Polynesians landed there, farmed, thrived, built their famous statues, and then things went very bad, very fast. Introduction in the middle of the south pacific, several thousand kilometers west of the coast of chile, is the most isolated inhabited piece of land on earth. What happened along the way that caused the island ecosystem to collapse. Jan, 2010 a 0 year exploration of easter island history. According to diamond and heyerdahls version of the islands history, the huri. About half of the inhabitants are of polynesian stock. Captain roggeveen renamed the island easter island. One of the most interesting features of this island is its 887 giant monolithic statues named moai. My selfguided tour plan leads me to another question. Easter island has always interested me so ive read a lot of nonfiction books about it. The events that happened there make it an icon of environmental degradation and collapse. It was acquired in orongo, easter island rapa nui in november 1868 by the crew of the british ship hms topaze, and arrived in england in august 1869. New archaeological analysis is rewriting the history of. Though if we were to ask the seafarers of this time, we probably wouldnt have an answer as clear.
In modern times, basically everyone would credit the dutch seafarer jacob roggeveen with the discovery of easter island from a western perspective. The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine. On easter sunday, april 5, 1722, a dutch sea captain named jacob roggeveen landed his ship on an island known as te pito o te henua, meaning the center of the world. Im so glad i decided to read it because its just a great book full of interesting information, some of which id never come across before, and such a lovely double story. Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. Ferdon, jr and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. The journal covers the subjects of archaeology, anthropology, botany, cultural resource management, cultural and ethnic studies, ecology, geology, field reports, history, linguistics, musicology, and many other topics specifically related to. Though relatively small, it is considered to be typical of the islands statue form, but distinguished by carvings added to the back, associated with the. Big island, the navel of the earth, the eye turned to the sky. The following research guide is an example of how the ten steps work and as such is not set up in the same way as other guides. Elsa pendleton travels from england to easter island with her husband, an anthropologist sent by the royal geographical society to study the colossal moai statues, and her younger sister. Jun 21, 2014 the mystery of easter island amazing ancient history documentary. Easter island is a small, hilly and treeless island of volcanic origin. Leased to private companies some british influence.
Easter island is a polynesian island in the southeastern pacific ocean. Books about the island tend to fall into two categories. He has appeared 15 times on the ancient aliens television series as well as numerous. As befits the head of the institute of polynesian languages and literatures in auckland, new zealand, he has produced a scholarly and readable account of the island s turbulent history. The story of rapa nui or easter island and its earliest settlers. Mar 23, 20 easter island, or rapa nui, in the polynesian language, is a small remote island a few thousand miles west of south america. An answer for an enduring question barzin pakandam abstract easter island is the most isolated inhabited spot on earth, devoid of heavy timber and most resources. Life and solitude in easter island by daro verdugo. The mystery of easter island travel smithsonian magazine.
Jo anne van tilburg, founder of the easter island statue project and a scientist at the. She learned the rapanui language and interviewed all the old people she could find who still remembered the past. The mystery of easter island amazing ancient history documentary. Easter island simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This is a great website but i cant find the authors last name. It is famous for its 887 huge statues called moai, made by the early rapa nui people. A polynesian society blossomed in this unlikely locale after hardy souls somehow navigated a fleet of wooden outrigger canoes to this tiny speck in the vastness of the pacific ocean. What begins as familial duty for elsa becomes a grand adventure. We set to work to excavate some of the statues which stood on the slope of the raraku mountain. Many books about easter island are superficial fluff. At some point in the islands history, when both the art and the population were increasing, the islands resources were.
The natives were entirely indifferent whether they worked or not, but by paying high wages and giving any quantity of mutton, we were able at this time to get a certain amount of precarious labour for digging and camp work. Migrations and settlements, the evolution of a culture, wars between tribes, and ultimate decimation of a whole population define the course of easter island history. The easter island foundation promoting the conservation. The mystery of easter island was originally published in 1919, based upon the research of an english lady, katherine routledge, who lived on the island in 191415. Katherine routeledge visits for a yearlong expedition to the island. Im so glad i decided to read it because its just a great book full of interesting information, some of which id never come across before, and such a. Easter island covers roughly 64 square miles in the south pacific ocean, and is located some 2300 miles from chiles west coast and 2500. As befits the head of the institute of polynesian languages and literatures in auckland, new zealand, he has produced a scholarly and readable account of the islands turbulent history. Christian tradition links the date of the easter celebration to the hebrew calendar based on a combination of astronomical events. Named easter island by the dutch explorer jacob roggeveen, who first spied it. The natives of easter island found paradise, and then. Students are often uninterested in history because they think theyll be learning the same old stuff and memorizing a bunch of facts. Author steven fischer examines and pens down the essential history of easter island.
Life and solitude in easter island adds a unique personal and family perspective to the growing body of eastern island literature, and complements the material found in scholarly texts or in tourist guides. There is also a small thread of a german world war i naval squadron present in the book. Im particularly interested in books that will give me the sort of info id get if i went on a guided tour. The pacific ocean is a world filled with diverse and remote islands, which are the home to some truly unique natives. Katherine routledge is a central figure in the history of easter island, one of the worlds most remote and mysterious locales. The whole lot, including my maidservant, went in for every weekend to the. The religious practice that persists in the island up to this day is called ivi atua, and it is based on the immortality of the soul. Easter island is the story of two women who went to the island and did research. While the initial name of the island was considered to be te pito o te henua, which means the navel of the world, it was renamed in 1722 when the dutch explorer jacob. Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island, located in the midpacific ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most isolated its inhabitants, the rapa nui, have endured famines, epidemics of disease and cannibalism, civil war, environmental collapse, slave raids, various colonial contacts, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasi. With its implausibly huge sculptures and indecipherable tablets, easter island remains an enigma. Brien has explored more than 90 countries but his true passion is researching and writing about the ancient megalithic works found in peru, bolivia, mexico, easter island, egypt, england, and beyond. It is still a collection of resources but it is not presented in a student friendly way. The mysteries of easter island amazing ancient history.
I am doing a research project on easter island and i cant decide what website to use. Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island, located in the midpacific ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most. The mystery of easter island is the title of untold books and modern film documentaries. The mystery of easter island amazing ancient history. This is the first novel ive seen about this island of mystery. Born to a wealthy and prestigious english quaker family in 1866, katherine rebelled against. Easter island is often given as a metaphor, a dire warning for all of human life on our planet. The turbulent history of easter island 9781861892829. Easter island s birdman cult tangata manu is the unique religion that is represented by petroglyphs all over the island and an ancient warrior competition.
Archaeologists and historians have debated the island s history, but it is believed that polynesians landed on the island around a. A moaione of the giant statues of elongated heads on easter islandwill is in paris. Easter island covers roughly 64 square miles in the south pacific ocean, and is located some 2,300 miles from chiles west coast and 2,500 miles east of tahiti. Easter island history the island itself many people have found easter island history very fascinating. It was perfect because not only does it tell you history and legend, but also things you need to know day to day, plus fun stuff like the passport stamp at the post office. Easter island also has a huge crater called rano kau at the edge of the island. The life of katherine routledge and her remarkable expedition to easter island lisa drew books. It is located in the pacific ocean approximately 2200 miles 3600 kilometers off the coast of the country of chile, which owns the island. In the book, routledge and her companions explore the secret caves, ancient roads, pyramid platforms. List of books and articles about easter island online. The book eventually improves, presenting a general history of the island and an. The statues of easter island travel smithsonian magazine. Apr 08, 2016 what really happened on easter island. Jeanclaude and annick merlin have kindly provided eif with some amazing celestial images from rapa nui.
Publishes the book the mystery of easter island in 1919. Easter island is situated in the middle of the pacific ocean, and was one of the primary islands of the polynesian island group. The natives of easter island found paradise, and then destroyed it. There is no such flummery in steven fischers new book.
Easter island, or rapa nui, in the polynesian language, is a small remote island a few thousand miles west of south america. The rapa nui journal has been described as the premiere source for easter island events and scientific studies. Jul 15, 2017 new archaeological analysis is rewriting the history of easter island. Easter island is an island and special territory of chile in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the. The mysteries of easter island amazing ancient history documentary geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island was. It details routledges journey by yacht from england to south america, around patagonia to chile and on to easter island, giving an account of its life, history and folklore.
Its inhabitants, the rapa nui, have endured famines, epidemics of disease and cannibalism, civil war, environmental collapse, slave raids, various colonial contacts, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasion. Merlot of valparaiso leases the greater part of the island and subsequently form a company for the exploitation of easter island. The book starts with the ancient history of the island including population by polynesians to the civil unrest and eventual decline of the rapa nui society and subsequent contact with the europeans before moving to modern eras covering annexation and. The anthropological easter island museum the only museum on the island, is named after the priest sebastian englert, a german priest who came to the island in 1935 and spent the last 34 years of his life studying and disseminating the language, traditions and archaeological heritage of rapa nui. Some exposures are quite long several minutes and were taken with an equatorial star tracking system. The collapse of both the islands ecology and civilization was so complete that by the time the dutch arrived in the 1700s, easter island was a sandy grassland void of nearly all its native. Other scientists who work on the island also remain skeptical of hunts later colonization date of 1200 a. Yet, the first european travellers to the island marvelled at large and delicately carved statues covering the whole of the island. Ancient origins articles related to easter island in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends. Revisiting how easter island s culture vanished date. This book presents a comprehensive history of easter island told by a writer who is intimately familiar with the island, its people and their extraordinary story. View of easter island disaster all wrong, researchers say. Easter island discovery sends archaeologists back to drawing. Easter island is one of the worlds most famous yet least visited archaeological sites.
Well shot footage of easter island especially interesting because it shows some of the landforms which suggest to some geologists that a massive tidal wave or several 150 200 feet high swept this island at one time, estimated to have occurred about 15002000 years ago and it looks to some like part of the island sunk in the process. First published in 1919, this work provides information on that most mysterious of islands easter island rapa nui. To its original inhabitants the island is known as rapa nui, and its population is predominantly of polynesian descent. Easter island culture, tapati, religion easter island. Easter and the jewish passover festival are strongly connected. Hundreds of stone statues or maoi lie scattered around the island, and encircle it on long raised platforms. Virtual tour of the hidden history of ancient easter island.
Learn more about incredible human achievements in the history of easter island. Best books on easter island easter island forum tripadvisor. Cultural and historical perspectives ian conrich, hermann. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Restrained passion and conflicted loyalties drive this sweeping debut novel, in which two women of different eras experience the mysteries of easter island. Archaeologists have disproved the fiftyyearold theory underpinning. It is the easternmost outpost of the polynesian island world and is famous for its giant stone statues.
May, 2010 easter island discovery sends archaeologists back to drawing board date. Easter island culture, tapati, religion easter island tourism. Easter is the christian holiday that celebrates the resurrection of jesus christ. Easter island is a wonderful place to watch the stars. Of volcanic origin, easter island is mostly covered with grasslands and is swept by strong trade winds. Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island, located in the midpacific ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most isolated.
Easter island history tells stories of legendary kings, hardships and great deeds. Easter island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. For most of easters inhabited history, deforestation was relatively gradual, and the people fell victim to creeping normality, gradual change that would be considered unacceptable if it happened all at once. Of all the interesting easter island facts, the transportation of the islands statues moai is considered remarkable given that they were moved 18km 11mi across the island without the use of. Yet somehow this isolated speck produced one of the worlds most fascinating and least understood prehistoric cultures.
The type of religion that has characterized easter island from the beginning states a series of prohibitions and precepts, all of them related to what they consider sacred, and which receives the name of tapu. Easter island known to its inhabitants as rapa nuiis unimaginably remote, a mysterious volcanic island battered by the pacific ocean. Hoa hakananaia is a moai easter island statue housed in the british museum in london. Elsa beazley arrives at easter island in 1916 with her new husband and her mentally handicapped sister. Easter island, chilean dependency in the eastern pacific ocean. Easter island, also known as rapa nui, is a tiny island in the pacific ocean, thousands of kilometers away from its nearest neighbors.