Mana Expedition to Easter Island

Summary

The Mana Expedition to Easter Island (Polynesian: mana means "good luck") occurred between March 1913 and August 1915. It was the first archaeological expedition to Rapa Nui which was privately organized and funded, preceding the Norwegian Archaeological Expedition to Easter Island of Thor Heyerdahl by more than 40 years. The Mana Expedition was led by Katherine and William Scoresby Routledge.[1] The expedition and its ship, the Mana, bore the same name.[2] The ship left Falmouth, England on 13 March 1913 with a crew of twelve, including a surveyor, geologist, sailing master, navigator, engineer, cook, seamen, a cabin boy and the Routledges. They arrived on the southern coast of the island at Hanga Roa Bay, by way of the Strait of Magellan, on 29 March 1914, setting up their first camp at Mataveri, on the island's southwest corner.[3] The English archaeologist O. G. S. Crawford referred to the expedition as "an archaeological fiasco".[4]

The Mana at Easter Island, 1914.
Juan Tepano (1867-1947), the Rapa Nui guide for the expedition.
The expedition included the Ahu Tongariki excavation, 1914

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Van Tilburg, Jo Anne. The Mana Expedition to Easter Island (Rapa Nui): Archaeology and Ethnology in Light of History (PDF). Easter Island Statue Project. p. 1. Archived from the original on 26 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. ^ Pelta, Kathy (1 February 2001). Rediscovering Easter Island. Twenty-First Century Books. pp. 64–. ISBN 978-0-8225-4890- 4. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  3. ^ Pelta 2001, p. 64.
  4. ^ Van Tilburg, Jo Anne (1 April 2003). Among Stone Giants: The Life of Katherine Routledge and Her Remarkable Expedition to Easter Island. Simon and Schuster. p. 97. ISBN 978-0-7432-4480-0. Retrieved 21 July 2012.

External links edit

  • Routledge, Mrs. Scoresby The Mystery of Easter Island: The Story of an Expedition London, 1919, at Internet Archive
  • Routledge, Mrs. Scoresby The Mystery of Easter Island: The Story of an Expedition. 2nd ed. London, 1920, at Internet Archive