British Journal of Canadian Studies

The delightful revolution: Canada's medical expedition to Easter Island, 1964-65

British Journal of Canadian Studies (2014), 27, (2), 181–194.

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3828/bjcs.2014.12
Language
English
Pages
14

Abstract

Planned as a study of the isolated inhabitants of the mysterious Easter Island, the 1964 Canadian-led Medical Expedition to Easter Island (METEI) was an example of military and civilian interests uniting to promulgate Canadian values in a global context. Conceived and led by McGill University's Dr Stanley Skoryna, the four-month Expedition was sponsored by the World Health Organization and the Medical Research Council of Canada. Skoryna convinced the Canadian Navy to lend its ship, the HMCS Cape Scott, to the enterprise. Thus on 16 November, the Cape Scott sailed out of Halifax harbour with officers, sailors, physicians, botanists, sociologists, anthropologists and translators aboard. While the scientific team analysed the people, flora and fauna of Easter Island, the crew of the HMCS Cape Scott continued on a goodwill tour of Chile, engaging in soft diplomacy with a country whose newly elected government was implementing comprehensive democratic, social and economic reforms. Unknown to the Canadians, Easter Islanders were increasingly discontented with their colonial status in relation to Chile. Before long the earnest scientists in the expedition were embroiled in a revolution that saw the hijacking of the island's only bulldozer, the fugitive rebel leader hiding within the expedition's compound and gunshots fired on a darkened night. Following the ‘Delightful Revolution’, as it was labelled by Life Magazine, the Easter Islanders had achieved important concessions from the Chilean government and the expedition was able to continue its work. The incident demonstrates how both civilian and military understandings of Canada's role on the international stage evolved with global postcolonial trends.

Access Token

FormatArticle

£25.00
READ THIS ARTICLE
References
Full Text
PDF
If you have private access to this content, please log in with your username and password here

Beighton, Peter, 1996, ‘Easter Island People’, The Geographical Journal, 32:3, 347-57. ‘Easter Island People’ The Geographical Journal 32 347 57 Google Scholar

Boutilier, James A., 1992a, ‘METEI: A Canadian Medical Expedition to Easter Island 1964-1965, Part 1’, Rapa Nui Journal, 6:2, 21-33. ‘METEI: A Canadian Medical Expedition to Easter Island 1964-1965, Part 1’ Rapa Nui Journal 6 21 33 Google Scholar

Boutilier, James A., 1992b, ‘METEI: A Canadian Medical expedition to Easter Island 1964-1965, Part 2’, Rapa Nui Jounal, 6:3, 45-53. ‘METEI: A Canadian Medical expedition to Easter Island 1964-1965, Part 2’ Rapa Nui Jounal 6 45 53 Google Scholar

Delaune, Gregory, 2012, ‘Rapa Nui on the Verge: Easter Island's Struggles with Integration and Globalization in the Information Age’, Berkeley Planning Journal, 25:1, 126-39. ‘Rapa Nui on the Verge: Easter Island's Struggles with Integration and Globalization in the Information Age’ Berkeley Planning Journal 25 126 39 Google Scholar

Diamond, Jared, 2005, Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed (New York: Viking Press). Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed Google Scholar

Fischer, Steven Roger, 2005, Island at the End of the World: The Turbulent History of Easter Island (London: Reaktion Books). Island at the End of the World: The Turbulent History of Easter Island Google Scholar

Hacker, Carlotta, 1965, ‘Aku-Aku and the Medicine Men: The Canadian Medical Expedition Visits Easter Island’, The Canadian Nurse, 61:8, 636-41. ‘Aku-Aku and the Medicine Men: The Canadian Medical Expedition Visits Easter Island’ The Canadian Nurse 61 636 41 Google Scholar

Harrington, Richard, 1971, ‘Easter Island: Navel of the World’, Canadian Geographical Journal, 83:5, 172-88. ‘Easter Island: Navel of the World’ Canadian Geographical Journal 83 172 88 Google Scholar

Hunt, Terry, and Carl Lipo, 2011, The Statues That Walked: Unraveling the Mysteries of Easter Island (New York: Free Press). The Statues That Walked: Unraveling the Mysteries of Easter Island Google Scholar

Komlos, John, and Stanley Ulijaszek, 2010, ‘From a History of Anthropometry to Anthropometric History’, in C. G. Nicholas Mascie-Taylor, Akira Yasukouchi and Stanley Ulijaszek (eds), Human Variation: From the Laboratory to the Field (Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press), pp. 183-98. Human Variation: From the Laboratory to the Field 183 98 Google Scholar

Mydans, Carl, 1966, ‘Expedition to an Idyll’, Life Magazine (4 February), 48-68. ‘Expedition to an Idyll’ Life Magazine 48 68 Google Scholar

Porteous, J. Douglas, 1981, The Modernization of Easter Island, Western Geographical Series 19 (Victoria: Department of Geography, University of Victoria). The Modernization of Easter Island Google Scholar

Preliminary Report: Medical Expedition to Easter Island and HMCS Cape Scott (16 November 1964-17 March 1965), 1965. Available from: www.alsindependence.com/Preliminary_Report_METEI.htm Google Scholar

Reid, Helen, 1965, ‘A Forgotten race is overtaken by the jet age’, Macleans, (12), 29-47. ‘A Forgotten race is overtaken by the jet age’ Macleans 29 47 Google Scholar

Serlin, David, 2004, Replaceable You: Engineering the Body in Postwar America (Chicago: University of Chicago Press). Replaceable You: Engineering the Body in Postwar America Google Scholar

Skoryna, Stanley, 1992, ‘METEI: An Epilogue’, Rapa Nui Journal, 6:4, 69-72. ‘METEI: An Epilogue’ Rapa Nui Journal 6 69 72 Google Scholar

Sneader, Walter, 2005, Drug Discovery: A History (Chichester, UK: John Wiley and Sons). Drug Discovery: A History Google Scholar

Stipp, David, 2012, ‘A New Path to Longevity’, Scientific America (Jan.). Available from: www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-new-path-to-longevity. www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=a-new-path-to-longevity ‘A New Path to Longevity’ Scientific America Google Scholar

If you have private access to this content, please log in with your username and password here

Details

Author details

Tector, Amy