True Easter Island story
Easter Island covers approximately 64 square miles in the South Pacific, located about 2,300 miles off Chile's west coast and 2,500 miles east of Tahiti. Known as Rapa Nui for its first inhabitants, the island was named by Dutch explorers as Paaseiland or Easter Island in honor of their day of arrival in 1722. Chile annexed it in the late nineteenth century and now maintains a largely tourist economy
Easter Island's most infamous claim is the existence of nearly 900 giant stone figures dating back many centuries. The statues reveal their creators as brilliant artisans and engineers, and they are distinctive among other stone sculptures found in Polynesian cultures. There has been much speculation about the exact purpose of the statues, the role they played in the ancient civilization of Easter Island and the way they may have been built and transferred.
History of Easter Island
Rapa Nui's first inhabitants - the Polynesian name for Easter Island and its Spanish name, Island de Pasqua - are believed to have arrived in an organized group of immigrants. Archeology dates their arrival between 700 and 800 AD, while linguists estimate it to be around 400. Tradition suggests that Rapa Nui's first king was Hutu Matua, a governor from a Polynesian subgroup, and possibly from the Marquesas Islands, whose ship passed thousands of miles before landing in Anakina, one of the few sandy beaches on the island's rocky coast
The greatest evidence of the rich culture developed by the indigenous settlers of Rapa Nui and their descendants is the existence of approximately 900 giant stone statues discovered in various locations around the island, as well as an average elevation of 13 feet, 4 meters and a weight of 13 tons. These huge stone statues, known as the Moai, have been carved from the Tuv, light and porous rocks formed from the unified volcanic ash and placed on celebratory stone platforms called ahus. It remains unclear exactly why the statues were built in such numbers and on this scale, or how they were moved throughout the island.
Stages of island culture
Archeological excavations on Easter Island reveal three distinct cultural stages: the early (700-850 m), the middle (1050-1680) and the late (post-1680). Between the early and medium periods, evidence shows that many of the early statues were deliberately destroyed and rebuilt, such as the larger and heavier Moai, which is famous for the island
During the Middle Period, House also contained burial chambers. The images Moai photographed are believed to represent important figures who were deposed after death. The largest statue found dates back to the Middle Period and is about 32 feet high and consists of a single mass weighing about 82 tons (74,500 kilograms)
The late period of the island's civilization was also marked by civil wars and public destruction. More statues were toppled and many of the matas or lashings dating back to that period were found. The island's traditions claim that around 1680, after peaceful coexistence for many years, one of the island's two main groups, known as the Short Ears, rebelled against long ears and many were burned to death in a holocaust built along an old trench in Poike on the island's far north-east coast.
Strangers in Easter Island
The first known European visitor to Easter Island was the Dutch explorer Jacob Rogevin, who arrived in 1722. The Dutch launched on the island of Basiland, Easter Island, to celebrate their day of arrival in 1770. The Spanish Vice-King in Peru sent an expedition to the island. The explorers spent four days on the beach, and the indigenous population was estimated at 3,000 people
Just four years later, British navigator Sir James Cook arrived to find the Easter Islanders decimated by what appeared to be a civil war, with only 600 to 700 men and less than 30 women left
French navigator Jean-François de Galup Comte de la Beyrouz found 2,000 people on the island when he arrived in 1786. There was a major slave raid from Peru in 1862, followed by smallpox epidemics, which reduced the population to just 111 in 1877. By then, Catholic missionaries had settled on Easter Island and began converting the population to Christianity - a process that was completed in the late nineteenth century
In 1888, Chile annexed Easter Island and leased much land for sheep-raising. The Chilean Government appointed a civil governor for Easter Island in 1965, and the islanders became full Chilean citizens.
Easter Island today
Easter Island has been formed by a series of volcanic eruptions, in addition to its mountainous terrain, and contains many subterranean caves that extend deep into the volcanic rock mountains. The largest volcano on the island is known as Rano Kao, and the highest point is Terevaka Mountain, which rises to 165 feet (507.5 meters) above sea level. It also has a subtropical climate (sunny and dry) and moderate weather
There is no natural port on Easter Island, but the ships can dock off Hanga Roa on the west coast, as it is the largest village on the island and has a population of about 3,300. In 1995, UNESCO classified Easter Island as a World Heritage site and is now home to a mixed but mostly Polynesian population, with long-eared grandchildren and short ears, speaking Spanish in general. The island has developed a highly tourism-dependent economy.
The truth of what happened to the trees on the island
Recently, a picture emerged of a prehistoric population that was successful and lived sustainably on the island through the European contact. It was generally agreed that Rapa Nui, which was covered with large palm trees, would continue to do so. Unfortunately, it was rapidly removed shortly after its initial colonization, at around 1,200 AD. And, though precise plant evidence, such as pollen-grain analysis, suggests that the palm forest has quickly disappeared, the human population may be only partly to blame
The early Polynesian colonists brought along another culprit, the Polynesian rat. It may be that rats ate both palm nuts and trees, preventing forests from growing again. But, despite deforestation, research on prehistoric diet Rapanui found that they consumed more seafood and were more sophisticated and adaptable farmers than previously thought.