EASTERN PACIFIC RESEARCH FOUNDATION

PHOTO 1. Head of statue carved in red tuff found by EPRF team on Raivavae this season.

Report of the Archaeological Fieldwork Carried out in the Island of Raivavae, Austral Islands, French Polynesia First Session May June 2007
Participants: Edmundo Edwards (archaeologist), Mara Riroroko (field assistant), Alexandra Edwards (field assistant and videographer), Becky Cox (volunteer)

This year we have organized two trips to Raivavae, the first one, referred to in this report took place between May 15 and June 7. During this stay most of our time was taken in mapping and recording some sites that had not been recorded previously, developing joint educational projects with the local Primary School, and shooting missing footage of a DVD on the Archaeology and History of Raivavae (most of which was shot last year). Next September Edmundo Edwards, Mara Rirorolo, Patricia Vargas and Claudio Cristino will return to Raivavae to continue with our programmed excavations for another three weeks. During this visit, our team reviewed some high inland areas in Vaiuru caldera that had not been sufficiently surveyed before and mapped three previously unrecorded marae. To our surprise, after extensive exploration in several inland areas, only one new site was found, which indicates that the area probably had a dense cover of vegetation in the past. This site consisted of four small stone uprights next to the riverbed and close to a giant banyan tree (VAI xx). We mapped three marae in the districts of Vaiuru, Anatonu and Rairua, thus concluding the complete archeological survey of Raivavae although it is possible some sites may have been overlooked being either remotely situated or in an unrecognizable state.

THE DISCOVERY OF A STONE STATUE During the clearing of a marae for photographic purposes, our team discovered a stone statue (photo previous page). E. Edwards was clearing leaves and other detritus on the god house of a marae that later become a cemetery when he noticed a carved piece of red tuff hidden between the roots of a hibiscus tree. Upon closer inspection it turned out to the buried head of a tikithis is an extraordinary discovery if one considers that the last statue found in Raivavae was recorded almost a century ago*. The head is extremely well preserved because it was obviously buried for many years and was carved out of red tuff, a fairly hard stone; the photos do not do credit to its pristine state--traces of ancient tool marks are visible to the naked eye. The images left ear and part of its headdress (incomplete in the photos) are lying next to it, together with another piece of carved tuff that would presumably be the body (See Photo 2). Based upon our observation of other stone statues found in this site, we presume that it is a standing figure with flexed knees which has its hands crossed upon its abdomen with a height of approximately 1.60 meters. Although E. Edwards extensively surveyed the site in 1989, this statue was not visible at the time, and it was most probably unearthed by tree growth. The discovery was immediately reported to Ms. Tamara Maric, Director of the Department of Archaeology of the Service de la Culture in Tahiti. E. Edwards also communicated the teams concerns over how to protect the statue from vandalism and/or destruction. Relocating it was controversial since it raised a number of security issues (how? where? with whom?). The first obvious step was to get the landowners permission for conducting a thorough archaeological examination of the site, but our team was due to leave in just a few days and this type of excavation can be quite problematic if the proper precautions are not taken into account. The statue is entrenched between the roots of a medium-sized tree surrounded by several tombs, so part of the tree must be uprooted to extract it and human skeletal fragments will also be resurfaced. This will surely raise some apprehensions from the present population if not properly carried out; our suggestion is to have a physical anthropologist on the team so the skeletal materials can examined in Raivavae, as it E. Edwardss impression that removing the skeletal remains from the island for study may raise some local opposition to the project. Considering all the issues at hand, Mrs. Maric and E. Edwards agreed to re-bury the image and not disclose its location until archeological fieldwork can be properly carried out. Naturally, we would greatly like to participate in the excavation, and hope it will be programmed in the near future. * Our team recorded the body of a small tiki last year, but it pales in comparison to the tiki we discovered in 2007, not only because of its size, but also because the newer specimen is much better preserved.

PHOTO 2. Head of statue in situ. The piece next to it is presumed to be the body.

EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM One of the greatest accomplishments of the work carried out in Raivavae this season was the possibility of working together with the local primary school in retreiving ethnographic records, and implementing courses promoting the importance of the islands culture history and the preservation of archaeological monuments. For many years, E. Edwards has been trying to stimulate the local consciousnesss regarding the preservation and appreciation of the archaeological history of Raivavae, thus creating a source of pride and understanding of the islanders past history. Unfortunately most of the adults show scarce interest in the past culture, as this interferes with their present Christian beliefs instilled on the population by missionaries of the London Missionary Society (LMS) more than two hundred years ago. To talk about the old ways became a sin, and all ancient stone figures were demons that must be destroyed. Most of the places of ancient worship became pigsties (still routinely used as such today) and the statues of their ancient deified ancestors and gods were mostly destroyed or converted into church benches. The price the locals paid for this great cultural change cost them the loss of a good deal of their oral traditions and ethnographic data regarding their ancient belief system. Sadly, until quite recently many passersby destroyed whatever statue remains they would find. Fortunately, some concepts related to the ancient belief system were preserved by the islands great isolation. E. Edwards was able to restore two marae in Raivavae, thanks to

the resolve of mayor Opotu, an extraordinary man who had traveled the world over as ship Captain, and was proud of his origins. At the time the archaeological team received a lot of opposition from the pastors who considered that that kind of work glorified heathen practices. Our hope lay in the future, in engaging the children to care for their peoples archaeological remains and past culture history. This is now becoming a reality and hopefully these children will grow up reconciled with their past and proud of it. Now that the island is opening up to the world the youths are anxious to find their place in it, and some of them after continuing their education in Papeete have a greater desire for openness and understanding regarding their cultural heritage. During our field work last year we had been able to establish contact with the Director of the local Primary School, Mr. Peni Adger, an extraordinary teacher, who succeeded in placing the local school as the highest ranking of all French Polynesian schools. Mr. Adger was interested in setting up a special school program with us. Unfortunately, he was in Papeete at the time of our stay so we talked only briefly at the airport and we were very sad to learn that he had died shortly afterwards. Fortunately, to our great pleasure and relief, his replacement Mr. Pita Nati whose mother is from Raivavae, is also very interested in preserving the traditional culture and teaching this at school. As he declared to us, People who do not know their origins, have no future. Mr. Nati is very keen on developing local educational programs that will enhance the students knowledge about their culture history thus bringing them pride, honor, and respect for their ancestors which will permit them to live a more satisfactory life in this modern world. The school library has everything Mr. Nati has been able to collect about Raivavae, and we offered to give him copies of all the material we have of Raivavae when we return in September. Mr. Nati speaks fluent English and has begun to translate some of these publications into French. An interactive archive of all archaeological sites found in E. Edwards book is available in the schools computers, and having the necessary elements Mr. Nati will start an interactive archive of Raivavaes flora and fauna. Mr. Natis relationship with the other schoolteachers and their interest in these subjects is admirable. Together we visited one of the major archaeological sites, Marae Unurau. E. Edwards revealed all he knew regarding the oral history and ethnographic data of the site and showed the teachers how that particular settlement extended across the valley; first visiting the habitation sites (including the chiefs house) and pointing out its relationship with the altar, then showing them the agricultural terraces that tap into the small stream, the lowland taro fields in the swampy coastal plane, and the dock that existed upon the fringing coral reef. On a later date Mr. Nati and a group of schoolchildren visit another site, Marae Pomaovao and once again E. Edwards showed them and told them all he knew about that site. One day, another schoolteacher working closely with Pita Nati showed us a 97-page notebook (Puta Tupuna) written by her grandfather in the language of Raivavae in the early the early 1900 hundreds. The book contained a wealth of oral traditions, and various detailed drawing including one on how to build an oceangoing double outrigger and the names of all its components and parts. This has never been publicly recorded in Raivavae. The book also contained several drawings of different weapons, their names and

instructions for manufacture and use. This was one notebook out of a total of 5 she had inherited. Needless to say, they have great ethnographic value. At first she was not very willing to share the notebook saying that its contents were the familys concern, but she gradually became more convinced that her grandfather had written them because it was his intention to share his knowledge with the future generations, and then was less apprehensive about being criticized by others in the family. She is a present translating them into French, and we hope that in the near future these can be published in both Raivavaen and French. Mr. Nati knew about other similar family books and was hopeful their contents would be made public and available for the school. Since the 1980s, political changes in French Polynesia have triggered a larger appreciation of local past history and traditions, and the need to preserve the native culture and establish, not only a local, but also Polynesian, identity. The local government has emphasized this by providing resources to those organizations dedicated to promote cultural programs, such as the Service de la Culture, and the Ministry of Education. Raivavae receives funds from the Ministry of Education to set up Mr. Nitas cultural revival project, and he asked for E. Edwards technical advice in developing the project, to which E. Edwards happily accepted. They are to work together on this project in September. In addition to sharing his entire photo and video archive on Raivavae, E. Edwards agreed to provide the school with equipment, such as a GPS, which will allow students to survey and map archaeological sites when clearing them for preservation. The school has very limited equipment so anything we can do to collaborate in this sense is urgent and will produce great results. We have at present two scanners on Easter Island that we are not using and that we could willingly give them to the school. In addition, we would like to set up an exhibition of selected photos taken by Stokes Expedition to Raivavae in 1928, now in the Archives of the Bishop Museum. These photos have never been seen in Raivavae and this exhibit would be a great opportunity to bring the past closer to the people, many will recognize parents and grandparents, and it would place the school as the main cultural organization on the island. A series of lectures about different aspects of Raivavae would tie in with the exhibition. The event would increase local interest and awareness about the precariousness of Raivavae archaeological sites and of their importance in the future, especially if one considers that with the new airport part of their economy will be derived from tourism. In order to mount the exhibition we must first contact the Bishop Museum and see if they are willing help in this project, then travel to Hawaii and make a selection of photos for the exhibition. It seems there is an agreement between French Polynesia and the Bishop Museum to share their archives, however, any information on how to do this or further suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Last but not least, we agreed to organize a drawing contest at school, the subject being Life in past times. The contest entries themselves will help us better develop the educational programs. This contest will take place in September when our second team returns to Raivavae; we also promised to provide contest prizes.

Next year, each class will adopt an archaeological site and the students will be responsible of its maintenance and the idea is to collect ethnographic data by interviewing the elders and learning whatever they can about the site. It is Mr. Nitas hope to restore an archaeological site with the collaboration of professionals and students, even if only a small household. His main goal is to get the future generations excited about the importance of maintaining their culture. EPRF DOCUMENTARY During our last stay we started recording a documentary on Raivavae, based on a script written by Alexandra Edwards on the Archaeology and History of Raivavae. This was recorded in HDDV, but due to the weather and other factors the footage was incomplete. It was then decided, to hold the project until the team could return and finish shooting the missing footage (and re-shoot a few scenes that were shot in poor conditions). We completed shooting the documentary and it is currently in post-production. A. Edwards should have it finished by early October. The hour-long documentary will be reproduced on DVD (NTSC) in English that can be used to further promote our work on the island. It will not be reproduced in HDV, because the technology for viewing HDVs on normal DVD players is not yet available to home viewers, however the documentary can easily be reedited in HDV format once the technology becomes available. CBC (Canada) DOCUMENTARY A Canadian television crew (CBC) joined our team in early June, after we finished our programmed work. The CBC crew had traveled especially to Raivavae to film E. Edwards fieldwork in the archaeological survey of Raivavae, as well as other aspects of the island today. This is the third part of an hour-long documentary about E. Edwards archaeological work and experiences in French Polynesia. Another part of the documentary was filmed in the Papenoo valley in Tahiti, and lastly in Nuku Hiva (Marquises Islands). This documentary is part of a series called The Nature of Things: Adventures in Science to be aired in Canada next year. The first documentary of the series is about nomad huntergatherers groups in Burma and the third one, which hasnt been shot yet, is about new discoveries in Egypt. As CBC has agreements with important channels worldwide (Discovery, National Geographic, CanalPlus+) this documentary will probably have a very wide distribution and they have recognized our participation as a Foundation.

PETROGLYPHS Two new petroglyphs were registered on the court slabs of Marae Mauna Oto (VAI 282) These had not been previously recorded because they only became visible once the lichen that was covering them pealed off. Their locations are indicated upon the site map.

MAP 1. Location of petroglyphs at VAI 282

Petroglyph 1 A stylized human face is depicted on the side of a major slab on the east side of the maraes court enclosure. The figure only is visible with the right lighting. This was not recorded only photographed (see Photo 3). As the rock is quite soft, it will probably erode very fast if not treated. Petroglyph 2 A rhomboid figure with a smaller rhomboid figure attached to its lower corner is carved on a small slab on the south side of the enclosure.

PHOTO 3. Rhomboid figure on slab

PHOTO 4. Petroglyph of human face

Petroglyphs at RRA 160 We returned to this site to try and photograph the petroglyphs at night (with slanted artificial light) and were very surprised to discover that they no longer exist. A forest fire destroyed petroglyphs, A, B, C, D, and E. The only recordings that remain are those in the archaeological Survey (page: 80-81) Petroglyphs F and G were removed from the site, without the authorization of its owner, but luckily they were saved from the forest fire and are now in the house of Mr. Vivi Tevatua.

MAPPED STRUCTURES

PHOTO 5. View from NW corner of enclosed court towards the god house and tombs.

RRA 162 Marae Te Hau Rere Matariu. This marae was sketched by Stimson in 1928, but was not recorded in our previous survey because of bad weather. The marae is located on a stretch of land called Temapuna that lies on the alluvial flat facing Rairua at the foot of mount Taamora. About 100 meters to the right of this altar, in front of the mouth of the Vaiparauri stream, two large basalt slabs on the fringing reef are said to mark the ancient boundary of the Harapae group on the lagoon side. This altar has a very large Baringtonia speciosa tree growing in close proximity, as appears to be the case with most of these altars on Raivavae and in the Cook islands. The almonds of this tree was grated and used to stun fish in the lagoon for fishing and its association with these structures is apparently not coincidental.

Map 2. RRA 162 Marae Te Hau Rere Matariu

It is the largest marae built in the Harepae section of the island and may have been the main seat of the chiefdom. According to an oral tradition recorded by Stokes, this marae was built by an important aito or warrior named Paimoana that may have been the chief of that whole area at the time. Upon the maraes completion Paimoana reportedly exclaimed, Ua tu te hau o Paimoana, te hau rere matariu, The meaning of all the words is uncertain ( the headdress of Paimoana, the headdress ). Stimson mentioned that this was part of a tale, but we were unable collect anything about it from our informants, so the wider meaning was probably lost. There is no doubt that Paimoana must have felt very proud of this marae, as it was one of the most outstanding of this clan. The marae was built on a leveled terrace that probably demanded some filling on its coastal side where the god house is located. The marae today is partially destroyed by the pass of time but also because it was vandalized and dismantled. Many of the stones of the courtyard facing the hillside were removed and probably re-used in a newer construction; some of the stones are in a pile up or resting on smaller stones to make them easier to pick up and transport. As a result, it is impossible to determine the exact length of this structure without further excavation, but it appears be between 8.80-9 meters wide on the west end of the court, and 26-27 meters long with a ratio of 1:3 its width--not uncommon in these structures in Raivavae.

The courts south wall (where the main entrance was probably located) had four very large trapezoidal coral slab uprights between 3-3.2 meters high interspersed by some basalt uprights lying nearby. These basalt slabs were 1-1.5 meters high, so they were smaller than the coral ones and all have a pointed or irregular top edge, which would contrast with the coral ones that are straight-ended. These slabs may have been taken from the foot of the slope behind the altar, or near there, since there are many like stones in the area. At first we thought the coral slabs had been cut from the fringing reef in front of the marae, but oral tradition says they were cut from the outer reef and then placed on the marae. Our team surveyed the reef near the front of the altar and did not observe any cuts in the coral bed; on closer inspection, the coral appeared to have a different consistency than that of the slabs, suggesting that they were cut elsewhere as mentioned in the oral tradition. This would have required a lot of time and labor because the largest coral slab on the west end wall of the court measures 2x6 m and is approximately 0.40 m thick, with an approximate volume of 4.8 m2, weighing 9-12 tons. The remaining slabs weighed 5-7 tons and were probably cut from the same source having the same consistency. The builders would have had to use special boats or pontoons to transport these colossal coral slabs across the lagoon.

PHOTO 6. Photo showing the NW corner of court. The large coral slab to the left measures 6 m long by 2 m wide.

Our team was unable to locate the exact location of the doorways connecting the court with the god house. The slab uprights at the east end of the court have now fallen and lay scattered, between a hibiscus tree and a Tahitian chestnut. This end had only one coral slab, and a very large pointed basalt upright that was probably located at the center of the structure, opposite the large coral slab of its west end. This location may have been intentional, as in other marae in Raivavae.

The court was paved with loosely adjusted basalt stones measuring between 0.25-0.40 m in diameter with its flat side facing up. A coral slab with a very odd form lies at the center of the court; it has some peculiar cup type depressions on its upper surface, and six natural appendages that extend from one of its sides, like fingers, meanwhile its other edges show marks that they were quarried. There is no doubt that the builders intended to preserve these natural features of the block, and therefore its transport would have posed additional care, so they would not break off. The origin of such a slab is unknown, but it probably was part of a coral layer that was not cemented well with the one underneath. The original location of this slab in the altar is unknown, but if it was included as an upright on any of the surrounding court walls, these features would have been diminished. It is E. Edwards impression that this slab may have been freestanding in the center of the court, such as one in marae Pomaovao. On Raivavae the islanders believe that these freestanding uprights were measuring stones, and if a young man was as tall as the stone, he was automatically chosen warrior. Similar stories are told of other such uprights in the Society Islands, especially in Raiatea, which may be where this tradition originated, there being close contact between the two islands in the past. The south interior wall of the court has only one slab still upright and there are indications that there was an entrance to the god house located on the sea side of the altar, close to the east end, about 2 meters westwards of the remaining upright; there, there is an alignment of three stones that delimits the pavement edge. This side of the court has smaller uprights than the others, which is characteristic to all marae in Raivavae. There is an alignment of well-cut coral slabs behind the court, contiguous to where the god house must have stood and perpendicular to its axis if slightly off center. The slabs standing on an edge about 0.70 m high extending approximately 14 meters to the lagoon. Some of these coral slabs have fallen because of the growing roots of a large nearby kapok tree. Stimson believed that this coral alignment was part of an alleyway leading from the lagoon to the marae, but our impression was that, as occurred with many marae, this was part of the structure of an ahu which was latter dismantled and re-used in the arrangement of a small cemetery that was later established in this area. Soon after conversion to Christianity in 1829, different epidemics devastated the island and it became customary to bury the most prominent members of the community in their marae, usually in the part in which the god house was located behind the altar, or next to one of the sides of the god house. These tombs are delimited by a basalt, coral and red scoria curbing in some of the cases associated with prismatic basalt uprights. Some of the tombs because of their small size may have belonged to children.

PHOTO 7. Unusual coral slab at the center of court.

We did not find any large pieces of red scoria to indicate that this altar had stone statues built out of such material, only a small curbing on one of the tombs. Near the altar we observed some worked pearl shell that had been brought to the surface by land crabs. It is possible that there is a midden buried there.

PHOTO 8. View of god house and tombs.

Site RRA 33

Marae Utamae

MAP 3. Field map of Marae RRA 33.

Marae Utamae was in better conditions at the time of Stokes visit although it was being used as a pigsty just as it is used today. Stokes mentioned that a chief used it, so we can suppose that this was the chiefly marae of the xxx group. The marae is located on an artificially leveled area 18-20 m from the shore. The entire area occupied by the structure can be divided into three main structures, from north to south. These structures are united on the east side by a continuous wall of upright slabs that is 16 m long. Further inland there are several alignments of small basalt uprights, some of which are aligned, and on the west side there is a large mound of coral rubble of an undetermined era as it may have been piled there in ancient times or when they built an abandoned house that is located about 20 m away from the north west corner of the structure. The first structure is a large pavement of irregular pieces of basalt, well adjusted, with the flat face laying upwards, measuring about 13 m long by 4.5 m wide. This pavement covers 5/6 of the length of the enclosed court, and starts at its east end. (All of these measurements are estimates, because the structure is now partly covered by soil and many hibiscus trees growing inside it, it is impossible to obtain more precise figures without clearing the vegetation). The back side of the pavement is attached to the alignment of uprights that forms part of the north wall of the enclosed court, and is delimited on both ends by a row of uprights measuring 60-80 cm high. The front of the pavement was delimited by seven uprights 60-80 cm high but not forming a contiguous line. It is undetermined whether this pavement was roofed or not.

PHOTO 9. Partial view of the Southwest end of the god house and nearby cemetery. Tombs are marked by basalt curbing and uprights.

The enclosed central court has a total length of 17 m. by 4.50 m wide. It has a similar pavement to the above marae, and the slabs that surround the enclosure are fairly large measuring an average of 1.30 m high. The largest slabs are located on the wall that faces the god house. These measure 2-2.10 m high. What is different from most other marae on Raivavae, is it appears the court was later divided by a wall of uprights, towards its east end into a small square enclosure measuring 4.5 x 4.5 m. This enclosure was accessed by an

opening located a little off center that led into a short passage 1.5 m long by 50 cm wide. This passage was enclosed by basalt uprights 60-70 cm high that formed two small, nearly identical, chambers inside the smaller enclosure. It is hard to determine whether this enclosure was connected to the god house because of the present vegetation

PHOTO 10. Partial view of the enclosed court from god house.

As mentioned above, there are several openings leading to the central court, and they all measure between 50-60 cm in width. The main one appears to be located a little off center of the north wall, a second one is located on the east side of the enclosed court, and a third one, connects the enclosed court with the small enclosed space on its east end. Another entryway connects the enclosed court with its god house located towards the shore. Stokes informants specified the uses of the entryways to the court:

PHOTO 11. Southwest end of court enclosure.

The openings in the north wall were passages, the middle one being used by the chief alone, and the west one by those under him. When the chief wished his lieutenant or men to attend they were called and entered the west gate.

Since the number of passages does not correspond with Stokes description, we suppose that his informants mean the chief entered the enclosure by the only entrance located off center on the north wall of the main enclosure, and that others entered the main enclosure through its west opening. The use of the smaller enclosure located forwards the east end of the main enclosure is not explained. The god house was located on the sea side of the structure and probably ran the length of the structure. As in most marae, this area was converted into a cemetery and there are many tombs there, some with coral or basalt curbing, others with basalt uprights prisms. As all this occurred after the marae was abandoned in the 1830s, and the people converted to Christianity, we did not map these tombs in detail.

PHOTO 12. East end of enclosure on god house side

ANA 58 Marae Pioi

Map 4. ANA 58 Marae Pioi

This marae is located on the coastal plain and has been used as a pigsty for a long time. Most of its slabs have fallen and others have been removed, probably used to construct the house right next to the marae. Most of the structure is now covered by a dense growth of hibiscus trees. The marae is located about 30 m away from the fringing reef, and as many other marae located on the coastal plain, it is facing inland and the god house is located on the side by the coast. The marae court measures approximately between 18-20 m long by approximately 10 m wide. The wall slabs are not very large measuring between 40 cm to 1 m high. The interior of the court was paved with well-adjusted irregular basalt slabs measuring 30-40 cm in diameter placed with their flat sides up. Most of the pavement is now gone, some specimens hidden in some small areas covered by soil. We were unable to determine the maraes access or how it connected to the god house because it was very destroyed. The god house was located in an area of sandy soil and its dimensions could not be calculated. The same as most god houses, this one had several tombs near it.

PHOTO 13. Dense cover of wild hibiscus trees enveloping the marae.

Acknowledgments We would like thank Ms. Tamara Maric at the Service de la Culture, for her assistance and help us get all the permissions and papers we needed to carry out our work in Raivavae. An especially warm thanks to Mr. Pita Nati, Director of the Elementary School in Mahanatoa, for his help and enthusiasm in salvaging the ethnological past and for his interest in developing a special school program and other activities promoting Raivavaes Cultural Revival. We also thank our dear friends Rueben and Henriette Paaeho who gave us good conversation and many a good meal, and of course our dear friend Yves Daoulas who shared valuable information with us and bridged the contact with Mr. Nati (and helped us tremendously with our accommodations. Many special thanks to Claudine Teehu and her father, Georges Mahaa and Amede Tevatua for their continuous friendship and help. We would also like to thank very specially all those members of our Foundation who contributed funds towards this and past expeditions to Raivavae. To Frank Weil, Reuben Sandler, Rowland and Patricia Rebelle, Mary G. McGrath, Norman Baker, William M. Crawford, and Lynn Danaher our most sincere thanks. If it had not been for your effort it would not have been possible to return this year to Raivavae. We hope to be able to count on you to help us continue our work in Raivavae. Special Thanks to Bob Lemker, for assuring all the logistics involved and for his continuous support to our research projects. Although we have not been able to accomplish all of our goals yet, because we have encountered more difficulties than expected, we have progressed greatly in our knowledge of Raivavae, and we have made significant discoveries such as two statues, the only new ones found since 1937. We trust we will be a few steps closer to our goals after our September visit. Once again many thanks to all our supporters! The Raivavae Team