Easter Island

Easter Island Most isolated habitable landmass in the world Nearest land is Pitcairn Islands (about 1,300 miles to the west) “Discovered” by Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Day in 1722 The few thousand Polynesians who inhabited the island had only small, leaky canoes for aquatic transport

Jacob Roggeveen, 1722 “As concerns their vessels, these are bad and frail as regards use, for their canoes are put together with manifold small planks and light inner timbers, which they cleverly stitched together with very fine twisted threads, made from the above-named field-plant. But as they lacked the knowledge and particularly the materials for caulking and making tight the great number of seams of the canoes, these are accordingly very leaky, for which reason they are compelled to spend half the time in bailing”

2 Questions How did people with only crude, leaky canoes survive the two and a half week ocean voyage to Easter Island? How were the statues carved, transported, and erected by a small population with few resources on an island without trees?

How is it possible? Thor Heyerdahl believed that Easter Island was settled by an advanced society of South American Indians ie. Inca Erich von Daniken believe that the statues were carved by aliens who were stranded on Easter Island and eventually rescued

Evidence Easter Islanders speak a Polynesian dialect related to Hawaiian and Marquesan, a Tahitian man traveling with Captain Cook was able to converse with them Easter Island tools (fish hooks, stone adzes, harpoons) are Polynesian Easter Island foods (bananas, taro, sweet potato, sugarcane) are typical in Polynesia

Evidence cont. Easter Island’s only domestic animal, the chicken, is Polynesian and Asian Easter Islanders have Polynesian DNA

Settlement Easter Island probably settled 300-900 AD from Mangareva, Pitcairn, and Henderson 1200 mile ocean voyage to an island only nine miles wide According to tradition, Easter was settled by Hotu Matu’a, his wife, six sons, and extended family

Settlement cont. Easter stone tool styles are similar to Mangarevan tools several hundred years after settlement—may have had ongoing contact Easter lacked dogs, pigs, typical Polynesian crops. There is no evidence of Easter stone tools on other islands or other stone tools on Easter—may have had no contact for 1000 years.

Diet Based on bone remains, early settlers ate seabirds, land birds, and porpoises At European arrival, settlers mostly ate sweet potatoes, yams, taro, bananas, sugarcane, and chicken

Population Estimated by counting the number of houses At its peak, Easter supported 6,000-30,000 people In 1864, about 2,000 people (after smallpox, kidnapping, and population crash)

Moai

Moai 887 carved moai Almost half remain in the quarry Most outside the quarry were erected on ahu Average moai was 13 feet tall and 10 tons Tallest “Paro” was 32 feet and 75 tons One unfinished moai would have been 70 feet and 270 tons

Moai cont. Biggest moai were latest Latest moai on biggest, richest ahu had “pukao” or hat weighing up to 12 tons Competition?

Moai construction 20 carvers work for one month 50-500 people to transport and erect How could statues be transported without rope (made from tree bark) and wood for sleds, ladders, and levers? Easter has few trees, tallest native tree “toromiro” is up to 7 feet tall

Pollen Analysis (Palynology) Column of sediment in swamp or pond is analyzed Surface mud is most recent Dated by radiocarbon methods Easter Island once had abundant unidentified palm trees Fossilized palm trunks are more than seven feet in diameter

Fossilized palm nuts are similar to Chilean wine palm Sap used to make wine, honey, or sugar Nuts for food Fronds make thatched roofs, baskets, mats, and sails Trunks used to erect moai and build rafts Easter once supported a diverse forest

Zooarchaeology Easter once supported at least six species of native land bird, today there are none At least 25 seabirds once nested on Easter (richest nesting site in Polynesia) 1/3 of all animal bones found belong to Common Dolphin—lives far out at sea 23% fish bones—90% elsewhere in Polynesia

Porpoises and other open ocean fish disappeared from the Easter diet Land birds also disappear due to extinction (overhunting, deforestation, rats) 24/25 seabirds no longer breed on Easter Size of cowry and snail shells in middens decreased over time

Causes of Deforestation Firewood Cremation Land for gardens Canoes Timber and rope for statues Rats consumed palm nuts

Consequences of Deforestation Wood fires replaced with grass fires Cremation replaced with mummification and burial No canoes—porpoises and open ocean fish disappear from the diet Land birds disappear Palm nuts, malay apples, and other wild fruit disappear

Consequences of Deforestation Rat bones increase in bone middens Crop yields decrease (soil erosion from wind and water) Starvation Population crash Cannibalism

Population Crash Moai production stops, replaced by little statues of starving people House sites drop 70% Human bones (cracked to extract marrow) start to show up in middens Chiefs and priests overthrown around 1680 Civil war

Cultural Change Moai toppled by rivals Last standing moai (Paro) toppled and broken around 1840 War justified by religious cult following creator god Makemake Artistic expression changed to petroglyphs of women’s genitals, birdmen, and birds Cult organized “Birdman of the year” competition-shark infested waters

European Contact Introduction of disease Kidnapping for slave labor By 1872 only 111 islanders remained Easter annexed by Chile in 1888 Population today is about 50% native, 50% Chilean

Alternate Theories Deforestation caused by undocumented European visitors Deforestation caused by natural climate changes

What were people saying on Easter Island when the last tree was being cut down?