Chile and Bolivia 03

Dear Reader (2026-03-31 posted simultaneously to FB),
In today’s post you and I continue to explore Rapa Nui physically and culturally. One of the joys of travel is being party to happy serendipitous events. One of those events led to a walk with the guide from earlier on in the week, his 9 year old daughter, a female tugboat captain from Nova Scotia, and I walking the seldom visited wild north shore of Rapa Nui. The only access is via foot. It is a point to point walk, and therefore once started there is no turning back. Our guide’s daughter who is already learning to free dive walked most of the 17km trail in flip flops. The path goes by a pineapple farm, crosses fields of volcanic rock (some with remnants of human markings), by moai that came off their platforms centuries ago, and into caves with carvings of Makemake.

Today’s collection also includes recreations of a typical pre-European house and chicken coupe, modern sculpture in and around Hanga Roa (the one town on Rapa Nui), and a contemporary sculpture commemorating Hotu Matuꞌa.

Makemake (ma kee ma-kee),
“In Rapa Nui mythology, Makemake is the creator of humanity, the god of fertility and the chief god of the ‘Tangata manu’ or bird-man sect. He appeared to be the local form, or name, of the old Polynesian god Tane. …. Makemake has a face with large eyes or perhaps a skull with large eye sockets and a phallic nose.” (1)

Hotu Matuꞌa
“Hotu Matuꞌa was the legendary first settler and ariki mau (‘supreme chief’ or ‘king’) of Rapa Nui and ancestor of the Rapa Nui people. Hotu Matuꞌa and his two-canoe (or one double hulled canoe) colonising party were Polynesians from the now unknown land of Hiva (probably the Marquesas). They landed at Anakena beach and his people spread out across the island, and sub-divided it between clans claiming descent from his sons.” (2)

Footnotes
~ (1) – Excerpted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Makemake_(deity)
~ (2) – Excerpted from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotu_Matu%EA%9E%8Ca

Notes on Photos
~ 01 to 06 – North Shore walk
~ 01 – A pineapple farmer (captured with her permission)
~ 06 – Makemake – Photographed while lying on my back in cave now mostly filled with rocks inches from the petroglyph using my phone camera
~ 07 – Pre-European house with a patio made from wave smoothed rocks. These houses were primarily for sleeping, as most of day to day life happened outside.
~ 08 – A village chicken coop. The chickens, so I was told, laid their eggs outside the coop.
~ 09 to 11 – Modern sculpture in and around Hanga Roa.
~ 12 – Contemporary sculpture commemorating Hotu Matuꞌa.

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As always, all comments are welcome and sought.
Cheers, Sean

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