Imperial Valley press., 1937-03-07
An Easter Island Canoe;
from la Perouse's Voyage"

supply ship arrived months later. Consequently,
we made no demand on him for food, particu-
larly in that our present difficulty was caused
mainly by our own carelessness.
The storm lasted three days. During that time
we spent the hours of daylight in research and
excavation. Due to injudicious trading with the
natives they were much more adequately
clothed than the expedition members. Most of
us had little left but shorts and shoes We
had acquired, however, the use of native ponies
and sufficient food to last several days.
We spent two days on the western slope of
Rano Raraku investigating the 80 or more i'm
ages. These great blocks of carved stone exer-
cised peculiar fascination. Standing rigidly
like sentinels, all were mounted on the same
hillside and all faced in the same direction
These images at one time were topped by enor-
nous stone hats which evidently had been
toppled over by the action of storm, wind or
earthquakes. The images bore no resemblance
to the Poynesian, but resembled more the old
Egyptian, with long narrow face, aquiline nose
and thin lips. Where did the long-dead artists
get the model or idea from which these statues
were conceived?
\A/E RE-DISCOvERED the ruins of ancient
w temples and habitations first unearthed
by the Routledge Expedition Of 1928 Our
excavations produced broad obsidian spearheads
and tools with which the workmen produced
the images crude stone hammers and flint-like
sharp-edged stone chises. The most friendly Of
the natives, Taraki, selected as guide police
man and mentor Tarak showed us cave high
up in the hills and told us in his jargon Of
beche-de-mer English, Spanish and Polynesian
that this was Eat Man Cave" and gave us
rambling story of an old Poynesian who had
lived in the cave for years, existing entirely
on human flesh. Taraki was thoroughly unimagi-
native and when we interrogated him about
;ycor ;bol
images he merely shrugged and spat out
mo savvy"
When Taraki was questioned regarding island
foodstuffs, we discovered that practically MOTH
ing was raised by the natives For food and
provisions they depended upon the timed goods
brought once year by the Chilean supply ship
and an occasional stolen sheep from the focks
raised under concession by the British governor
Governor Hillyard was of the opinion that any
change in the routine of supplying food to the
natives would in all probability result in starva-
ton. The native has no thought of the future
Vineyards and fruit trees have been torn I'D
and chopped down for irewood Great hocks
of sea-fowl have been exterminated due to the
rapacious and careless gathering of eggs The
complexities OF nature and the burdens imposed
by the white mans civilization ruined the child
like simplicity of the native. Ultimately tena-
cious social disease, eprosy and epidemic will
wipe out this tag-end Of once proud cultured
warrior tribe.
AS write, the abject misery of the inhab-
tants of Easter Island is typified in the two
little household images have before me, emaci-
ated, bent and misshapen with the pain of ages
of unhappiness mirrored in their eyes, 1 wonder
If the creators Of these oddly carved little
wooden figures were gazing into not far
distant future as they Clipped and gouged with
their crude tools
There are mysteries on Easter Island worthy
OF future research and Investigation Anthro-
pologists, geologists and scientists generally
and this island rich in material for study.
Very recently decided want another look
at Easter Island-a long look.