RAIVAVAE 2006 – 2007 EXPEDITIONS

Research Mission:

Discovering when the island was settled, its relationships with the other Austral Islands trading networks and provide a culture history of the development of the culture of Raivavae.

Raivavae, French Polynesia

The furthermost south High Island of French Polynesia was once settled by Polynesians who carved large stone statues and impressive alters with upright slab walled courts. These are the largest statues in Polynesia after those of Easter Island, and represent goddesses and deified ancestors of the different clans. Oral traditions mention that this flourishing culture formed part of an extensive trade network with its neighboring island of Tubuai, and double outrigger canoes traveled regularly with offerings to be presented upon Marae Taputapuatea in Raiatea, Society Islands over 500 miles away. Between 1986 and 1991 Edmundo Edwards, (Research Associate Easter, Island Research Institute and Vice President in charge of field Operations of EPRF) with a team of workers from Raivavae, carried out the complete archaeological survey of the Island, in which a total of 610 compound structures and isolated components and features scattered throughout Raivavae were recorded.

The results of this mayor work, the first complete inventory of one of the Austral Islands, were published in 2003.(Ra'ivavae, Archaeological Survey, French Polynesia. By Edmundo Edwards, The Easter Island Foundation. Los Osos CA. ISBN 1-880636-21-2) On the other hand the ethnographic data collected, permitted Edwards to define ancient territorial divisions, lineage and clan boundaries with their resources potentials, as well as estimated population at the time of European settlement in the early XIX century. Therefore with this study, the first phase of the archaeological investigation of Raivavae was achieved. s practically no archaeological excavations have been carried out upon the island its culture history still remains a mystery.

On the Expedition

In 2005, in the company of archaeologists Patricia Vargas and Claudio Cristino, (Easter Island Research Institute of the University of Chile) excavations were carried out at several sites and some rich coastal middens where located that will be excavated during these expeditions.

During this second phase of research, with Edwards and his colleagues, Patricia Vargas & Claudio Cristino, your further surveys and excavations will help establish when the island was settled and reveal its culture history. In the island’s caldera of Vaiuru and Rairua, you’ll conduct surface surveys of house sites and dig test-pits to document settlement distribution over the ages.

Raivavae is also likely to yield important new raw data on the ancient biodiversity of the Eastern Pacific, for as in other islands, we anticipate that modern excavations will yield rich faunal and floral materials, such as the bones of now-extinct bird species, the shells of endemic land snails, and the charcoal of indigenous trees and plants, formerly specific to the island. Such information will be of great interest not only to archaeologists but also to biologists and bio geographers of the Pacific.

We also intent to relocate precisely all the archaeological sites previously recorded during the survey with an advanced GPS system, photograph these structures and produce a video documentary of this expedition. Any person with special skills for these endeavors will be appreciated.

Expect a few rainy days to process your finds in our lab in this warm, breezy climate.

Meals and Accommodations

You’ll stay in cozy double rooms with conventional bath facilities in a rented house in Vaiuru, You will enjoy creative island cuisine, including fresh fruits and seafood. This project is only for volunteers 18 years or older please.

Team Summaries:

Booking Terms & Conditions:

1. What will I be charged?
If reserving a space on a team 90 days or more before the team start date, you need to include a $300 deposit with your application. If reserving by credit card, we will charge your $300 deposit to your credit card at the time you make your reservation.

If it is under 60 days at the time you reserve your space, the full Contribution is required to hold the space. If reserving by credit card this amount will be automatically charged to your card.

All payments must be submitted in $US.

2. When do I pay the full Contribution?
If you reserve your space 90 days or more before the project, the remainder of the balance is due 45 days prior to travel. Payment Policy is as follows:

Sign up ninety (90) days or more prior to team start date: Minimum of $300 U.S. deposit is required to reserve a place on an Expedition. Balance of payment is due forty five (45) days prior to team departure; if full payment is not received reservation is subject to cancellation by the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation.

You can pay either by check or with most major credit cards through Pay Pal directly to our account at this address.

Full Contribution is required to reserve a place on an Expedition. As funds must be sent directly to the expedition at this stage (45 days), the Contribution is non-refundable unless due to researcher refusal (see below). Trip cancellation insurance is recommended. You are advised to check flight availability prior to payment. Expedition Briefing/Forms will be sent to you by overnight courier at an additional $10 charge.

3. What does the Contribution cover?
The price of each Expedition, which we call your Contribution, covers your food, accommodation, on-site travel (not airfare), and all of the various costs of field research (field permits, equipment, etc.). So once you arrive in Raivavae, you should not have any additional expenses.

4. Are my project costs tax-deductible?
In the United States, the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation is a public charity described under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In general, contributions of cash, securities and property donated by US citizens to support scientific research projects sponsored by the Eastern Pacific Research Foundation are tax-deductible.

Note: Contributions of cash or securities to a charitable organization are tax deductible only upon completion of giving. As such, your payment(s) towards an expedition may be tax deductible only after such payment(s) is non-refundable or, in other words, 45 days before your team start date (when Contribution is no longer refundable). AS WITH ALL TAX MATTERS, PLEASE CONSULT YOUR PERSONAL TAX ADVISOR ON ALL ISSUES CONCERNING TAX DEDUCTIBILITY. To learn more about our Raivavae Expedition US and Canada residents, please contact our Foundation Volunteer Coordinator at volunteers@rapa-nui.org or Edmundo Edwards at eeastman@entelchile.net

5. What is the cancellation & refund policy?

Cancellations ninety (90) days or more prior to team start date: are 100% refundable less $100 handling fee.

Cancellations between forty-five (45) and eighty-nine (89) days prior to team start date: Deposit payment of $300 U.S. is non-refundable; all other payments are refundable.

Cancellations less than forty-five (45) days prior to team start date: All payments are non-refundable and non-transferable unless due to denied acceptance on project by EPRF or expedition’s researcher. Trip cancellation insurance is recommended.

6. Can I be removed from a team?
The Eastern Pacific Research Foundation reserves the right to refuse reservations on its projects. This is an unusual event and is normally due either to an applicant’s failure to meet the health requirements of a particular project or in the interest of team compatibility. EPRF will support the right of the scientist to send volunteers away from a project once in the field should their behavior compromise the safety, research objectives or general performance of the team. Self misrepresentation in any way, including but not limited to age, health, intentions etc. will be grounds for rejection of reservations or dismissal from project. In the case of self-misrepresentation, volunteers will not be eligible for a refund.

PLEASE NOTE: These terms and conditions are subject to change at any time, and the EPRF conducts its own policies according to the laws and subsidies of their country of residence.

FINAL REMINDER: The EPRF projects are scientific research expeditions, not tours. The EPRF makes every effort to describe field conditions accurately both in its publications and verbally, but fieldwork in remote locations is a delicate business and prone to last-minute change. We accept this as part of what makes an EPRF project a unique experience.