German Firm Hired to Save Easter Island Sculptures - General Tiki

T tikibars Tiki Socialite Aku Hall, Chicago Joined: Apr 11, 2002 Posts: 2034	T tikibars Posted posted on Fri, Nov 7, 2003 2:12 PM On 2003-11-04 21:30, bigbrotiki wrote: I wonder if they offer jobs over there...It's going to be good for their poor economy for sure. The economy on Rapa Nui is poor, by our standards, but when I was there 3 years ago, there was no poverty. The people there aren't living in palaces, but there was no homlessness, rampant disease, or starvation either. The current situation is that the whole island, outside of the single town that exists there (Hanga Roa) is a National Park of Chile. There is currently a movement to give the lands back to the ancestors of the islanders who were native when Rapa Nui was found by the Dutch in 1722. This sounds good on paper - give the lands back to the descendants of the original inhabitants - but if these lands become privately owned, it is certain that a large number of landowners will succumb to pressure from American or European or Japanese or Chilean developers and sell off their tracts. This would mean huge corporate hotels maring the currently pristine Rapa Nui landscape, and infastructure to support these hotels would be built, further destroying the island: electricity poles across the island, paved roads, and digging up the landscape to plant sewage and DSL lines. In addition, the children of the fishermen and farmers of Rapa Nui would most likely end up dishwashers, maids, and bellboys. And, all of the Moai, the site of Orongo, and the other fascinating sites of Rapa Nui will likely be roped off to protect them from the influx of insensitive tourists who cannot be trusted to treat these sites with respect. Remember: to get to Rapa Nui right now requires a real effort, and for the most part, the people who are going to make the effort are aware of the historical, anthropological, archaeological, and even pop cultural signifigance of the artifacts on the island. When Hilton makes it easy to get there in order to keep their resorts filled, Joe USA yuppie is not likely to be as respectful, and will therefore need to be kept away from the monuments. So: the Rapa Nui people may look longingly at America and want Internet and Cable TV and Coke... but if they get it, everything that makes their island special is at risk of being destroyed. And the food there is already AMAZING! (really!) Now all of that said - this rant developed out of the comment about their poor economy. The German Moai restoration project - THAT'S a good thing.

On 2003-11-04 21:30, bigbrotiki wrote:
I wonder if they offer jobs over there...It's going to be good for their poor economy for sure.

The economy on Rapa Nui is poor, by our standards, but when I was there 3 years ago, there was no poverty. The people there aren't living in palaces, but there was no homlessness, rampant disease, or starvation either.

The current situation is that the whole island, outside of the single town that exists there (Hanga Roa) is a National Park of Chile. There is currently a movement to give the lands back to the ancestors of the islanders who were native when Rapa Nui was found by the Dutch in 1722.

This sounds good on paper - give the lands back to the descendants of the original inhabitants - but if these lands become privately owned, it is certain that a large number of landowners will succumb to pressure from American or European or Japanese or Chilean developers and sell off their tracts.

This would mean huge corporate hotels maring the currently pristine Rapa Nui landscape, and infastructure to support these hotels would be built, further destroying the island: electricity poles across the island, paved roads, and digging up the landscape to plant sewage and DSL lines.

In addition, the children of the fishermen and farmers of Rapa Nui would most likely end up dishwashers, maids, and bellboys.

And, all of the Moai, the site of Orongo, and the other fascinating sites of Rapa Nui will likely be roped off to protect them from the influx of insensitive tourists who cannot be trusted to treat these sites with respect.

Remember: to get to Rapa Nui right now requires a real effort, and for the most part, the people who are going to make the effort are aware of the historical, anthropological, archaeological, and even pop cultural signifigance of the artifacts on the island. When Hilton makes it easy to get there in order to keep their resorts filled, Joe USA yuppie is not likely to be as respectful, and will therefore need to be kept away from the monuments.

So: the Rapa Nui people may look longingly at America and want Internet and Cable TV and Coke... but if they get it, everything that makes their island special is at risk of being destroyed.

And the food there is already AMAZING!
(really!)

Now all of that said - this rant developed out of the comment about their poor economy.

The German Moai restoration project - THAT'S a good thing.

Post #58968 by tikibars on Fri, Nov 7, 2003 2:12 PM