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COSIMO CLASSICS The Mystery of Easter Island by Katherine Pease Routledge
We set to work to excavate some of the statues which stood on the slope of the Raraku mountain. The natives were entirely indifferent whether they worked or not but by paying high wages and giving any quantity of mutton we were able at this time to get a certain amount of precarious labour for digging and camp work. The whole lot including my maidservant went in for every weekend to the village and it was always a matter of anxiety to know whether they would ever return. from Chapter XII Western anthropologys first indepth look at an isolated culture is also a daring adventure story of aroundtheworld travel. In February 1913 archaeologist Katherine Routledge set sail on a custombuilt yachtwith a small crew and the support of British Association for the Advancement of Science the British Museum and the Royal Geographical Societyfor Easter Island where she embarked up the first effort to catalogue the islands mysterious statues interview the natives and document their culture folklore and traditions. Her scholarship is impeccablethis 1919 work is still considered foundationalbut her lively writing and her practical perspective make this a delightful read that thrill armchair travelers and amateur ethnographers alike. British archaeologist KATHERINE ROUTLEDGE (18661935) studied at Oxford University. She also wrote With Prehistoric People (1910) about her experiences in Africa after the Boer War.show more