EASTER ISLAND.

Hokitika Guardian, 7 April 1923, Page 1

EASTER ISLAND.

CUNNFXIUN WITH. SOLOMON GROUP. AUCKLAND, April 3 I housamis ol miles of ocean sepals ate Easter Island from the Solomon group, yet there are certain tacts "’hick would seem to indicate the possibility that in the dim past there existed some direct association between the two regions. That is the theory which .Mrs .Scoresby Routledge advanced when seen on board the Aiakurn to-day, in which she is a through passenger irom Sydney to Vancouver, .'irs and Mrs Routledge are well known in exploring circles, more particularly in regard to a series of investigations which they conducted a lew years ago tit Easier Island, that lonely spot which is famous for its m.\ stei ions carved stone liguros. Their rescan lies at that island tended but to whet ihcir appetite for further exploration on similar lines, and subseipleiitly they spent eighteen months in the islands ol French Oceania, living

hw veil over a year on Alangareva th.e largest ol 1 1:• * Oambier group

’these i lands lie Put.) miles south-east I rout laliiti, ami apart from Pitcairn Island, with iis colony of Bounty descendants, Ihey are the nearest inhabited group to Easter Island. The desire of .Mr and .Mrs Eoutlrdge wain discover, if possible, traces of the same culture as they had been investigating at Easter island. Tradition and legend tended to show a connexion between .Maugaivva and Easter Island, and stories ol three or four, migrations Irom the main (lamhien island to Faster Island are current. As contrasted with Faster Island, there appeared to he no archaeological remains of note in Mang.-.revn, nor, as lar as could he ascertained, had

there ever been any referring particularly In Faster Island. .Mi’., Routledge said that one of the must interesting discoveries was in regard to an ancient bird cult amongst the natives. In springtime a certain migratory seabird conics to the island, and the great ambition of the native’ appeared to have been to lie the Jiist to discover one of this bird’s eggs. \\ hoover made this discovery was a great man for a year, and he gave his name to the year. That, says Airs Routledge, was the native method of chronology. At Fa-tor Island (here are carvings on rock of figures representing a creature pail man ami part Idl’d, and the nearest analogv to these fpiuiut rude carvings is to be found in the Solomon Elands. One point of outstanding interest which the exploration of Mr am! Mrs Routledge brought out was that there was much more nl the Melanesian element at Faster Island than had hitherto been supposed.