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The British Museum welcomed the delegation/and discussed their proposal. In the end,/the museum offered to let Hoa Hakananai’a return,/but only as a loan. They refused to give it back permanently.
The museum did not deny/that the moai had been taken/without the islanders’ permission,/so why didn’t they immediately agree to return it?
From the point of view of the museum,/there are good reasons to keep the statue. Since Easter Island does not have/the security and controlled environmental conditions/that the British Museum has,/the statue is safer in London. The statue can now be seen by many more people/than on a remote island. Scholars have easier access to the statue. Moreover,/some people argue/that the moai deserves to be a world heritage object.
These reasons make sense. However,/the fact remains/that Hoa Hakananai’a was taken without permission/and is still held against the people’s will. So, many people/—not only the Rapa Nui—/question the museum’s reasoning.
The British Museum welcomed the delegation/and discussed their proposal. In the end,/the museum offered to let Hoa Hakananai’a return,/but only as a loan. They refused to give it back permanently.
The museum did not deny/that the moai had been taken/without the islanders’ permission,/so why didn’t they immediately agree to return it?
From the point of view of the museum,/there are good reasons to keep the statue. Since Easter Island does not have/the security and controlled environmental conditions/that the British Museum has,/the statue is safer in London. The statue can now be seen by many more people/than on a remote island. Scholars have easier access to the statue. Moreover,/some people argue/that the moai deserves to be a world heritage object.
These reasons make sense. However,/the fact remains/that Hoa Hakananai’a was taken without permission/and is still held against the people’s will. So, many people/—not only the Rapa Nui—/question the museum’s reasoning.