-No visitors, no money –
Olga Ickapakarati used to sell small moai figurines made of stone to tourists. When she could no longer do that, she turned to farming and fishing to make a living, just like her ancestors did before European explorers found them.
Ickapakarati told AFP, “We were all left with nothing, we were out in the wind, but we started planting.”
She used a programme that sent seeds to the island before it was cut off from the rest of the world.
Spinach, beets, cilantro, chard, celery, basil, pineapple, oregano, and tomatoes were among the plants that Ickapakarati grew.
She shared what she didn’t eat with her neighbours, just like many other families did to build a support network across the island.
“Everyone on the island is like this. They are kind and caring. If I have more of something than I need, I give it to another family” Ickapakarati, who lives with her kids and grandkids, said this.
This new focus on living in a way that is good for the environment won’t stop people from visiting Easter Island.
Last week, a plane full of tourists came to the island for the first time in 28 months, making the people there very happy to see new faces.
But there won’t be a quick return to the days when there were two flights a day. For now, there will only be two a week, but that will change over time.
A lot of big hotel chains have decided to close.
“We’ll still have tourists, but I hope the pandemic has taught us something we can use in the future,” Hotus said.
– “At risk is archaeological heritage” –
Another thing the pandemic did was bring attention to the need to take care of natural resources like water and energy that are affected by climate change.
And the recognisable moais.
The Polynesian Rapa Nui people carved them out of volcanic rock between 1200 and 1500. There are more than 900 of them on the island, which is 24 km long and 12 km wide.
Some of the statues are up to 20 metres tall and weigh more than 80 tonnes.
Most of them are still in the quarry where they were carved, but a lot of them were moved to the coast to look inland, probably for ceremonies.
Heavy rain, strong winds, and ocean waves crashing into the statues and their bases have hurt the moais, making people worry about their future.
The local environment director, Vairoa Ika, said that the extreme weather events caused by climate change put our archaeological history at risk.
“The stone is breaking down,” so it needs to be kept safe.
“The problem with the moais is that they are very fragile,” said Pedro Edmunds Paoa, the mayor of the island. He added that the statues are worth “an unimaginable amount.”
He said that the government should “forget about the tourists” and take steps to protect the statues, even if that means putting “glass domes” over them, which would ruin not only the real view but also the photos tourists take.
He also wants people to use natural resources as much as possible and give jobs to people from the area first. He also wants to bring back the ancient practise of building community unity.
Edmunds Paoa said, “From now on, the tourist must become a friend of the place. Before, they were just foreigners who came to visit.”
