it stretches, he added.

The relics found include seven incense burners shaped like the Mayan rain god Chaac, which researchers believe were offerings meant to bring rain.

De Anda said locals had actually discovered the cave more than 50 years ago.

But the archaeologist sent to explore the site at the time by the National Institute of Anthropology and History decided for unknown reasons to seal the entrance with stones, and filed only a brief report.

De Anda had seen the report, but did not give it much thought -- until he happened upon the entrance to the cave last year while exploring another site nearby.

"What we found there was incredible, and completely untouched," he said.

The residents of Chichen Itza probably considered the cave "the bowels of the gods," he added.

His team believes the largest incense burners date from around 700 to 1000 AD.

The indigenous Mayas who inhabit the area today warned his team that a venomous coral snake guarded the site.

And researchers did in fact find just such a specimen, which blocked their access to the cave for four days, De Anda said.

At locals' behest, they performed a six-hour purification ritual before entering the cave.

De Anda's team plans to continue exploring the cave. Rather than remove the artifacts they find, they will study them on site, he said.

VIDEO: "The entrance into the cave is very difficult, you have to do it crawling, chest to ground or, at best case, on all fours. What we found there was incredible, and completely untouched." pic.twitter.com/TUEX7GxGa1

— AFP news agency (@AFP) 5 maart 2019

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“THE FUNDAMENTAL FRACTAL”, Arkansas, US, Jun 11, 2016 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

“… I want to talk about the fractals of time for a moment. It's difficult if you were not here in the conference to go to the next step. However, it's important to know what was said, because we have spoken of these very things in the past. Our words didn't include fractals, but we spoke of a patterning and a system and the timing involved in what's happening.

The teacher, Gregg, has done his research well, and has proposed that the ripples of time come back upon themselves.* They present themselves in a way that would allow you to predict and calculate when they might occur again. They come in such a fashion that they reinforce one another and perhaps might be even stronger than when they occurred before. You even clearly see that the math of the fractals show you are at the end of a cycle, the one we have told you about. He's right, and you are.

The Mayans told you the same thing, and the others who had calendars much like the Maya long count said the same thing. The Aztecs and the Toltecs had a similar calendar. The prophecy was everywhere! So here's the big question: What keeps you from repeating the old history now? It comes upon you yet again and the fractals are there and the history is clear. The patterns are there, and they are the same ones over and over. Why won't you repeat them? Why won't you go to the final war and terminate humanity yet again? I'm going to fill it in esoterically for you right now.

Dear ones, there is a fractal that I'm going to call the fundamental. This fractal was not necessarily discussed yesterday, but I'm sure the teacher Gregg knows it. Sometimes when you're dealing with the discussion of patterning and repetition, you have that which would seem to be invisible, because it's not perceivable within your normal Human consciousness. The fundamental beginning fractal of time is the one that the others build upon. It's the start, the fundamental wave, and I will show it to you. Everything resonated to the fundamental in multiples. I will even give you some numbers to consider.

The fundamental fractal of your earth time is the precession of the equinoxes of the planet. All the ripples of potentials are built from it. This precession is caused by a physical wobble of the planet, which takes 25,630 years. That's how long it takes for one cycle, or wobble, to return to the start. Because it is so long, it can vary up to 1%, but not much more. The 25,630 years is the measurement of the wobble of the planet.

If you take the Mayan calendar long count, then exactly five Mayan calendars would fit into the 25,630-year wobble. The long count as described by the Maya is 5,125 years.* This also happens to be the length of time that your former unknown civilizations that we spoke of lasted before they would annihilate one another. It all starts to make sense. The fundamental fractal, dear ones, is the key to why this current cycle is different. It's because you're sitting on the end and beginning - the center point of the precession of the equinoxes. It's the first one in modern humanity. Time simply isn't just coming around again like it did before. This is the center. This is the prediction of the ancients and the Mayans, and that's why the old calendar stops now, and starts again with another long count.

This fundamental center, the precession of the equinoxes, gives an energy that none of the cycles within it did before. There is an allowance in this center fractal cycle for you to shift it and change it. The proof of this are the wildcards you see all around you. You already have started! The fall of the Soviet Union is a good example of a wild card. It's a shift of Human nature to begin a harmonious process of putting things together, instead of tearing them apart. This is especially profound when you see it done with the nations of the planet who used to be enemies for centuries. That's different! That's new! It's not going to repeat the way it did in the past.  …”

"2013 - A Difficult Year" – July 14, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Text version)

“… All this is to say that some of you are losing friends in death, and it seems out of sync in this new promised energy. I know who's here, who is listening and reading, and it would seem inappropriate that you would lose a friend or loved one at this point in time. Now, there are some in the room who have recently lost those they've loved, and it has seemed especially hurtful since these dear ones didn't seem "ready to go" just yet. In my partner's case, he lost a team member in the Kryon work, and I can remember in the moments when he found out, he was mad at me. He said to me, "It's unfair, not correct, and inappropriate! This man was a Lightworker doing good things. We needed him! He was a healer. Others needed him. He seemed to have so many years left, and now he's gone." Two weeks ago, my partner lost still another friend. He is not alone, for many around him including those in the room are experiencing the same thing.

For some, it's the year of loss. So I want to give you some explanations. I wish to tell you clearly what we see now that we couldn't tell you before. There is a great unspoken future that is starting to build itself right now. It's a future we couldn't tell you about because you hadn't arrived at the place where the shift potential was this strong. Now you are there, in 2013. You've passed the midpoint marker of the precession of the equinoxes, and it truly was a demarcation point that the indigenous saw as well. It's a time fractal, but they didn't call it that. However, it was so clear to them that in their spiritual way, they built their calendars and prophecies around it. Now we can tell you about it, and there begins some planning on the other side involving all of you.

There are old souls who had to leave, seemingly before their time, so that they could arrive on my side of the veil right now. They needed to refresh themselves and come back quickly, literally within the year as newborns on the planet. This is so they would be elders when it was your time to go to the next life. They would then be the ones already there who would begin to teach you what you will need to know. They are the advanced team for peace on Earth.

So, now you see where this is going. They had to leave and come back quickly. They had to align themselves in the right places, expecting where you will be next, dear one. Dear old soul, they needed to be the catalyst for you to awaken next time and do the work that you've chosen to do. So when you incarnate into your next expression, they'll be there and they will find themselves synchronistically as your teachers and the ones who will impress you the most and who you will listen to. Some of them may actually be related to you in the same way they are to you this time, or close to it, and you'll recognize them.. ….”

Hawaiian canoe comes home after epic round-the-world odyssey

Yahoo – AFP, 18 June 2017

Hawaiian canoe comes home after epic round-the-world odyssey

Los Angeles (AFP) - A traditional double-hulled canoe has returned to Hawaii after concluding a three-year epic journey around the globe, the first trip of its kind by such a boat.

The Hokule'a vessel and its crew entered the marina at Honolulu's Magic Island peninsula on Saturday after sailing more than 40,000 nautical miles (74,000 kilometres) since its departure from the island of Oahu in 2014.

Large crowds gathered for the homecoming celebration to commemorate the end of the odyssey, which intended to "weave a lei of hope around the world through sharing indigenous wisdom, groundbreaking conservation and preservation initiatives," according to voyage organisers.

The goal was to use only ancient methods of wayfinding -- reading the stars, winds and waves -- to guide the journey, just as the first Polynesian settlers who reached the archipelago did hundreds of years ago.

The Hokule'a -- the Hawaiian name for "star of gladness" -- was the first traditional double-hulled Polynesian voyaging canoe built in 600 years, according to the Polynesian Voyaging Society.

The canoe's maiden voyage in 1976 was to Tahiti in French Polynesia.

Crews of some dozen people rotated at major ports of call throughout the round-the-world journey after undergoing training.

The homecoming celebration kicked off a three-day summit to celebrate the journey and discuss future sailing plans.

"Through her voyages, Hokule'a has sparked a reawakening of Hawaiian culture, language, identity and revitalised voyaging and navigation traditions throughout the Pacific Ocean," voyage organisers said.

Indigenous ceremony for new Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno

Indigenous ceremony for new Ecuadorian president Lenin Moreno #Cochasqui pic.twitter.com/fIACsBRT49

— AFP news agency (@AFP) May 26, 2017

Bolivia's Morales marks decade in office, eying more

Yahoo – AFP, Raul Burgoa, January 21, 2016

Bolivian President Evo Morales (centre) welcomes the first rays of sunlight during
 a traditional ceremony celebrating his 10 years in office, at the pre-Inca archeological
site of Tiwanaku, on January 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Aizar Raldes)

Tiahuanaco (Bolivia) (AFP) - Bolivian President Evo Morales, the country's first indigenous head of state, held an ancient ceremony Thursday to mark a record-setting 10 years in office -- a term he is now seeking to extend to 2025.

In a dawn ritual, the leftist leader raised his hands to receive the first rays of the morning sun, then breathed in the incense from a large pyre lit to bring good fortune.

The rite, set to the sounds of Andean music, was held at the archaeological site of Tiahuanaco (or Tiwanaku) in western Bolivia, a city of pre-Incan stone ruins thought to have been a spiritual and political center from AD 400 to 900.

"With this small but very important act, I would like to take the opportunity to express our gratitude for these 10 years of service to the Bolivian people," said the president, who faces accusations of seeking to cling to power.

Morales took office on January 22, 2006, after defying centuries of discrimination against Bolivia's indigenous communities to win a landslide election victory.

He has since presided over a period of robust economic growth and transformative changes for the long-suffering indigenous majority.

A former coca grower who got his start in politics as a union leader, he has deftly managed the resource-rich economy, which has more than tripled in size during his decade in office.

Bolivian President Evo Morales (C) greets the people at a traditional ceremony 

celebrating his 10 years in office, at the pre-Inca archeological site of Tiwanaku, 

on January 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Aizar Raldes)

Thanks to that growth, Morales, an Aymara Indian who grew up with no running water or electricity, has managed to largely win over even his former critics in the business community.

"When I swore in as president in 2006, some of our opponents said, 'Poor little Indian, let him have fun for a few months. He won't be able to govern and after that we'll get rid of him,'" he has said.

But with the opposition riven by infighting, Morales, 56, has won resoundingly in the past three presidential elections: 54 percent of the vote in 2005, 64 percent in 2009 and 61 percent in 2014.

His politics blend the indigenous power movement with environmentalism and the "21st-century socialism" preached by late Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.

He has nationalized the oil, gas, mining and telecommunications sectors, rolled out welfare grants for the elderly, children and expecting mothers, and moved to empower marginalized groups -- especially the 65 percent of the population that is indigenous.

Defying opponents' dire warnings of economic catastrophe, Bolivia has instead boomed.

Despite plunging prices for its oil, its economy grew 4.8 percent last year, one of the strongest rates in Latin America.

Changing the constitution, again

The economic and political stability are welcome in the landlocked South American nation, which has had 160 coups since independence in 1825 and remains one of the region's poorest countries.

Bolivian President Evo Morales (C) makes an offering at a traditional ceremony 

celebrating his 10 years in office, at the pre-Inca archeological site of Tiwanaku

on January 21, 2016 (AFP Photo/Aizar Raldes)

But opponents accuse Morales of presiding over expanding corruption and investing in flashy big-ticket infrastructure projects at the expense of basic needs like health and education.

And "Evo," who is already the longest-serving president in Bolivian history, is increasingly accused of trying to cling to the presidency for as long as he can.

A new constitution adopted in 2009 imposes a limit of one reelection for sitting presidents, but Bolivia's Supreme Court ruled that Morales's first term was exempt -- clearing the way for him to run again in 2014.

His current term ends in 2020, but he is pushing for a referendum to amend the constitution and enable him to serve until 2025.

Morales has had an antagonistic relationship with the United States, defending coca growers from the US "war on drugs."

Besides being the base ingredient for cocaine, coca leaves are widely chewed in Bolivia and brewed as tea -- uses Morales argues are part of the country's cultural heritage.

In 2008 he kicked the US Drug Enforcement Agency out of the country, along with the American ambassador, accusing them of conspiring against his government.

Morales will officially mark the anniversary Friday with a ceremony in Congress, where he will deliver a nationally televised address.

Photos emerge of incredible Easter Island discovery

News.com.au, June 10, 2015

Archaeologists dig up the famous statues. Picture: Easter Island Statue
Project Source: Supplied

THERE’S a lot more to Easter Island’s famous statues than first meets the eye.

A new series of photographs of the 2012 excavation has emerged that captures the moment archaeologists dug out the previously hidden stone bodies, discovering a surprising secret along the way; the monoliths were covered in detailed ancient tattoos.

The images have been shared widely on social media, being viewed more than 1 million times on Imgur.

They show intricate markings such as crescents, which academics say represent the canoes of the local Polynesians, the UK’s Mirror reports. Little else is known about the markings yet.

Detailed markings are visible. Picture: The Easter Island Statue Project
Source: Supplied

There are 887 huge statues carved between AD 100 and 1800 — which are up to 10 metres tall. Members of the Easter Island Statue Project have been excavating the statues for years, and provided the first photos of their torsos in 2012. This surprised many, with people believing they only had heads.

“The reason people think they are (only) heads is there are about 150 statues buried up to the shoulders on the slope of a volcano, and these are the most famous, most beautiful and most photographed of all the Easter Island statues,” Jo Anne Van Tilburg from the Easter Island Statue Project said.

“This suggested to people who had not seen photos of (other unearthed statues) that they are heads only.”

They are fascinating. Picture: The Easter Island Statue Project Source: Supplied

In 1919 pictures of the first excavations by the Mana Expedition to Easter Island revealed that some statues were full sized. The discovery was confirmed in 1955 by the explorer Thor Heyerdahl when his Norwegian Archaeological Expedition excavated a statue.

Over subsequent decades the discoveries were gradually forgotten, known by archaeologists but not by tourists, who began visiting the isolated island in the 1990s.

They’re discovering an island that was first settled by Polynesian people who arrived by canoe as part of a great wave of Pacific colonisation.

Much remains unknown about the statues — how were they made? How was such a remote island populated? How were they moved around the island? And what happened to the society that had resorted to cannibalism by the time Captain James Cook visited in 1774?

Related Articles:

The Mysteries Revealed of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) (5) - Oct 18-21, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"The Timing of Creation" – Aug 12, 2012 (a message from Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) 

Rapa Nui, Easter Island, Chili  (6), Oct 26-30, 2018 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - New

Easter Island’s Carnival Magic Seduces Tourists

Jakarta Globe, Mike Leyral, Feb 22, 2015

People take part in dance contest in Hanga Roa on Chile's Easter Island (or Rapa
 Nui as its inhabitants call it) in the Pacific Ocean on Feb. 10, 2015 as part of the 47th
 edition of Tapati, an all-out 15-day contest between rival teams to crown a new monarch.
(AFP Photo/Gregory Boissy)

Far from home on Chile’s Easter Island for Carnival festivities, one middle-aged American woman throws caution to the wind. Stripped down to a thong, she lets a local reveler paint her chest.

“If someone had told me I would end up walking down the street almost naked, I would never have believed it,” the woman, who only gave her first name Susan, said.

Susan is one of a few thousand tourists who joined the Pacific island’s 9,000 residents for Tapati, an exuberant mix of music, dance and traditional sports that takes place for two weeks every February.

In the island’s only town Hanga Roa, revelers wait in a long line under the blistering tropical summer sun to take part in a time-honored ritual — a plunge in an old tub filled with clay.

A man known as Ale then spreads with his hand this reddish-brown natural paint on the bodies of other locals — and any tourist ready to participate.

Then, other lines form in front of tubs filled with white and yellow paint.

It’s time for the Rapa Nui — the Polynesian word for both the island and its residents — to paint symbols, inspired by the local Birdman legend, or characters from the long-lost Rongorongo system of writing.

Shortly after 5:00 p.m., a warrior blows into an enormous shell, signaling the start of the nightly parade, which features colorful floats and dancers in elaborate costumes, not unlike the massive Carnival celebrations in Rio de Janeiro.

The Tapati festival is at once a test of masculine strength and feminine grace celebrating Polynesian pride.

Easter Island is at the southernmost point of the so-called Polynesian Triangle — a Pacific region with Hawaii and New Zealand at the other corners.

The Unesco World Heritage Site is famous for its nearly 900 massive stone monuments — the Moai, carved by the Rapa Nui hundreds of years ago.

Rival teams are locked in an all-out contest to crown a new Tapati queen, who reigns for a year.

Numerous races and other contests take place — including reed board surfing, underwater fishing, fruit-carrying, a triathlon and horse races — but the nightly parades and dance competitions are the highlight.

Locals spend months carving out large wooden statues for the parade floats from Eucalyptus trees representing deified ancestors, such as the mystical Moai stone giants or the Birdman.

One night, a man draped in animal skins leads the way on his motorcycle, featuring a bull’s skull on the steering wheel.

Behind him, a woman dressed as a mermaid — her costume made of all-natural materials including a tail taken from a tuna caught just that morning — poses on a float decorated with huge wooden octopuses.

People originally from the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia play large pahu drums, while the Rapa Nui prefer horse jaws that make a light sound close to maracas when the teeth hit one another.

Some of the Tapati activities reflect a more Latin vibe taken from Chile — the elderly do battle to be the accordion king, as young people display their tango skills.

But the Polynesian dance competitions are fierce.

At the Hanga Vare Vare, the main festival stage in Hanga Roa, dancers sway sensually to the Polynesian drum rhythms.

Agence France-Presse

Related Article:

The Mysteries Revealed of Rapa Nui (5) - Oct 18-21, 2014 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"The Timing of Creation" – Aug 12, 2012 (a message from Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll)