THE RAPANUI
PLANETARIUM
& OBSERVATORY
TALKS / PRESENTATIONS
Duration: 45 minutes
Followed by one of our feature films
Sometimes we accompany our feature film with a presentation given by either one of our staff members or a visiting guest specialist. We have a roster of astronomers, astrophotographers, ethnoastronomers, astrophysicists, visual artists, etc, just waiting to share their knowledge with the Rapanui Planetarium and you.
For more information regarding our presentations, prices, and availability, please visit our Contact page.
Edmundo Edwards
1. Archaeoastronomy & The Peopling of the Pacific
2. The Work of the Gods: Eastern Polynesian Religion
Edmundo Edwards is the foremost archaeoastronomer working in Polynesia today, but having lived and worked on Rapa Nui for almost 60 years, together with his copious work experience elsewhere in the Pacific, have not only made him a distinguished scholar, but also an esteemed friend, colourful local character, and fantastic storyteller.
Join Edmundo and follow him in a fascinating journey spanning 5,000 years, from the origin of the Polynesians, to their arrival to remote Rapa Nui, and finally to the rise of a thriving culture that has garnered worldwide attention with their great monolithic works and skilled engineering. However, beyond the moai, there there is so much more to learn and stand in awe of... Delve into the universe of the ancient Rapanui, their social organization and religious beliefs, and their infinite search for knowledge.
Alexandra Edwards
1. Mata Ki Te Rangi: Rapanui & Polynesian Ethnoastronomy
2. Masters of the Sea: Polynesian Wayfinding
3. A Star by Any Other Name: The Rapanui Stars
4. The First Explorers: The Settlement of Remote Polynesia
5. Of Gods and Men: Eastern Polynesian Religion
6. The Body Beautiful: Polynesian Tattooing & Art
7. Kon-Tiki Fried Chicken: Polynesians in the Americas
Alexandra is a professional lecturer who loves sharing her knowledge, admiration, and passion for all things Rapa Nui (her beloved island home) and Polynesia (part of her extensive "office") in presentations designed specifically for the Rapanui Planetarium. From evolutionary cosmogonic belief systems to the intricacies of Polynesian tattooing. Alexandra explores the breadth and depth of Rapa Nui and Polynesian identities, oral histories, and traditions, from their origins up to outside contact and the start of the historical period, when dramatic changes befall these communities taking them along different paths.
Follow Alexandra as she discusses how wayfinders ventured into the greatest ocean using nothing more than their eyes and what they could read from nature. Learn more about the factors that contributed and fostered the great Polynesian migrations, the life these early colonists encountered and made for themselves on the different islands, their early religious beliefs, and agricultural and farming practices, including their extensive contact networks and their outermost reaches into the Americas, in their indefatigable attempt to go beyond the stars!