Easter Islanders want their moai returned - General Tiki

A aquarj Tiki Socialite SF bay area, CA Joined: Apr 02, 2002 Posts: 1125	A aquarj Posted posted on Tue, Nov 20, 2018 6:36 PM Which ancestors would be honored by the return of the moai? I doubt the current goal is to honor the birdman-era Rapa Nui islanders, who were pretty demonstrative about their REBUKE OF THE MOAI. I thought they INTENTIONALLY toppled or destroyed pretty much all the freestanding moai by the time that one was taken to England. And often face down in a way that broke their necks - it almost looks like they would've gladly ground them into dust too if they could've! Maybe they even had reasons that'd make sense if we knew the whole story, like if the moai were seen as oppressive symbols, as in the long-ears vs. short-ears story. (Maybe not!) So if this restoration movement is not about honoring THOSE birdman-era ancestors, then probably it's about honoring the OTHER earlier ancestors who created and RESPECTED THE MOAI. That makes sense, but let's acknowledge that the island's ancestral heritage didn't necessarily have a uniform outlook. In this case what honors some, might even insult others. Humans are complicated! You know, many of us feel like it's the right thing to save a (tiki) work of art when it's clearly going to be destroyed or cast off by its owners. There is virtue in obtaining an artifact, out of appreciation for its esthetic value, at a time when its stewards would destroy it. I don't know the detailed circumstances when the Brits got it, other than a rough impression that it was AFTER the moai were no longer valued in the island culture. But I suspect it's more complicated than the black and white allegations people relish these days - painting historical events as stealing or whatever. I do think there's something to be said for the fact that the moai was preserved at the British Museum, where many have gotten the chance to appreciate it in a respectful way. And it seems fair to acknowledge that it's been in the museum a long time now and has a history there as well (how long was it on the island in the first place?). But I think one shouldn't discount the moai's origins on Rapa Nui. There's still some beauty in the thought that the moai might return "home" someday. -Randy

Which ancestors would be honored by the return of the moai? I doubt the current goal is to honor the birdman-era Rapa Nui islanders, who were pretty demonstrative about their REBUKE OF THE MOAI. I thought they INTENTIONALLY toppled or destroyed pretty much all the freestanding moai by the time that one was taken to England. And often face down in a way that broke their necks - it almost looks like they would've gladly ground them into dust too if they could've! Maybe they even had reasons that'd make sense if we knew the whole story, like if the moai were seen as oppressive symbols, as in the long-ears vs. short-ears story. (Maybe not!)

So if this restoration movement is not about honoring THOSE birdman-era ancestors, then probably it's about honoring the OTHER earlier ancestors who created and RESPECTED THE MOAI. That makes sense, but let's acknowledge that the island's ancestral heritage didn't necessarily have a uniform outlook. In this case what honors some, might even insult others. Humans are complicated!

You know, many of us feel like it's the right thing to save a (tiki) work of art when it's clearly going to be destroyed or cast off by its owners. There is virtue in obtaining an artifact, out of appreciation for its esthetic value, at a time when its stewards would destroy it. I don't know the detailed circumstances when the Brits got it, other than a rough impression that it was AFTER the moai were no longer valued in the island culture. But I suspect it's more complicated than the black and white allegations people relish these days - painting historical events as stealing or whatever.

I do think there's something to be said for the fact that the moai was preserved at the British Museum, where many have gotten the chance to appreciate it in a respectful way. And it seems fair to acknowledge that it's been in the museum a long time now and has a history there as well (how long was it on the island in the first place?). But I think one shouldn't discount the moai's origins on Rapa Nui. There's still some beauty in the thought that the moai might return "home" someday.

-Randy

Post #791315 by aquarj on Tue, Nov 20, 2018 6:36 PM