More than seven years of research on oral tradition and ancient chants of Easter Island are reflected in this text, which emphasize its contents by going beyond the formal analysis of musical structure. Information hidden between the lines which offers an alternative interpretation to the intangible heritage of the Rapa Nui culture. Researched material that came directly from the mouth and heart of a Rapa Nui native woman and teacher, María Elena Hotus, a wise heiress of a tradition that had never been translated before. In other words, a historical and social musical compilation dedicated to the formalization of ancestral songs, which are vestiges of the musical memory of the original inhabitants of this territory.
The willingness of María Elena to give and spread her memories through Sofia's knowledge is something very exceptional and makes this book a unique contribution to Rapa Nui's culture. This is much more profound than the rescue of a heritage from the past, it is the greatest contribution to the safeguarding of a legacy that remains alive as it is shared and recreated in each generation, including the inevitable transformations through time.
In this book, oral tradition meets the typing exercise to confirm the urgency of its recovery. The origins and uses of each expression are neatly told in order to highlight their socio-cultural meaning and the relevance of the music to the definition of Rapa Nui's rituality.
