Chile Officials Call for Easter Island Moai Statues' Return From British Museum

Officials from Chile, along with campaigners and activists, are calling on the British Museum to return two Moai statues to Easter Island after the museum's Instagram page was bombarded with calls to return these two statues.

The calls were echoed by Chilean president Gabriel Boric, as well as several high-profile Chilean influencers, including Mike Milfort, as they joined the calls for the Moai statues' return to Chile on social media.

Yahoo! News reported that the British Museum has two Moai statues on display. They are the Hoa Hakananai'a, the large stone statue, and a smaller stone statue called the Moai Hava. These statues were taken from Easter Island, which is part of Chile, by British surveyors in 1868. Activists claim that these two statues were stolen by the British.

The British Museum, meanwhile, defended its continued possession of the two Moai statues, with Connor Watson, a senior press officer for the British Museum, saying in a statement that the museum has "good and open relations with colleagues in Rapa Nui."

He added that "regular visits take place between Rapa Nui colleagues and museum collaborators." He claimed that "these events have strengthened relationships with the community, and laid the foundation for further collaborations." However, the statement did not stop the calls on social media for the return of these statues.

British Museum Social Media Account Bombarded With Calls to Return Moai Statues to Chile

The movement to call for the return of these statues was started by social media influencer Mike Milfort, who has 7.5 million followers on TikTok, according to CNN. This led many to flood Instagram posts by the British Museum with phrases such as "Devuelvan el moai," or "give the moai back."

The museum had to deactivate comments on one post, which was about its youth outreach program. Regarding this, the museum released a statement, saying, "We welcome debate, but this has to be balanced against the need for safeguarding considerations, especially where young people are concerned."

Tarita Alarcón Rapu, the then-governor of Easter Island, previously appealed to the UK government in 2018 to return the Moai statues. He stated that the English "have our soul." He also expressed that a loan arrangement could be agreed if the British Museum wants to keep the statues on display.

What Are the Easter Island Moai Statues?

The Hoa Hakananai'a, which means lost friend, is one of only 14 basalt Moai statues ever made on Easter Island. This makes it special. It was also in the possession of Queen Victoria who gave it to the British Museum after receiving it as a gift.

According to the BBC, these statues date back to between 1400 and 1650 AD and were said to embody the spirit of a prominent ancestor. It is part of the heritage of Easter Island, also known as Rapa Nui, and there have been calls for the museum to return these statues.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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