ABSTRACT
For many indigenous communities, sustainable development depends on our ability to balance the best of modern technology with the collective wisdom of generations of a culture that have learned to thrive in a unique natural environment. Rapa Nui, the most isolated inhabited island on the planet, offers an extreme and powerful example of the challenges and opportunities that arise for applied archaeology as an indigenous community braces itself for rapid economic growth and development. For nearly 20 years, the Terevaka Archaeological Outreach (TAO) program—a 501(c)(3) organization—has developed innovative projects to assist local high school students on Rapa Nui in blending traditional and modern knowledge. This chapter presents three examples of original research/education design that encourage students to consider archaeological inquiry as a method for incorporating traditional knowledge in their approach to sustainable development.
