Remote Possibilities: Hoa Hakananai’a and HMS Topaze on Rapa Nui

This paper is a considerably revised version of the 1992 British Museum Occasional Paper No. 73 by the same author. The book describes how, when and by whom Hoa Hakanai'a was collected. It also reconstructs the underlying Rapanui aesthetic and social structure that produced Hoa Hakanai'a , and which has been obscured by time and historic accident.