I ♥ T-Shirts: The Tall Ship Moai

Comfortable, practical, and these days the only accessory you need to make a statement, it's hard to imagine a world without the ubiquitous T-shirt. I ♥ T-Shirts takes a subjective approach to this modern fashion phenomenon with each post dealing with a favorite shirt.

Shirt: The Tall Ship Moai
Designer: The tag disappeared months ago
Price: I don't remember but approximately US$25
Purchased: January 2006 at Mataveri International Airport (Hanga Roa, Rapa Nui)
Status: Still goin' strong!

Last month's I ♥ T-Shirts post was about a well-worn souvenir from Spain that I begrudgingly retired in Chile at the end of 2005. That shirt, the Toro Sombra, was soon replaced by a new fave, which I picked up on the second leg of that Chilean trip. After a week in mainland Chile, Emiana and I jetted over to Rapa Nui (aka Easter Island) for the rest of our adventure. With that visit, a life long dream had been realized. In fact, that trip moved me so much that I wrote a book about the experience and started a news blog about Rapa Nui.

Among the more-than-usual number of souvenirs that I purchased in Rapa Nui, I picked up a very cool T-shirt. I got the shirt on our last day while waiting at the airport for our flight back to Santiago. I remember being so incredibly bummed about having to leave the island. I was antsy as we waited to board our flight. I paced from one souvenir shop to another, buying a few tchotchkes here and there in a feeble attempt to hold onto my island time a little longer. While shopping, my attention was drawn to a white graphic on a navy T-shirt hanging from the ceiling of one of the shops. The image depicted one of the island's more unique moai, one with a rudimentary drawing of a European tall ship carved onto it's belly. The bold image of the stoic statue was framed by Rongorongo script, Rapa Nui's bizarre hieroglyphic text that has yet to be conclusively deciphered.

Does the carving of the tall ship mark the moment of European contact? Was it an act of graffiti or made with the sanction of whomever made such decisions?

These were the questions I asked myself when I saw the actual statue in situ at the island's Rano Raraku quarry. These same questions returned to the fore of my thoughts when I spotted the shirt. Whenever I see it stacked in my closet among my other shirts, I remember those questions and the wonder of that mysterious island. Luckily, it's super comfy and pretty durable because I'm apt to choose it over most of my other T-shirts. It's fun to go about my day, wearing a bit of mystery while holding onto my island time just a little longer.

Photography by Emiana © 2007

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I ♥ T-Shirts is sponsored by Chongolio's Lost-Isle.