Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, was visited by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on April 5, 1722. The island is famous for its giant statues (moai). Carved stone and wooden objects in ancient Polynesian religions were believed to be charged by a magical spiritual essence called mana. Archaeologists believe that the statues were a representation of the ancient Polynesians' ancestors. The moai statues face away from the ocean and towards the villages as if to watch over the people. The exception is the seven Ahu Akivi which face out to sea to help travelers find the island.
Loving God,
we thank you for the ingenuity and skill of ancient peoples who were able to navigate their way across the Pacific and find remote Islands like Rapa Nui and other south Pacific Islands.
Some eventually found their way to New Zealand.
As their descendants tell the stories of their travels, we ask that the spirit of their ancestors will continue to guide them.
Amen
By Fr Pat O'Shea - Lower Hutt
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