LURE OF THE PACIFIC.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18364, 3 April 1923, Page 6

LURE OF THE PACIFIC.

RESEARCHES BY EXPLORERS.

LONELY GAMBIER GROUP.

LIFE AT EASTER ISLAND.

Thousands of miles of ocean separate j Easter Island, in the South Pacific, from I the Solomon Group; yet there are certain facts which would seem to indicate the possibility that in the dim ages of the past there existed some direct association , between the two regions. That is a theory which Mrs.- Scoresby Routledge advanced yesterday when seen on board the Makura, in which steamer she is a through passenger from Sydney to Vancouver. Mr. and Mrs. Scoresby Routledge are well known in exploring circles, more particularly in regard to the series of investigations which they conducted a few years ago«at Easter Lsland, that lonely spot which is famous for its mysterious carved stone figures. Their researches at that island tended but to whet their appetite for further exploration on similar lines, and subsequently they spent 18 months in the islands of French Oceania, Irving for well over a year on Mangareva, tho largest of the Gambier Group. These islands "lie 900 miles south-east from Tahiti, and, apart from Pitcairn Island, with its colony of Bounty descendants, they are the nearest inhabited group to Easter Island. To carry out their long research a small schooner, under the command of a Tahitian mariner, was chartered. On the way from Tahiti tho vessel touched at the Austral Islands and also at Rapa, and then went on to the Gambier Group. The skipper of tho schooner apparently failed to pick np Mangareva, or passed the island by, and then, putting about, finally dropped anchor at the scientists' desired haven after a lapse of 13 days.' The desire of Mr. and Mrs. Routledge was to discover, if possible, traces of the same culture as they had been investigating at Easter Island. Tradition and legend tended to show a connection between Mangareva and Easter Island, and stories, of three or four migrations from the main Gambier Island to Easter Island are current. During their research work at Mangareva Mr. and Mrs. Routledge lived ashore. As contrasted with Easter Island, there appeared to be no archaelogical remains of note in Mangareva, nor, as far as could be ascertained, had there ever been any. : * Referring particularly to Easter Island, Mrs. Routledge said that one of the most interesting discoveries was in regard to an 'ancient bird-cult among the natives. In the spring time a certain migratory sea bird comes to the island, and the great ambition of the natives appeared to have been to be the first to discover one of this bird's eggs. Whoever made this '■ discovery was the "great man" for a! year, and \he gave his name to the year. That, says Mrs. Routledgo, was the native method of chronology. At Easter Island there are carvings on the rock of figures representing a creature part man and part bird, and the nearest analogy to these quaint rude carvings is to be found in the Solomon Islands. One point of outstandipg interest which the exploration of Mr. and Mrs. Routledge brought out was that there was so much more oi the Melanesian element at Easter Island than had hitherto been supposed. The Solomon Islanders are purely Melanesian, and taking all the data into consideration, the question naturally arises as to what, if' any, was the relation between the two widely separated places many centuries ago. .various scientists are now making close investigation into the origin, history, and traditions of the Pacific peoples, and although Mrs. Routledge cannot now state definitely whether or not she and her husband will be undertaking further exploration work among the islands in the near future, she indicated pretty clearly her keen , interest .in such research work by saying that she would very much like to go back to Easter Island.