Fritz Felbermayer was born on February 2, 1907, in Stein an der Donau, Austria. He studied economic science and agronomy and was specialized in the processing and manufacture of cigars and cigarettes. He arrived in Chile around 1940 and became a member of the Compañía Chilena de Tabacos de Valparaíso. In Chile he changed his Germanic name for its Spanish version: Federico, with which he signed many publications about Rapa Nui.

In 1946, the Chilean government decided to send a commission of professionals to Easter Island to study the social, economic, and sanitary situation of the population. As an agricultural engineer and member of the tobacco company, Federico Felbermayer was one of the commission's members. Due to the experience of this trip and the fact that since 1940 many young Rapanui people had arrived at Valparaíso by hiding in ships, the “Sociedad de Amigos de la Isla de Pascua (Society of Friends of Easter Island) was founded in Valparaiso one year later. Among its members were the Intendant of the region Humberto Molina Luco and Felbermayer himself, who became the treasurer. From that time on, he continued to cultivate his relations with Rapa Nui society: it is known that he traveled to the island at least four times (between 1949 and 1957) and that he also helped the Rapanui who arrived clandestine in Valparaíso. During each visit on the island, Felbermayer photographed different aspects of Rapa Nui and its people and collected archeological and ethnographic objects - an activity, he also carried out from mainland Chile. Among the Rapanui people who furnished items to Felbermayer were Magdalena Haoa, mother of his friend Rafael Haoa and Juan Tepano, a great connoisseur of the society of the past and an experienced carver. Part of his ethnographic collection was made up of objects acquired in Valparaíso directly from the islanders, like Joaquín Rapu Pua, Lazaro Hotus Ika and Eugenio Huki, among others, or in auctions and antique agencies. His Rapanui collection is currently housed in the Museo Fonck in Viña del Mar. Felbermayer died in Quilpué, Region of Valparaiso, on April 9, 1979, at his home in the El Retiro neighborhood.

Bibliography

Archivos Museo Fonck, Colección Federico Felbermayer.

Haoa Rapahango, Betty and Tania Basterica Brockman. 2018. Rapa Nui & Felbermayer 1946-1953, Viiña del Mar: Rapanui Press.

Muñoz, Diego. 2019. "Romper el encierro: las fugas como micropolítica. Rapa Nui (1940-1960)." Antropologías del Sur 6 (12): 61-86.

 

Betty Haoa Rapahanago is head of library at Museo Fonck.