,6 CARL sKonsr^KKG 



the earliest liiscoverers liad seen Mude carthen-\vare» on the island, a statement 

 due to some misinterpretation. Of stone implements, besides the toki, and the 

 stone adze and chisels, we t;x>t one lishiiook, very neatly wrought but unfor- 

 tunately not complete, as the point is missing (Plate 14, fig. 4)- There is a 

 drawing of one of these hooks in Thomson's report (Plate 58). Another curious 

 article is tlie si)hcrical stone ball, Fig. 5 on Plate 14. It shows two holes 

 which communicate so that a string can be passed through, and may have 

 been worn as an ornament. No explanation was offered. Perhaps it is a 

 fetish stonc». llioM.soN has described and figured many such stones, but 

 none of them i)resent any likeness to this one. 



The object on Plate 14, Fig. 6 is not, as might be suspected, a broken 

 spear-liead or ))iataa, but has been given its present shape on purpose. It fits 

 well into the hand and may have been used as a knife or scrape. But if it was 

 used with a handle, my explanation may not be satisfactory. Spear-heads are 

 ct)mmonl\- found in the soil and also manufactured to satisfy the demand of 

 visitors. Two, of an ordinar\' type and apparently old, are seen on Plate 14, 

 h'igs. 7, S. According to THOMSON there were at least nine kinds, all with 

 dilVerent names, a statement well needing the corroboration of Mrs. R. 



ORKIIN OF THE PEOPLE 



The histor\- of Faster Island is full of mystery, but I think that Mrs. R. 

 has come pretty near the solution of some of the problems. She has drawn 

 some imj)ortant conclusions from the legendary traditions still alive. A tale 

 of two ditTerent races and two successive colonizations runs through the old 

 legends. Tlie anthropological evidence seems to be in favour of a double origin, 

 Melancsian and I'oKnesian. The comparative studies of the Bird Cult in the 

 .Solomon Islands and I^aster Island (by PI. Balfolr, vide Mrs. R.) seem nothing 

 less than convincing. The bird rei)resented in the numerous carvings, paintings 

 etc. of ICaster Island is not the holy bird of this place, but the frigate bird, 

 u<»rshi|)|)cil in the Solomon Islands. 'Phe bird figures were called penguins by 

 Lkhm.wn (l-.ssai dune bibliograi)hie, Anthropos, 1907), which undoubtedly 

 must be a mistake, especiall)' as penguins hardly ever visit these waters. 



it wi- sum up the results obtained, there is evidence that the Easter Is- 

 landers ate ot a twofold origin and that, after the Melanesian immigration, a 

 P(»l\-nesian immigration followed. l"he population now tends to assume a 

 multicoloured aspect; there has been a late influence from Tahiti (so we were 

 told) and various white men ha\'e contributed towards the »amelioration» of the 

 race. The xouul; girl figured on Plates 12-13 ^^•'■'^ ^^^^ to be of » pure Easter 

 Island race , but whether rejjrcsenting a IVlelanesian or Polynesian type, I am 

 unai)le to trli. 



A critical examination of the language would be of interest. Many words 

 are the same as in the Maori or other Polynesian tongues, such as viaunga 

 (mountain), inaJiul, (paper mulberry), // (Cord^line), ciimara (sweet potato) a. o. 

 A large vocai)ular\-, collected by Padre Roi SSEI,, was publi.shed in Santiago, 



