Delegation from Easter Island

The delegation included six representatives from Easter Island, or Rapa Nui as it is locally known, among them Carlos Edmunds Paoa, the leader of the Rapa Nui Council of Elders, and former governor Laura Tarita Rapu Alarcón.

Both were present at an event at the National Library in Santiago in 2019 when the historic agreement to begin the repatriation was signed during The King and Queen's state visit to Chile. During the event, His Majesty King Harald was presented with a miniature of a moai statue as a gift from Laura Tarita Rapu Alarcón, who was then the governor of the island. Moai is the term for the enormous stone statues for which the island is renowned.

The King and Queen were reunited with the former governor of Easter Island, Laura Tarita Rapu Alarcón. Foto: Lise Åserud / NTB

Also present at the audience in The Royal Palace’s Private Dining Room were Paula Valenzuela Contreras, Director of the Rapa Nui Museum, and Chilean National Heritage Director Nélida Pozo Kudo, who will later today sign the transfer document confirming the repatriation. Liv Heyerdahl represented the Kon-Tiki Museum at the audience.

The King welcomes the delegation from Easter Island and Chile to Norway. Foto: Lise Åserud / NTB

The delegation consisted of six representatives from Easter Island, the Chilean National Heritage Director Nélida Pozo Kudo, and the Director of the Kon-Tiki Museum, Liv Heyerdahl. Photo: H.M. The Queen.

Thor Heyerdahl's Expedition to Easter Island

The background for this repatriation dates back to 1955, when the Norwegian explorer Thor Heyerdahl—already known for his Kon-Tiki and Galapagos expeditions—embarked on a new journey, this time to Easter Island.

In agreement with Chilean authorities, Heyerdahl brought several artifacts and remains back to Norway and the Kon-Tiki Museum for further study and conservation. The agreement was that the materials would be returned once the research was completed, and now—several decades later—these cultural treasures are being brought back to the island.

Thor Heyerdahl Jr. and the Chilean National Heritage Director Carlos Maillet sign the repatriation agreement in Santiago in 2019. Foto: Heiko Junge / NTB

Historic Repatriation

The process of repatriating Ivi tupuna—the remains of ancestors—from the Kon-Tiki Museum to Easter Island has been carried out in close collaboration with the Rapa Nui community and Chilean authorities. The original 2019 agreement acknowledges the Rapa Nui community’s cultural heritage and its right to care for its own historical artifacts.

In honor of the repatriation, a ceremony will be held at the Kon-Tiki Museum later today, with representatives from Chilean authorities, the Rapa Nui community, and the Kon-Tiki Museum in attendance.

The King and Queen visited Easter Island in the spring of 2014 – a visit that made a great impression. Photo: The Royal Court.