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           Rapa Nui, later renamed Easter Island by European explorers, is an island in the Pacific Ocean 3700 kilometers off the coast of Chile. This small island, approximately 11 by 22 kilometers in size, is well known for its human-faced statues known as moai. The nearest inhabited land is over 2000 kilometers away, and this isolated island’s history has often been a cause of debate for historians through the years. The question of how and when the Rapanui arrived, how they transported the moai through the island, and what caused their eventual downfall has for many years been a mystery. And despite the development of new, plausible theories, much of the island’s history is still not certain.

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Building and Transporting the Moai

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            The first inhabitants of the island are said to have arrived between 300 and 400 BC, although there have been claims to their arrival anywhere from 1000 years before to 1000 years after that date. They allegedly arrived from a far away Polynesian island, and they soon developed a very unique culture, as shown by the nine hundred statues they left on the island. These statues averaged 13 tons in weight and were approximately four meters tall. They were made out of tuff, a porous volcanic rock very plentiful on the island, and placed on ceremonial stones known as ahus. Oftentimes, these moai had red stone hats on them known as pukao, which must’ve been very difficult to place on top of the statues. It is said that you can only see one third of the statues above ground, the rest is buried underground. Small group of people were made to build every one of the moais in quarries. How they transported these statues from other point of the island without damaging them created an immense debate among explorers and historians alike. A number of theories emerged as to how they moved the moai. Many thought that they were all moved differently depending on the terrain they had to cross. Some historians theorized that they were made to roll on top of tree trunks, especially those of the very abundant palm trees. A new theory today suggests that the moai were made to move on their “feet” with ropes. They were pulled from side to side with a series of ropes and people standing on either side of it in other to make them walk, most likely on roads constructed specifically for moai transport. Although their transport still appears to be uncertain to most and many theories are accepted, the theory that states that they were made to walk seems to be the most probable.

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The Purpose of the Moai

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            Another essential question to consider when speaking of the moai is their purpose. Why would a civilization as isolated as that of the Rapanui waste many of their limited resources to create statues as large as the moai? Again, many theories have been debated over the years as to their exact purpose. However, the size of their heads and the fact that they all face inland was very surprising to many. The Rapanui are said to have thought they were the last survivors on Earth, and that makes it fair to think that they were not expecting visitors. The moai weren’t meant to shock outsiders or show the strength of the Rapanui people, they were meant to protect the inhabitants of the island. In a way this shows the closed mentality of the inhabitants of the island, likely due to their extreme isolation. There is also a strong link between the moai statues and Rapanui religion. They are said to be a link between the living and the dead, as ancestry appeared to be extremely important in the culture of Easter Island.

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Brief History of the Island

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            The history of the island is generally divided in three phases: the early phase (700-850 AD), the middle period (1050-1680 AD) and the late period (1680 and later). The early and middle periods appear to be the most peaceful and culturally active in terms of building moai. Oftentimes, moai were destroyed to build larger moai.

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             The late period in Easter Island appears to be characterized by violence and wars between its inhabitants, leading to the eventual downfall of the island. Many mata’a, or obsidian spear points, have been found on the island dating back to that period, suggesting violence between different groups of the island. The main theory as to the cause of the instability in the island is that the Rapanui gradually began to exhaust the resources, possibly due to the building of the moai. Trees were cut down to make way for the moai and to transport them, and fibers were used to make ropes. Deforestation rid them of a number of important resources. The land became less fertile and cultivating yams became extremely difficult. Some explorers, like James Cook, believe small wooden statues known as cava cava represented starvation on the island. Some believe cannibalism was present in the island, although many historians argue that this isn’t true. Regardless of some of the details of the history of island that are somewhat unclear, what we do know is that the Rapanui committed ecocide; the self-exhaustion of their resources led to their eventual downfall.

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              The first known visitor to Easter Island was Dutch explorer Roggeveen, who arrived in the island in 1722. He named the island Easter Island to commemorate the day he arrived. More visitors would arrive later on. Spanish explorers would estimate the population of the island at 3000 in 1770, and only four years later French explorers would determine only 111 were left. The civil wars between tribes as well as an apparent smallpox epidemic decimated the population. Somehow, over the years, the population recovered, but much of the island’s culture and art had been destroyed and could not be recovered.

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               As a moai-moving company, we hope to collaborate in the preservation of the moai by helping the Chilean government restore many of the moais that were lost. Additionally, by moving the moai in mostly ancient ways we hope that we will help the historical community gain insight on how the moai we moved back in the early and middle phases of the island.

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Bibliography

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Jarus, Owen. "Easter Island (Rapa Nui) & Moai Statues." Live Science. TechMedia Network, 16 Oct.

               2012. Web. 31 May 2016.

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"Easter Island." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2009. Web. 31 May 2016.

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Brannan, Amy. "Easter Island Facts and the History of Moai Statues."Exploring Lifes Mysteries.        

               Cover Story Media, 23 July 2015. Web. 31 May 2016.

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