French Artist Finds a Home on Easter Island

French Artist Finds a Home on Easter Island

　　Rapa Nui, widely known as Easter Island, is a Chilean territory in the Pacific Ocean. The island is home to a French-born artist who is offering beautiful gifts to the island's Roman Catholic¹ Church.

　　The artist, Delphine Poulain, was born in Paris 52 years ago and has been in love with Rapa Nui since she first visited in 1994. She smiled remembering her decision. "I was riding a horse through the beach when I first ... thought ‘I want to live here,'" she said.

　　Poulain said she loves the freedom and the peace provided² by the island, which is home to about 7,700 people.

　　Last year, Poulain offered a gift: stained³-glass windows representing important moments leading to and including the crucifixion of Jesus Christ⁴. The windows show the 14 Stations of the Cross. They were a gift to Holy Cross Church in Hanga Roa, the island's main city.

　　The Rapanui community is mostly Catholic, but its religious activities are mixed with its ancestral beliefs.

　　The music that people sing during church events describe biblical stories translated to the Rapanui language. The wooden statues that show Christian⁵ figures such as the Virgin⁶ Mary and the Holy Spirit are unlike Western images. Instead, they were influenced by the art of the islanders' ancestors.

　　The statue of Mary, near the altar of the church, looks like ancient human figures known as moai. Close to the main entrance, the third symbol of the Holy Trinity is not a dove⁷, but a manutara -- a bird that was considered holy more than 120 years ago.

　　The Rapanui people are protective⁸ of their identity⁹. They sometimes welcome foreigners only if they work to learn about the islanders' culture. On a burial place, or tomb, where the remains¹⁰ of missionary¹¹ Sebastián Englert are kept, the writing says: "He lived among us and spoke¹² our language."

　　Poulain said that winning acceptance¹³ from the local people was not easy, but she has been patient. Her stained-glass windows were another step. Since she began placing them in the church on December 24, 2021, some Rapanui who did not communicate with her before now wave their hand when they see her pass.

　　"I have so much respect for the island and the people," she said. "Before I was alone, but now people know my husband and my children."

　　Poulain's desire to become part of the island is clear in her daily life. Her family lives near the beach on the coast. The color of their house is similar to the color of the area's rocks. The water used at their home is collected from rain. The family uses a solar energy collector for electricity.

　　When Poulain's family moved here, they only had a tent to protect themselves. Now their house stores many things the island has given them.

　　The top of the house was built with metal and the rest with wood. The dishes are washed on what used to be the bottom of a bathtub; above the dining room is a light that was once a metal waste can.

　　"There has been a lot of difficulty, but also a lot of happiness. This was my dream and living your dream is incredible," Poulain said.

　　Words in This Story

　　stained glass – n. colored glass that is used to make pictures and patterns in windows

　　translate –v. to change words from one language into another language

　　figure –n. a form representing a person

　　altar –n. a table or raise structure in a church used in Christian religious ceremonies

　　symbol –n. an object that represents an idea or quality

　　missionary – n. a person who is sent to a foreign country to do religious work (such as to convince¹⁴ people to join a religion or to help people who are sick, poor, etc.)

　　tent – n. a portable¹⁵ shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth (such as canvas¹⁶ or nylon), and is held up with poles and ropes

　　bathtub – n. a large and long container in which people take baths or showers

1 catholic   

adj.天主教的；n.天主教徒

参考例句：

• The Pope is the supreme leader of the Roman Catholic Church.教皇是罗马天主教的最高领袖。
• She was a devoutly Catholic.她是一个虔诚地天主教徒。

2 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

3 stained   

adj.污染的，玷污的

参考例句：

• My dress was stained. 我的连衣裙弄上了污渍。
• The doors are then stained and varnished. 这些门还要染色涂清漆。

4 Christ   

n.基督，救世主，耶稣

参考例句：

• I regarded him as the Christ.我把他当作救世主。
• Christ preached that we should love each other.基督在布道中说人们应该互爱。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 virgin   

n.处女，未婚女子；adj.未经使用的；未经开发的

参考例句：

• Have you ever been to a virgin forest?你去过原始森林吗？
• There are vast expanses of virgin land in the remote regions.在边远地区有大片大片未开垦的土地。

7 dove   

n.鸽，温和派人物，“鸽派”人物

参考例句：

• A dove is often used as a symbol of peace.鸽常作为和平的象征。
• Paul seemed more impressed by the dove.保尔似乎对鸽子更感兴趣。

8 protective   

adj.防护的，保护的

参考例句：

• A mother naturally feels protective towards her children.做母亲的天生要保护自己的孩子。
• We feel safe with a protective device in the house.我们因为家里有了防护装置而感到安全。

9 identity   

n.身份，本体，特征；同一(性)，一致

参考例句：

• He never revealed his identity.他从未暴露过自己的身份。
• He showed his identity card and went in.他把工作证亮了一下就进去了。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 missionary   

adj.教会的，传教(士)的；n.传教士

参考例句：

• She taught in a missionary school for a couple of years.她在一所教会学校教了两年书。
• I hope every member understands the value of missionary work. 我希望教友都了解传教工作的价值。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 acceptance   

n.接受，接收，验收，接纳；承认，认可

参考例句：

• The new laws gained widespread acceptance.新法令受到广泛赞同。
• It took years for Einstein's theory to gain acceptance.爱因斯坦的理论经过多年才被人们接受。

14 convince   

vt.使确认，使信服；使认识错误

参考例句：

• It requires a lot of talking to convince him.要说服他很费口舌。
• I have given over trying to convince him.我已经不再试图说服他了。

15 portable   

adj.轻便的，手提式的；n.便携的东西

参考例句：

• I have a portable typewriter.我有一个便携式打字机。
• There is a pretty portable pair of steps in one corner of the room.屋角放着一架小巧玲珑的折梯。

16 canvas   

n.粗帆布，一块油画布

参考例句：

• The times that people used canvas boat have become history.人们用帆船的时代已成为历史。
• Smith painted an oil painting on the canvas.史密斯在画布上画了一幅油画。