From 1935 for more than 30 years until his death, Father Sebastian worked as a missionary priest on
Rapa Nui (
Easter Island). At the time, he was perhaps the only non-Rapa Nui to have mastered their language. Although he celebrated
Mass in
Latin, he preached, heard
confessions and
catechized the faithful in the Rapa Nui language. He also translated popular
Catholic devotions into Rapa Nui and encouraged native religious song. In 1964, he produced a history of the early activity of the French
Sacred Hearts missionaries who first evangelized the island. Given the isolation of Rapa Nui during the period before air travel, Father Sebastian researched the language, ethnology and anthropology of Easter Island. His knowledge of Rapa Nui culture and prehistory impressed the scientific staff of the
Norwegian Archaeological Expedition of 1955.
William Mulloy, a member of that expedition, writes: :"I retain a sharp memory of a day shortly after our arrival, when he was asked to summarize his views of the local prehistory in a lecture to the expedition archaeologists. He presented a beautifully organized exposition based largely on his interpretations of painstakingly collected local genealogies and traditions. I wrote down everything I could..." He described numerous "
Mapuche - Rapa Nui
cognates". Among these are the Mapuche/Rapa Nui words
toki/
toki (axe),
kuri/
uri (black) and
piti/
iti (little). In 1963, Fr. Sebastian was awarded the
Bundesverdienstkreuz (Federal Cross of Merit) First Class by the
Federal Republic of Germany. He died in
New Orleans, Louisiana in 1969 during a lecture tour of the
United States. His remains were returned to Rapa Nui and interred in the cemetery in the
Tahai district, but were later transferred to the site of Holy Cross Church in
Hanga Roa. In his will, he left all his books, his writings and his collection of native artifacts to the Government of Chile with the intention of forming a museum, but it wasn't until 1994 that the
Father Sebastian Englert Anthropological Museum (MAPSE) was opened under the Chilean Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums (DiBAM). His papers, along with those of other researchers in Rapanui culture, are in the
Biblioteca William Mulloy, which is administered by MAPSE. ==Publications==