ZECO TRAVEL TALK

In an effort to promote the understanding and preservation of the unique cultural heritage and fragile environments of the remote islands of the Pacific Ocean, Zegrahm lecturer and Explorers Club member Edmundo Edwards of Easter Island, along with Lynn Danaher of Friday Harbor, Washington, have created the Pacific Islands Research Institute (PIRI), a 501c3 non-profit. Joined by Dr. Nancy Sullivan, also an Explorers Club member of Madang, Papua New Guinea, Edmundo established camps and contacts with the local people of the Upper Karawari region of Papua New Guinea—the tribe whose lifestyle and culture they plan to further study. They also completed a study of the remarkable cave paintings in the area. In 2009 they will return to a more remote valley to study and make “first contact” with the Meakambut tribe of hunter-gathers to record and film their rituals, cave paintings, and the everyday life of this pristine culture.

The long-term plan for PIRI is to impart knowledge of the special environments, history, and varied cultures of the Pacific islands through a series of educational programs— including slideshow lectures, documentary films, and photography exhibits. Current efforts are focused on the some of the most remote islands of the Pacific: Raivavae, in the Austral Group, Rapa Nui (Easter Island), and Papua New Guinea. To date, a documentary film about Raivavae and Papua New Guinea is in post-production and they are compiling a collection of more than 8,000 photographs into an ethnographic record of Raivavae and the cave paintings of Papua New Guinea. Edmundo’s 35 years of research on Rapa-Nui will be translated from Spanish, his native tongue, into English. Future plans include offering lecture presentations and film documentation to the general public and school groups with the committed belief that education is the only means toward understanding the importance of preservation and continued research in these remote isolated environments. The PIRI web page is currently under construction but the address will be www.pacificislandsresearchinstitute.org.

For questions, more information or to make a contribution, please call or email Lynn Danaher, President, PIRI @ tel: 360-378-6692 or e-mail: islandlynx@aol.com