Easter Island and the Catholic Church

The roman-catholic church is of interest [1]. The church is located at the far end of Te Pito O Te Henua Road, if you come from the sea side. This time I didn’t have the time to walk by, but I’ll show you the older pictures.

In the mid-1800s Eugène Eyraud (1820 – 23 August 1868) was the first Westerner to live on Easter Island and belonging the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, his intend of living on Easter Island was missionary [2]. The population had been diminished by  smallpox and unluckily Pater Eyraud suffered from tuberculosis, which he spread unto his flock. About a quarter of the population died of tuberculosis. He baptized all of the inhabitants – and died shortly afterwards, of course from tuberculosis, which was beyond medical help back then. However, Eyraud was the first Westerner to have a look at the rongorongo, which are wooden tablets with writings like hieroglyphs. Later Bishop Jaussen of Tahiti made the rongorongo known to the outside world. (I’ll give the kohau Rongorongo a closer look here on this blog later.)

In the 20^th century Father Sebastian Englert (17.11.1888 –08.01.1969),” a Capuchin Franciscan friar, Roman Catholic priest, missionary, linguist and ethnologist from Germany”, had a great influence on the catholic church of Easter Island [3]. The Father Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum is named after him; which I wanted to visit, but had been closed due to the presidential elections in Chile. As Father Sebastian spoke Rapanui, he translated religious songs and texts into Rapanui. He published on Rapanui, both island and language, and I wish, I could read: Englert, S. Idioma rapanui: gramática y diccionario del antiguo idioma de la Isla de Pascua. Santiago de Chile, Universidad de Chile, 1978.

If you want to have a look at today’s church, please look here: [4]. There are other churches as well, also the Mormons are active, but that’s another story.

I've found two places for St. Mary devotionalism, one in
Te Pito O Te Henua Road, near the soccer field, and one near by the sea.

Links and References:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Cross_Church,_Hanga_Roa

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eug%C3%A8ne_Eyraud

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Englert

[4] http://travellina.hu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/easterisland_01-1024x768.jpg

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Following Autumn

Sun and wind

Through mud and fallen leaves

Happy five year old

Gone are the leaves now

The light rain on the tree’s twigs

Fall down in thick drops

City’s glow on clouds

Reflected from fallen leaves

In which something moves

On the beaten car

“Just married” and hearts of love

Withering letters

Red sun descending

The little girl’s red balloon

Ascending

Old pendulum clock

Going on tick-tock tick-tock

Till a sudden end

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Easter Island and Sirolimus

Right now it is Easter Island meets modern medicine. Sirolimus is a macrolide compound, an "has immunosuppressant functions in humans and is especially useful in preventing the rejection of kidney transplants. It inhibits activation of T cells and B cells by reducing the production of interleukin-2 (IL-2)" [1]. There had been an article in German with the title "Easter Island medicine allows mice to get older [2].

You might ask now, what this has to do with Easter Island. Remember that Easter Island's original name is Rapanui. Now, Sirolimus has a second name and this is Rapamycin. The bacterium that produces Rapamycin has been found on Rapanui in 1972. Its' use to prevent the rejection of kidney transplants comes from a lower kidney toxicity when compared to calcineurin inhibitors (this toxicity and the induction of hypertension are two of the reasons why Cyclosporin A isn't much used in Rheumatology nowadays).

Where's the link to my recent trip to Rapanui? I had been hiking from Hanga Roa to Rano Kao and taking the left side walk at the rim of the crater, when I suddenly saw something afar. Actually I've been asking myself in disbelief if someone had put up a honey bucket. Soon this assumption showed to be inaccurate as it is a huge slab of stone mounted on rocks, but it had been unclear for what reason because the brass plate isn't there anymore.

 

The outdoor toilet impression came from 

very much farther away

If you want to see the brass plate, please open this link [3].

Links and References:

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sirolimus

[2] Osterinsel-Medizin lässt Mäuse älter werden, SPIEGEL-Online, 9. Juli 2009

[3] http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=69157

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Blog Frühling in Buenos Aires

Frühling

Der Frühling malt

Mit zarter Feder

In wasserDünnen Farben

Die Leichtigkeit

ÜberFällt uns alle

Geht durch

Das BlütenLicht

Die linde Luft

Das Raunen

Durch die alten Bäume

ErWachet!

ErWachtet,

All ihr Wesen!

Und freut Euch

Mit dem Frühling

VerGessen

Die Bilder

Die das Auge überSah

Vom Hirn

Geritzt in Marmor

Und in den Ozean geworfen

Den Ozean des VerGessens

Jacaranda

Die Leichtigkeit

Der Jacaranda-Blüten

Und gleichZeitig

Ihre Schwere

Nur schwer

Zu erTragen

In leichten Herzen

Aber

Was mag der Stein

Fühlen

Wenn eine Blüte

Auf ihn fällt?

Runden

Das StundenRund

Das KompassRund

Das AugenRund

Die ErdUmRundung

Die StadionUmRundung

Aber nach allen Runden

Ist der Sarg eckig

Das Runde im Eckigen

Ach, das UrnenRund!

Lyrik aus Buenos Aires

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