A PO: The Rapa Nui Youth Archaeology Program Field Report

The archaeology of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) has received a tremendous amount of attention in the last century. Researchers have traveled from all comers of the Earth to this miniscule island to solve the mysteries of the Center of the World. But this article is not about those people, nor is it about the mysteries. This report, rather, is about a special group of high school students in Rapa Nui eager to play an active role determining the future of their own cultural heritage. And we might argue that the work of these students may be more important than those popular and dramatic explanations of the island's prehistory.</p