At the suggestion of our guide, we visited the Catholic church and the Christian cemetery in Hanga Roa. It turned out to be an interesting excursion. The Catholic church includes elements of the Moai, Polynesia, and the Birdman cult. The mixture created a space uniquely Rapa Nui.
In the cemetery, we found the grave memorials to be unique as well. Given the reliance of the Rapa Nui people on the sea, the cemetery had a strong maritime theme and many creative expressions. Like the Moai, which look inland and away from the sea, so also do the headstones. The headstones face away from the sea so the dead can overlook and protect the descendants of Rapa Nui.
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