Archived letters from Jo Anne Van Tilburg, EISP Project Director
EISP Statue Conservation Initiative and DATASHARE
Dear Friends of EISP,
As 2009 draws to a close it is a pleasure to post our second letter from the director. As most of our visitors know, the Easter Island Statue Project (EISP) is an original archaeological field survey established in 1982 to document the monolithic statues (moai). The objective of EISP is original scientific research and publication. Our academic bibliography is extensive but, as the scope of our work grew, so did our collected data. In 1999, we began intensive push to digitize our records. In 2001, our innovative, localized, and visualized topographic and archaeological map of Rano Raraku statue quarry became the organizing and presentation tool for our database. Our project has steadily expanded to include External Collections and an extensive file of ethnographica and original artwork by EISP co-Director Cristián Arévalo Pakarati and other Rapa Nui artists. Our sister project is the non-profit Mana Gallery, which celebrated a gala, island-style opening in November. The gallery hosts our EISP field office and exhibits and supports our associated artists. Please visit in person or at www.managallery.org
DATASHARE is our newest venture. It will provide access to associated researchers, conservators and others working to preserve the fragile and irreplaceable patrimony of Rapa Nui. DATASHARE is part of Phase 1 of the Easter Island Statue Conservation Initiative, generously funded by a grant from the Site Preservation Task Force of the Archaeological Institute of America. According to Larry Coben, co-chair of the Task Force, EISP exemplifies “the model of preservation the AIA seeks to promote.” Phase 1 is opening the EISP database to CONAF Oficina Isla de Pascua and our collaborators, including Mónica Bahamondez P. of the Departamento Nacional de Conservación y Restauración (DNCR) and Christian Fischer of UCLA. Phase 2 will incorporate the Consejo Monumentos Nacionales Isla de Pascua and the Municipalidad Isla de Pascua. DATASHARE will provide a permanent, accessible home for EISP data, advance the preservation of Rapa Nui patrimony, and permit informed conservation managment.
The coming year promises new and exciting adventures, and we are looking forward to the beginning in March of the first of three planned field seasons and the on-going preparation of our Rano Raraku Atlas.
Welcome to the Easter Island Statue Project (EISP) web site!
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Mayor Petero Edmunds and Dr. Jo Anne Van Tilburg announcing the site preservation grant from the Archaeological Institute of America, Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui, 2008.
We are pleased that you have taken the time to join us, and to share in our archaeological exploration on Easter Island (Rapa Nui).
- EISP practices Sustainable Archaeology through
- Field Data Collection
- Reporting and Publishing
- Data Sharing
- Entrepreneurial Innovation
Our survey is a systematic mapping and descriptive study of all of the monolithic stone statues (moai) on the island and in museums and collections world-wide. We have created the world’s largest and most complete archive of maps, photographs, drawings, measurements and other data on over 1000 statues.
We share our data with the supervising authorities in Chile and on Rapa Nui. Our research thoughts on the comparative analyses of our data are widely published. We participate in public programs and media presentations for the public. As you read this, our massive database is being transferred into a new, web-based data filing and sharing system that will allow access to all of our collaborators and colleagues world-wide, as well as to the Rapa Nui people and the interested public.
We have established our own Mana Gallery on the island. It houses our field office and art gallery in which Rapa Nui artists show their work. They also use our data to innovate on the ancient aesthetics of their gifted ancestors. In this way, we enrich and expand our research. If you are fortunate enough to visit the island, please stop by the gallery.
We are proud and grateful to announce the latest honor accorded our project. We have received a major field work and preservation grant from the Archaeological Institute of America. We hope you will join us often to follow our progress in the field.