The Island of Rapa Nui is also known as Easter Island, a name given by colonists, not the indigenous people. This island is famous worldwide for enormous human heads (known as moai) carved by the people of Rapa Nui and found throughout the island. In November of 1868 a British ship came to the island and removed the statue, took it back to England and gifted it to the Queen. The statue is known to the people of Rapa Nui as Hoa Hakananai'a or "Stolen Friend". Stolen Friend now resides at the British Museum, although several attempts have been made by the government in Rapa Nui to get him back. He is one of the most spiritually important Moai and his return would signify a ruinification of the statue with it's people and their ancestoral roots.

       If Statues Wore Sneakers is a lighthearted, whimsical story about Stolen Friend and his imagined attempts to get home. It is also a valuable tool for teaching children history, geography and current events.  

Photographs from my travels to Rapa Nui

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