Easter Island – History Overview according to Erin.
There are a ton of theories surrounding Easter Island and you could go in circles debating them. After spending a week on the island, I am going to try to summarize my version of the island though I do not guarantee any authenticity!
Rapa Nui was an island formed by the eruption of large volcanos which created its land mass. It is one point of a triangular region, the other 2 areas being New Zealand and Hawaii made up on volcanic chains. The legend goes that one of the king’s son in what is presently French polynesia, near Tahiti, was forced to leave the island in search of new territory by his brothers. His advisor dreamed of a land to the east that was empty and had fresh water. The tribe sent 7 explorers who found the isle and returned to share the news. The group took about 15 years to build 2 vessels and set out to settle the new land. They settled on the volcanic land mass around 300 AD and another group, a lower class also from french polynesia arrived shortly after. The first group had royal lines and were referred to as long ears, the other tribe was working class and referred to as short ears.
The royal members of the Long Ears enlisted carvers from the Short Ears tribe to start creating stone sculptures from the islands volcanic rock, in their likeness. These statues, or Moai as they are called, took about 18 months to complete and were commisioned while the person was still alive. After the royal person died, the statue was removed from the quarry and transported to a platform on the island with his ashes buried beneath. The Moai face the land to watch out over their future generations of people. Many of the statues were adorned with a topknot on the head made of red volcanic stone. The Moai got larger and more elaborate as more were erected.
How these immense megaton bodies of stone were moved from the quarry to their platforms is much debated. One theory is that palm trees on the island were cut down and their trunks used to “roll” the statues. It is believed that the topknots were rolled on their sides since they were cylindrical. Eventually, it is believed the islands population grew to about 15,000 people and with most of the trees cutdown and animals caught for food, starvation was an issue. The Short ears are believed to have revolted against the upper class and eventually took control. To destroy the “mana” or soul of the Moai, the short ears toppled every single statue on the island. Thus, by the late 19th century – there were no Moai standing. The short ears even built small walls before they toppled the statues to ensure the necks would snap and heads break off. This ensured the mana was broken.
In the 1700s, explorers landed on the island and made some observations. In the next century, pirates arrived to capture slaves and many of the islanders were sent to a Peruvian island to work processing bird dung as a fertilizer. Among the slaves taken were the learned priests of the island who were the only persons able to interpret the writing of the people which was found on tablets. The only writing known to exist among all polynesian tribes. All these priests died during enslavement so the translation of the tablets was forever lost. Eventually, some of the slaves were freed and returned to the island but they brought disease back to which the locals had no immunity so many of the islanders sucumbed.
In 1888, Chile laid claim to Rapa Nui since it had an extensive seafaring Navy. They outlawed many local practices, customs and native tongue. In 1900, Chile rented the island to England for sheep trade. The English complained when families would steal sheep to feed their starving children so Chile had the military round up all 111 persons left on the island and put them in what is now the only city, Hanga Roa. They put a fence around the area and they were not allowed freedom to roam. Essentially they were treated like livestock themselves. The English rented the island until 1950 when Chile decided not to renew their lease. During that time, the English took many of the rocks from the sacred platforms and buildings to build the rock sheep boundries which still permeate the island.
A tsunami in 1960 devasted many of the platforms on the sea’s edge. Moais were pushed inland and topknots were dragged out to sea. The locals tried to recover as many as possible. In recent years, some of the Moai have been restored to their original platforms with the help of outside intervention. Japan offered cranes and assistance in repairing one of the major platforms and UNESCO oversees restorations. There are over 900 Moai on the island. Over 300 still in the quarry, or ‘nursery’ as it referred to. The Rapa Nui people have lobbied Chile to get their land returned. The coast and Moai platforms are considered National Park but the inland lands have been returned to the respective families and noone except Rapa Nui is allowed to own property on the island – not even Chileans. While they have their land back, it would be difficult to repopulate since their are no utilities anywhere except Hanga Roa. The locals recognized a decline and possible loss of their language and customs in the early 70s and have made an effort to revive them. School is still taught in spanish but many families raise their children speaking Rapa Nui and many of the crafts and festivals have been revived. Much of this is due to tourism. The island’s economy is almost solely dependent on tourism and the traffic comes largely from round the world tickets. If air travel gets more expensive or RTW tickets go away, the island will certainly suffer. There is no other industry and daily life is very expensive considering everything has to arrive by ship or plane from mainland Chile. It is often too costly to send children to college on the mainland and as I was told, Chile is a different world comapred to growing up on Easter Island. While they are Chilean in nationality, their isolation and polynesian roots makes it almost a foreign country.
Isla de Pascua is a unique speck in the pacific ocean. It is a little disappointing in some ways to see the quarries and hear the theories since it dispels some of the mystery of the island. But, actually being there, seeing it up and close and personal and meeting all the descendents of these amazing craftsman is indescribable. Fascinating country – amazing people – great sunsets and skies can not ask for much more in a destination….
Tags: Travel
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