Easter Island - History and Background
Introduction
This was the one place on my trip I was most looking forward to. I think this was for a couple of reasons. Firstly it's off the beaten track - It is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth - 2,300 miles from Chile and 2,500 miles from Tahiti. The nearest land is Pitcairn Island (population 54!) about 1,400 miles away. And secondly the more I read about the island history the more more I want to find out.
Geography
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. Easter Island is only 64 square miles with volcanic cones at each point of the island - the largest, Rano Kau is easily visible from space and the highest is Terevaka, which rises to 11674 feet above sea level. There are over 70 eruptive centers on the island but none has known activity since the island was colonized 1300 years ago.
The First Settlers
The legends say that King Hoto Matua (of Polynesian descent) landed his double hulled canoe, thus beginning the occupation of Easter Island in 400 AD. The voyagers started constructing villages and houses made in an unusual elliptical shape. It has been speculated that this style of construction started when the new arrivals turned their boats upside down for quick housing. The first islanders found a lush island, filled with giant palms which they used to build boats and housing. The plants they brought with them did well in the rich volcanic soil and by AD 1550 population on the island hit a high of between 7000 and 9000.
The Moai
Distinct clans formed as the population increased and various population centres grew up in different areas of the island and for decades the competition to build the biggest and best moai went on. Almost 900 moai exist, and they average 13 feet tall and nearly 14 tons in weight. Many of the moai were positioned on altars or platforms called Ahus. They were probably erected between 1400 and 1600 AD. Most researchers believe the moai represent important ancestors, such as chiefs although their exact purpose has not been verified as little of the culture that created the moai remains.
Fall of a Nation
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. The deforestation has been linked to the large amounts of wood and resources needed to carve and move the statues. The crops also began to fail and the clans turned on one another in a battle for the scarce resources. During these clan wars it is thought that the moai, which had been symbols of the islanders power and success were toppled and damaged.
As the violence grew it is said that the victors in the clan wars would eat their dead enemies to gain strength. Bones have been found on the island which showevidence of this cannibalism, however it may have been a question of hunger as well as being ceremonial.
After the clan wars the population was close to extinction with the villages and crops destroyed - the islanders would have been unable to construct rafts or boats to escape due to the lack of wood, and fishing would have proved difficult. It is estimated that at this time the snumber of survivors would have been as low as 750.
The Cult of the Birdman
At around this time another interesting aspect of Easter Island history began - The Birdman Cult. Although the cult may have been followed during the time of the moai it would become the main religion on the island and was still in practice up until 1866-67.
The ceremonial village of Orongo was built right up on the crater of Rano Kau to worship the god of fertility, Makemake. This site became the location for the grueling Birdman competition.
It was an annual ceremony in which the chiefs from different tribes or lineages or their represenatives (hopu) competed to obtain the first egg of the sooty tern or Manutara. This migratory bird nests on the islet Motu Nui out in the sea at the base of the cliffs at Orongo. When the competition started competitors would scale down the vertical cliff face and swim out using rafts to the islet through shark-infested waters to attempt to bring back the first unbroken egg. The competitors may have been required to stay on the islet for days or weeks before the birds started to lay.
The first man back to Orongo was considered the winner and he or his elected representative would be crowned Birdman for that year and bestowed with special honors and privileges.
European Discovery
On Easter Sunday 1722, Easter Island's 1400 years of isolation ended when three ships under the command of Jacob Roggeveen sighted a low flat island. The next morning they saw smoke rising from various locations on the island but remained at sea due to bad weather. The following day a naked, bearded islander came out to one of the ships in a canoe and was enthralled by the construction of the Dutch ship. Finally the Dutch made it ashore and were amazed by the large statues which they thought were made of clay. The equally amazed Rapa Nui brought them some bananas and chickens, following an unfortunate slaughter of some 9 or 10 islanders who were shot by nervous Dutch sailors.
It is now clear that the first Europeans to arrive to Rapa Nui found the society in crisis although they did not recognise it as such. They assumed that the statues must have been constructed and moved by an early race of people - not the impoverished islanders that they met.
This first contact and others by Don Felipe Gonzalez de Haedo (Spanish), Cook, J.F.G. de la Pérouse (French) all before 1800, put Rapa Nui on the map. However discovery by the western world was to have even more catastrophic and disastrous effects leading into the next century than the deforestation and the clan wars put together.
The island population were stricken with Western diseases and became a prime target for slave traders.
In the 1860s the Peruvian slave raids began and in December 1862 eight Peruvian ships captured some 1000 Easter Islanders, including the king, his son, and the ritual priests. It has been estimated that a total of 2000 Easter Islanders were captured over a period of years. Those who survived to arrive in Peru were poorly treated, overworked, and exposed to diseases. Ninety percent of the Rapa Nui died within one or two years of capture.
Eventually the Bishop of Tahiti caused a public outcry and an embarrassed Peru rounded up the few survivors to return them. A shipload headed to Easter Island, but smallpox broke out en route and only 15 arrived to the island. They were put ashore. The resulting smallpox epidemic nearly wiped out the remaining population.
The island was annexed by Chile in 1888 and the population today has risen to more than 2,000, with other Rapanui living in Chile, Tahiti and North America.
Conclusion
Perhaps as interesting as what is known about the island are the questions that have not been answered (although there are many theories):
Who were the first settlers?
Some say that it is clear that the islanders descended from one race of Polynesians with no other contact with outsiders. However Jacob Roggeveen's crew described a mixed race island with both dark and light skinned living together. Some were even described as having red hair (gingers!)and being sun-burnt.
Why were the statues built and what were their purpose?
Were they worshipped and did their unique characteristics resemble specific individuals?
How were the statues moved?
Many theories exist as to how the statues were moved from the quarry to the various points around the island.
Why were the statues pulled down?
Why would a people put so much effort and resource into building something then pull down and destroy every last statue?
If you want to find more these are the sites I used to help write this piece:
Easter Island - MysteriousPlaces.com
http://www.mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island © 1995-2005 All Rights Reserved.
Easter Iskand Homepage
http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Island
This was the one place on my trip I was most looking forward to. I think this was for a couple of reasons. Firstly it's off the beaten track - It is one of the most remote inhabited places on Earth - 2,300 miles from Chile and 2,500 miles from Tahiti. The nearest land is Pitcairn Island (population 54!) about 1,400 miles away. And secondly the more I read about the island history the more more I want to find out.
Geography
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. Easter Island is only 64 square miles with volcanic cones at each point of the island - the largest, Rano Kau is easily visible from space and the highest is Terevaka, which rises to 11674 feet above sea level. There are over 70 eruptive centers on the island but none has known activity since the island was colonized 1300 years ago.
The First Settlers
The legends say that King Hoto Matua (of Polynesian descent) landed his double hulled canoe, thus beginning the occupation of Easter Island in 400 AD. The voyagers started constructing villages and houses made in an unusual elliptical shape. It has been speculated that this style of construction started when the new arrivals turned their boats upside down for quick housing. The first islanders found a lush island, filled with giant palms which they used to build boats and housing. The plants they brought with them did well in the rich volcanic soil and by AD 1550 population on the island hit a high of between 7000 and 9000.
The Moai
Distinct clans formed as the population increased and various population centres grew up in different areas of the island and for decades the competition to build the biggest and best moai went on. Almost 900 moai exist, and they average 13 feet tall and nearly 14 tons in weight. Many of the moai were positioned on altars or platforms called Ahus. They were probably erected between 1400 and 1600 AD. Most researchers believe the moai represent important ancestors, such as chiefs although their exact purpose has not been verified as little of the culture that created the moai remains.
Fall of a Nation
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. The deforestation has been linked to the large amounts of wood and resources needed to carve and move the statues. The crops also began to fail and the clans turned on one another in a battle for the scarce resources. During these clan wars it is thought that the moai, which had been symbols of the islanders power and success were toppled and damaged.
As the violence grew it is said that the victors in the clan wars would eat their dead enemies to gain strength. Bones have been found on the island which showevidence of this cannibalism, however it may have been a question of hunger as well as being ceremonial.
After the clan wars the population was close to extinction with the villages and crops destroyed - the islanders would have been unable to construct rafts or boats to escape due to the lack of wood, and fishing would have proved difficult. It is estimated that at this time the snumber of survivors would have been as low as 750.
The Cult of the Birdman
At around this time another interesting aspect of Easter Island history began - The Birdman Cult. Although the cult may have been followed during the time of the moai it would become the main religion on the island and was still in practice up until 1866-67.
The ceremonial village of Orongo was built right up on the crater of Rano Kau to worship the god of fertility, Makemake. This site became the location for the grueling Birdman competition.
It was an annual ceremony in which the chiefs from different tribes or lineages or their represenatives (hopu) competed to obtain the first egg of the sooty tern or Manutara. This migratory bird nests on the islet Motu Nui out in the sea at the base of the cliffs at Orongo. When the competition started competitors would scale down the vertical cliff face and swim out using rafts to the islet through shark-infested waters to attempt to bring back the first unbroken egg. The competitors may have been required to stay on the islet for days or weeks before the birds started to lay.
The first man back to Orongo was considered the winner and he or his elected representative would be crowned Birdman for that year and bestowed with special honors and privileges.
European Discovery
On Easter Sunday 1722, Easter Island's 1400 years of isolation ended when three ships under the command of Jacob Roggeveen sighted a low flat island. The next morning they saw smoke rising from various locations on the island but remained at sea due to bad weather. The following day a naked, bearded islander came out to one of the ships in a canoe and was enthralled by the construction of the Dutch ship. Finally the Dutch made it ashore and were amazed by the large statues which they thought were made of clay. The equally amazed Rapa Nui brought them some bananas and chickens, following an unfortunate slaughter of some 9 or 10 islanders who were shot by nervous Dutch sailors.
It is now clear that the first Europeans to arrive to Rapa Nui found the society in crisis although they did not recognise it as such. They assumed that the statues must have been constructed and moved by an early race of people - not the impoverished islanders that they met.
This first contact and others by Don Felipe Gonzalez de Haedo (Spanish), Cook, J.F.G. de la Pérouse (French) all before 1800, put Rapa Nui on the map. However discovery by the western world was to have even more catastrophic and disastrous effects leading into the next century than the deforestation and the clan wars put together.
The island population were stricken with Western diseases and became a prime target for slave traders.
In the 1860s the Peruvian slave raids began and in December 1862 eight Peruvian ships captured some 1000 Easter Islanders, including the king, his son, and the ritual priests. It has been estimated that a total of 2000 Easter Islanders were captured over a period of years. Those who survived to arrive in Peru were poorly treated, overworked, and exposed to diseases. Ninety percent of the Rapa Nui died within one or two years of capture.
Eventually the Bishop of Tahiti caused a public outcry and an embarrassed Peru rounded up the few survivors to return them. A shipload headed to Easter Island, but smallpox broke out en route and only 15 arrived to the island. They were put ashore. The resulting smallpox epidemic nearly wiped out the remaining population.
The island was annexed by Chile in 1888 and the population today has risen to more than 2,000, with other Rapanui living in Chile, Tahiti and North America.
Conclusion
Perhaps as interesting as what is known about the island are the questions that have not been answered (although there are many theories):
Who were the first settlers?
Some say that it is clear that the islanders descended from one race of Polynesians with no other contact with outsiders. However Jacob Roggeveen's crew described a mixed race island with both dark and light skinned living together. Some were even described as having red hair (gingers!)and being sun-burnt.
Why were the statues built and what were their purpose?
Were they worshipped and did their unique characteristics resemble specific individuals?
How were the statues moved?
Many theories exist as to how the statues were moved from the quarry to the various points around the island.
Why were the statues pulled down?
Why would a people put so much effort and resource into building something then pull down and destroy every last statue?
If you want to find more these are the sites I used to help write this piece:
Easter Island - MysteriousPlaces.com
http://www.mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island © 1995-2005 All Rights Reserved.
Easter Iskand Homepage
http://www.netaxs.com/~trance/rapanui.html
Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter_Island
posted by Phil at 8:08 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home