What is the history behind Easter Island?

Question

I would like the people, religon, ect...

Answer 1

Easter Island has long been the subject of curiosity and speculation. How and why did its inhabitants carve and transport the massive statues which surround the island? What remains of this culture today, and what lessons can we learn from their legacy? This page is a resource for information on the Internet about Easter Island, also known as "Rapa Nui" and "Isla de Pascua".


For a detailed index of links from this page: Click Here


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Easter Island is over 2,000 miles from the nearest population center, (Tahiti and Chile), making it one of the most isolated places on Earth. A triangle of volcanic rock in the South Pacific - it is best known for the giant stone monoliths, known as Moai, that dot the coastline. The early settlers called the island "Te Pito O Te Henua" (Navel of The World). Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter Day in 1722, named it Easter Island. Today, the land, people and language are all referred to locally as Rapa Nui.

There has been much controversy and confusion concerning the origins of the Easter Islanders. Thor Heyerdahl proposed that the people who built the statues were of Peruvian descent, due to a similarity between Rapa Nui and Incan stonework. Some have suggested that Easter Island is the remnant of a lost continent, or the result of an extra-terrestrial influence . Archaeological evidence, however, indicates discovery of the island by Polynesians at about 400 AD - led, according to legend, by Hotu Matua. Upon their arrival, an impressive and enigmatic culture began to develop. In addition to the statues, the islanders possessed the Rongorongo script; the only written language in Oceania. The island is also home to many petroglyphs (rock carvings), as well as traditional wood carvings, tapa (barkcloth) crafts, tattooing, string figures, dance and music.


Click Here for a sample of Rapa Nui Music


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The population of Easter Island reached its peak at perhaps more than 10,000, far exceeding the capabilities of the small island's ecosystem. Resources became scarce, and the once lush palm forests were destroyed - cleared for agriculture and moving the massive stone Moai. In this regard, Easter Island has become, for many, a metaphor for ecological disaster.

Thereafter, a thriving and advanced social order began to decline into bloody civil war and, evidently, cannibalism. Eventually, all of the Moai standing along the coast were torn down by the islanders themselves. All of the statues now erected around the island are the result of recent archaeological efforts.

Contacts with western "civilization" proved even more disastrous for the island population which, through slavery and disease, had decreased to approximately 110 by the turn of the century. Following the annexation by Chile in 1888, however, it has risen to more than 2,000, with other Rapanui living in Chile, Tahiti and North America. Despite a growing Chilean presence, the island's Polynesian identity is still quite strong .



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Easter Island today, remains one of the most unique places you will ever encounter; an open air museum showcasing a fascinating, but unfortunately lost, culture. The Rapanui are among the friendliest people you will ever meet, and the landscape is truly amazing - with its volcanic craters, lava formations, beaches, brilliant blue water, and archaeological sites .
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GETTING THERE
Lan Chile flies to Easter Island, with flights operating between Santiago, Chile and Papeete,Tahiti. Airfare from Santiago,Chile to Easter Island and back costs approximately $800 US. There are several companies who can arrange package trips, including hotels, tours etc., but it is possible, and much cheaper, to arrange a place to stay upon arrival. Many locals who operate hotels and guesthouses arrive at Mataveri Airport to greet the tourists, and is something you might consider. Staying in a private home is a great way to meet the islanders and experience the local culture; however, one should use judgment in choosing accommodations, as not all places are of equal quality.

Notably, the tourism on Easter Island is run entirely by the Rapanui themselves. In late January to early February the islanders celebrate Tapati, a festival honoring the Polynesian cultural heritage of the island. Far Horizons Archaeological and Cultural Tours organizes tours to the festival.




RESOURCES
For those interested in present-day Rapa Nui, an invaluable resource is the "Uncommon Guide to Easter Island" - available from the Easter Island Foundation, which also publishes the Rapa Nui Journal - the premier source for Easter Island events and scientific studies. Contact RNJ through: Georgia Lee Ph.D. Highly recommended if you are planning a trip to the Island are: Moon Publications' "South Pacific Handbook" by David Stanley, or Chile and Easter Island - Travel Survival Kit by Wayne Bernhardson - published by Lonely Planet.




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OTHER LINKS
Map of Easter Island
EasterIslanders.com
Festival of Pacific Arts
NOVA - Secrets of Easter Island
"Mysterious Places"-Easter Island
Easter Island Photo Album
Dr. Ruggles' Easter Island Images
Photos by Massimo Casulini
Images Aquarone
Easter Island in 3D
Easter Island Statue Project
Rapa Nui Outrigger Club
A Japanese Easter Island site
Påskön (Swedish site)
German Site
Easter Island Rock Art
(Bradshaw Foundation)
Pacific Islands Yearbook
Portal Rapanui
Matatoa - Rapa Nui Music
Local Rapa Nui Web Site
Pacific Island Internet Resources
Infography - Easter Island
News Updates - Rapa Nui Journal
Local Time on Easter Island
Easter Island Weather Report - CNN
Easter Island Stamps
Captain's Log Book - Rapa Nui 2003
Chile Information Project
Rapa Nui Syndrome
Reimiro Flag of Easter Island
Oceanic Tribal Arts
Art of Lorenzo Domínguez
Polynesian Archaeology
Discover Magazine
Easter Island on eBay.com
Topographical Map
Rapa Nui Puzzle
YAHOO! Easter Island Club
NEWSGROUPS
rec.travel.latin-america
sci.archaeology
soc.culture.chile
soc.culture.pacific-island



TABLE OF CONTENTS




E-mail : [e-mail]
© 2005 David Y. Brookman












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Answer 2

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Answer 3

Rapa Nui -- christened "Easter Island" by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen because he first arrived there on Easter Day in 1722 -- is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth. It's 2,300 miles from Chile and 2,500 miles from Tahiti. The nearest land is Pitcairn Island (population 54) about 1,400 miles away. The island was colonized by Chile in the late 19th century and remains a Chilean possession. In Chile, the official name for the island is Isla de Pascua, and the islanders call it both Rapa Nui and Te Pito te Henua (the navel of the world).
Aside from its isolation, Easter Island is best known for the giant stone heads called moai that dot the otherwise barren landscape. Almost 900 moai exist, and they average 13 feet tall and nearly 14 tons in weight. They were probably erected between 1400 and 1600 AD. Most researchers believe the moai represent important ancestors, such as chiefs. It doesn't appear that the statues were worshipped, but they may have acted as spiritual conduits between the people and their gods.

Unfortunately, little of the culture that created the moai remains. Between 1600 and 1722, the island's population decreased dramatically. Evidence suggests that deforestation and soil depletion lead to food shortages, causing the population decrease.

After European contact, Easter Island's history took an even darker turn. Peruvian slavers kidnapped about one-third of the island's population in the mid-19th century. These slavers also brought smallpox to the Rapa Nui people. In 1888, Chile claimed possession of Easter Island. Later, a Chilean business turned the island into a sheep ranch. Native islanders were treated like prisoners, and it wasn't until 1916 that the company's rule was overthrown.

The Chilean Navy took control of Rapa Nui in 1952, and, once again, islanders were subject to autocratic controls. Islanders secured the right to vote for their governors through a revolt in 1964, and the military influence diminished. Some military sites remained -- the United States built a tracking station in the 1960s and later expanded the island's airport runway as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle.

Today, Easter Island has a population of several thousand people. Agriculture, cattle ranching, fishing, artwork, and tourism are the main industries. Flights from Santiago, Chile, land on a regular basis.

The moai still stand around the island with their backs to the ocean, while various research teams ponder how they were moved from an inland quarry to their coastal locations. As Easter Island admirer Lee Van Court notes, "You do not have to have all the answers to enjoy this place. Only the moai have the answers."

Answer 4

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Answer 5

They are a very natural and traditional people, just like in Melanesia, taking into their consideration to preserve their own minds instead of their provileged standpoint in the development of time. This means exactly they preferred to chop every tree and marry always not to have their families happy and make sure other would have same as they, as they wished. So their young and eager form of culture thus expanded and through different stages of development they remained apart yet bound to earth and sea, so now they did not forget their language, people can remain at folly and so many are truly happy with their own lifes and family, though it is not always heaven, it is good, the food also rocks yet not as in a hot spot.

Answer 6

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Answer 7

Oh, boy, that is a complicated question. And, I'm feeling too lazy to type a long paper at this point. If you go to our web site, http://jackmaryetc.com/Travel/Americas/Chile/rapanui.htm you'll find some information. There's even more on Easter Island's unofficial web site ... http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html

And here's a really good place ... http://www.rapanuiweb.com/

Answer 8

i suggest you to watch the movie rapa-nui, that was quite accurate and so its a quick way to get a somehow exhaustive answer.
if u have time, then you can read thor heyerdahl's book about easter island "Easter Island: The Mystery Solved - 1989"

Answer 9

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Answer 10

Enroll in an active fine art class, such as sculpture or perhaps ceramics.

Answer 11

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