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Field School
Rapa Nui Archaeological Field School
Application Deadline: March 10th (extended)
Field School Dates: Session 1: 5 June to 5 July
Session 2: 10 July to 9 August
University, College, Institution
University of Hawai'i at Manoa, Hawai'i, USA
Field School Location: Rapa Nui (Easter Island), Chile
Field School overview
Field School Type: Survey and Excavation
Time Period(s) Prehistoric Field School Conditions: The island of Rapa Nui is extremely remote, but we will be staying at a hotel in the town of Hanga Roa. Field School Access: Hiking (2-5 miles), and driving on dirt roads.
Number of years for field school: This will be our 6th year.
Professional certification of this field school: University of Hawai'i Manoa
Project Directors
Dr. Terry L. Hunt, Professor at the University of Hawai'i Manoa
Field School Description
Now in its sixth year, the University of Hawai`i archaeological field school will offer two sessions during the summer of 2006. The first session is from 5 June to 5 July, while the second is 10 July to 9 August. Students earn 6 upper-division credit hours. Our field research and training is in collaboration with Dr. Carl Lipo at California State University at Long Beach.
Rapa Nui, located 3,700 km west of South America and 2,250 km southeast of Pitcairn, is among the world's most isolated places. The island is only 171 square kilometers (66 sq. miles), but boasts magnificent megalithic sculptures, rock art, and remarkable structural remains. The prehistoric people of Rapa Nui produced well over 700 massive statues and moved more than 300 of them to distant locations over the entire island. The statues, along with other features of the island's prehistory, have engendered much archaeological speculation and research. The archaeology and natural history of this small, isolated, and famous island have drawn a great deal of attention, yet few people actually ever get to visit this remarkable place. A vast amount of previous archaeological research by Chilean and international scientists on the island illustrates the richness and complexity of the prehistoric, historic, and palaeo-environmental record on this fascinating, anthropologically-significant, yet often widely misunders
The first week of each field school session will include an intensive orientation on Rapa Nui. Students will be trained in archaeological survey, excavation methods, other special skills, and some museum procedures. Field research will be conducted on prehistoric habitations and other sites in three parts of the island: Maitakitemoa (northwest coast), Akahanga (south-central coast), and with Sergio Rapu at the famous site of Anakena (northeast coast). Field school students will conduct archaeological field survey, detailed mapping, and small-scale excavations of archaeological sites at these locations. We will work directly with Native Rapanui students and other members of the Native community. We will also work with staff from the P. Sebastian Englert Museum of Anthropology on the island. As part of the field school, we will have a lecture series on Pacific archaeology, field research design, Rapa Nui prehistory, the evolution of cultural elaboration, and environmental change.
Students and staff reside at a simple locally-owned hotel in Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui's only town. Meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) with associated clean up are provided at the hotel. Our accommodation will have showers, flush toilets, and indoor plumbing. Limited services are available in Hanga Roa.
Field school web site: www.anthropology.hawaii.edu/projects/rapanui/index.html
Field School Size: 16-25
Minimum age: 18
Is prior experience required?: No
Specialized skills you will have the opportunity to learn
Manual Mapping/drawing (plan views, profiles): Yes
Total Station EDM mapping: Yes
Compass mapping survey: Yes
GIS: Yes
Remote Sensing: Yes
Interpreting aerial photography: Yes
Digital Photography: Yes
Excavation Survey Techniques: Yes
Interpreting stratigraphy: Yes
Soils: Yes
Lab work: Yes
Database: Yes
Artifact analysis: Yes
Fauna identification: Yes
Evening Lectures: Yes, 2-3 days per week.
Lab work on rain days?: Yes
Rain days free: Yes
Is travel during free time restricted?: No
Additional information for students: In general, we have Saturday as a free day and on Sunday we do field trips around the island. However, if field days are lost due to poor weather, if current work must be completed before leaving the island or in the event of other extenuating circumstances, we may work on Saturday and/or utilize the indoor facilities at the Museum to do lab work. Nevertheless, we encourage students to plan activities such as horseback riding, hiking, bicycling or snorkeling on free days. As a group we may also be invited to spend some of our free time at community gatherings-a honor that we work hard to fit in.
Travel to activities can usually be arranged by planning ahead with the instructors. Traveling alone and traveling without an instructors knowledge is not permitted. Both situations can be dangerous in a largely rural island with rough terrain and can also be culturally misinterpreted.
Academic, Credit Room and Board, & Tuition
Academic Credit: Yes
Number of Credits: 6 semester credits of ANTH 381 - Archaeological Field Techniques (see costs below)
University of Hawai'i Manoa
Room and Board Information: $5,300: Cost includes course fee (in place of regular tuition) for 6 semester credits of ANTH 381, field supplies, simple shared hotel accommodation, food (three prepared meals daily), and ground transportation on Rapa Nui.
Round-trip airfares to Rapa Nui are approximately $1,400 from Honolulu (via Papeete, Tahiti), $1,600 from Los Angeles (via Papeete, Tahiti). Fares from other regions of the U.S. are usually not significantly higher (i.e., inexpensive add-on fares get you to L.A.). We will arrange group discount airfares for students with LAN-Chile Airlines (Honolulu Office).
Small additional costs include meals, hotel, etc., on any stopovers while en route to and from Rapa Nui. Activities on Rapa Nui such as snorkeling, horseback riding will be relatively inexpensive, but are not included in the field school fees.Recommended readings
Fischer, Steven R.
2005 Island at the End of the World. The turbulent history of Easter Island. Reaktion Books, London.
Flenley, John and Paul Bahn
2002 The Enigmas of Easter Island. Oxford University Press, New York.
Lee, Georgia
1992 The Rock Art of Easter Island: Symbols of Power, Prayers to the Gods. Institute of Archaeology, University of California, Los Angeles.
Students attending the field school will receive a packet of assigned readings.
Additional web sites: Please see our website for additional information, to browse photos of past field school sessions, and to fill out an application.
Archaeology field school contact
Dr. Terry L. Hunt,
Department of Anthropology
University of Hawai`i at Manoa
2424 Maile Way, Saunders Hall 346
Honolulu, HI 96822
E-mail: thunt@hawaii.edu,
Telephone: 808-956-7310
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