Our Lost Friend
Easter Island/(Rapa Nui)/is famous for its giant statues/called moai. But did you know that the most famous statue/is in the British Museum? Moreover,/it was stolen from the islanders. Here is the story.
1
The story began/when a British ship arrived at Easter Island/in 1868. The crew saw huge statues/scattered on a hillside. Most of the statues were damaged,/but there was one smaller statue,/about 2.4 meters in height,/in perfect condition.
The crew took the statue/without asking permission from the islanders. In short,/they stole it. They brought it to England/as a gift for Queen Victoria,/who donated it to the British Museum. It is known/as Hoa Hakananai’a,/Rapa Nui words which can be translated/as “Lost Friend.”
About 150 years later,/the story took a new turn. In 2017/the Rapa Nui people gained control of their land,/which had been part of Chile/since 1888. One of the first things they did/was to try to bring Hoa Hakananai’a back/to Easter Island. They formed a delegation/to ask the British Museum/to let their Lost Friend come home.
Easter Island/(Rapa Nui)/is famous for its giant statues/called moai. But did you know that the most famous statue/is in the British Museum? Moreover,/it was stolen from the islanders. Here is the story.
1
The story began/when a British ship arrived at Easter Island/in 1868. The crew saw huge statues/scattered on a hillside. Most of the statues were damaged,/but there was one smaller statue,/about 2.4 meters in height,/in perfect condition.
The crew took the statue/without asking permission from the islanders. In short,/they stole it. They brought it to England/as a gift for Queen Victoria,/who donated it to the British Museum. It is known/as Hoa Hakananai’a,/Rapa Nui words which can be translated/as “Lost Friend.”
About 150 years later,/the story took a new turn. In 2017/the Rapa Nui people gained control of their land,/which had been part of Chile/since 1888. One of the first things they did/was to try to bring Hoa Hakananai’a back/to Easter Island. They formed a delegation/to ask the British Museum/to let their Lost Friend come home.