Easter Island
Laurie Evans
Easter Island or Rapa Nui is a mysterious and much speculated site. It is one of the most remote places on Earth, located in the Pacific Ocean 2200 miles off the coast of Chile. The island is small, 63 square miles in size and has volcanoes that rise to 1500 feet. It is triangular in shape and the volcanoes are placed in each corner.
click here for a map of Easter Island
Easter Island is most known for it's unexplicable giant statues called moai (the platforms they stand on are called ahus). There are 800 to 1,000 stone figures are scattered over the island, and are typically depictive of a male figure with "and elongated head, thin lips, convex forehead, with the arms pressed tightly to the hips"(Wilson,pg.95). The large, obviously sacred statues are mysterious because their origin is unknown. Many questions have surrounded them for years. How did people get to this remote island? Why did they carve these monolithic statues? Why are some statues standing and some not? How was the carving and transporting of these massive statues done?
one of the Moai statues
click here for more pictures of Moai
There are very few clues that help solve these questions, but there are many theories. "Maybe the islanders originally came from Peru, since stonework and plant samples strongly resemble those from Incan South America. Maybe Polynesians, in their legendary search for new islands, settled here as they did in Hawaii. Some even believe that Space Aliens landed and inspired the natives to carve the moai in their likeness."webtravel.com
Most archeaological evidence indicates that Polynesians discovered the island around 400AD and developed an impressive culture. The islanders carved the statues and used the Rongorongo script; the only written language in Oceania. The islanders also carved petroglyphs as well as other traditional crafts such as wood carvings.
It is believed that the downfall of the island occured years after the first settlers arrived when the population reached it's peak at more than 10,000, exceeding the capabilities of the small island's ecosystem. In the 1700's resources became scarce, forests were cut down for agriculture and for rollers to move the statues. Without the trees, the bird and animal life dissapeared, and there were no logs to build canoes for fishing. Crop yeilds declined because of the erosion of soil, and famine and eventually canibalism set in amoung the islanders. Chaos resulted amoung the peoples and the population dropped to between one-quarter and one-tenth of it's origional population. Years later, the remaining islanders were captured for slaves in Peru.
Experts believe that the ilanders spent most of their time creating the moai. They would first sketch out the shape of the moai and then chip away the rock until it was held by a thin "keel". Then they would break away the keel and slide the moai down the slope where it would be decorated. The moai would next be transported to it's proposed location. There are many sites on the island where this action was taking place.
one of the unfinished Moai
Archeaologists are still unsure of the purpose of the moai. They are assumed to be depictions of deceased chiefs, heroes, or gods. Each moai sits on a ahu or platform where a tribal hero was buried, and the statues seem to transfer power to the person who planned it's creation. There are different types of moai. Some have topknots made of red rock, others have coral eyes, and some have carvings on their backs. These differences may suggest societal and cultural changes over time. It is also believed that because the statues are male, the society was based on the ideaology of the male. Although the meaning behind Easter Island and it's giant statues is questionable, the fact that the site is a sacred place is certain. The moai were a large part of the islanders' religious practices.
one of the Moai with coral eyes and red topknot
Another interesting feature of Easter Island is the history of the Birdman Cult. Many believe it bagan as a competition between tribes. The ritual occured every year when a particular type of bird (the sooty tern) came to nest on a small island off the coast. Every year, an individual from each tribe was selected to swim to the island to get the first egg, tye it to his forehead and then swim back to the island. The first representative back won his cheif the title of Birdman of the year. Many of the petroglyphs around the island's volcanoes depict this ritual. Rocks found at the restored village of Orongo contain 150 carvings showing figures with a man's body and a bird's head.
click here for another Polynesian legend
Although Easter Island is said to be one of the most interesting archaeological sites, it is the least visited. The reports of the people who do visit the island say that the place has a type of spiritual prescence. One tourist writes, "On the summit of the Rano Raraku volcano, I recieved one of my first messages from the earth spirit." It seems to be a mysterious and powerful site.
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