Terevaka Archaeological Outreach (TAO) 2019 Field Report: Creating Digital Access to Cultural Heritage

Since 2003, Terevaka Archaeological Outreach (TAO, Founded by Dr. Britton Shepardson) has offered unique experiential learning activities to raise awareness regarding cultural and natural resources on Rapa Nui, to promote conservation initiatives, and to conduct original research regarding the island's prehistoric human–environment interactions. TAO has now offered educational experiences for more than 250 local island high school students and built a robust collaborative network with the local Museo Antropológico Padre Sebastián Englert (MAPSE), Hotel Explora Rapa Nui, and a variety of governmental and non-governmental institutions. In 2019, TAO students focused on two distinct projects: (1) the metric and photographic documentation of matā or obsidian blades in the MAPSE collection; and (2) the development of an interactive virtual exploration website for an interior region of the island that is rich with archaeological heritage.