
todropscience:
Hoa Hakananai’a, a sacred moai for Rapa Nui -or Easter Island- was stolen 150 years ago by Richard Powell, captain of HMS Topaze, and given to Queen Victoria as a gift, and was then given to the British Museum. And now, the Easter Island community wants it back.
The authorities of Rapa Nui, together with the Chilean government, have requested the return of the moai. But the authorities of the British Museum, decided not to return the usurped moai, but to give back a polystyrene replica.
Hoa Hakananai’a, means “the stolen or hidden friend” in rapanui, and is unique because of its basalt composition. Rapa Nui community believe that Hoa Hakananai’a
emit a spiritual force that protects the island.
- Photo: November 7, 1868, when Hoa Hakananai’a was stolen by English ship HMS Topaze.