Easter Island Like No Other Place On Earth
Easter Island, a small triangular island of volcanic rock in the South Pacific Ocean, is one of the most mysterious and unique places on the planet. Located nearly two thousand miles from the nearest population center, it became home to an advanced, distinctive, and unfortunately lost culture and civilization. The best known remnants of this civilization are the Maoi, which are massive stone statues that line the coast of Easter Island. Some Maoi are full statues of people, whereas others are only giant stone heads carved in a quite distinctive style. The Maoi which are standing today are the result of recent archaeological and restoration efforts. When the island was first seen by Admiral Roggeveen, who came upon the island on Easter Day in 1722 and therefore named it Easter Island, none of the enormous stone Maoi were left standing. From what archaeologists have been able to learn from their long and painstaking studies of this ancient civilization, the Maoi are a testament to how the overuse of limited resources led to disaster. According to archaeological evidence, Easter Island was first settled by Polynesians around 400 AD. They developed an impressive and complex culture, including the use of writing, petroglyphs—designs and symbols etched into stone—dance, music, and crafts. The Polynesians thrived on Easter Island, and scientists estimate that at its peak, the population on Easter Island exceeded ten thousand people. Unfortunately, this small island could not adequately support such a large population. Evidence shows that the once vast, lush palm forests began disappearing around this time, chopped down to clear land, build homes, and move the great stone Maoi across the island. Even today, hundreds of years later, not one of the original trees are left on Easter Island, and the only trees that grow there today have been imported. Once the natural landscape started to deteriorate, the ancient Polynesian civilization started to fall apart as well. The once thriving and advanced culture disintegrated, leading to bloody civil wars. Once the palm forests were gone, evidence suggests that the ancient Polynesians resorted to cannibalism, either as part of a new cultural tradition, as part of war, or simply from desperation. Eventually, all of the stone Maoi around the coast of the island were torn down by the descendents of the same people who had first erected them. Many people today consider the history of Easter Island to be a metaphor for overuse of natural resources, and by studying Easter Island’s troubled past, they hope to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future. By the time Easter Island was found by Western Explorers, less than one hundred and ten inhabitants remained on the treeless island. Luckily, the population has rebounded today, with almost two thousand Polynesians living on Easter Island, Tahiti, and in Chile and North America. Despite being annexed by Chile in the year 1888 and the strong Chilean influence, the Polynesian culture and identity on Easter Island is still quite strong and vibrant. A visit to this unique and historically rich island is an experience you will long remember.
