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| By David Berkowitz - Source : Flickr |
How did Easter Island get its name?
On Easter Sunday 1722, the Dutch Admiral Jacob
Roggeveen became the first European to land on this isolated Polynesia Island,
and named it Paasch-Eyland - Netherlands for 'Easter Island' - in tribute. The
island is also known as Rapa Nui, which is still used by residents of the
islands. Indeed, its custom population is known as Rapa Nui. There are some
discussions about whether this island's real name, or whether it is a name
contained by Peru's slave comment in the mid-19th century, which compares it to
Rapa Island in French Polynesia. However, before this, the first name given to
the island was considered 'Te Pito O Te Henua', which was translated as 'The
World's Navel'.
Where is Easter Island?
The first rank in the UN isolation index, Easter
Island is the most remote island in the world. It is located in the Southeast
Pacific Ocean in Oceania, and although it is 3,800 kilometers (2,360 miles)
away from the beach, Chile is the closest country to Easter Island. In 1888,
Chile annexed the island, which remained a nation area to this day, as part of
the Valparaiso Chile area.
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| By The TerraMar Project - Source : Flickr |
Can you travel to the Easter Island?
The only way to get to Easter Island is by plane,
because it doesn't have a port. The shortest journey comes from Santiago
airport in Chile, which takes five hours. It is also possible to fly in seven
hours of Tahiti.
Is Easter Island inhabited, and where did its
inhabitants come from?
Legend said that around 1,500 years ago, the Head of Adventurers Hotu Matu'a, who came from Hivological Polynesia Island (is now considered the Marquesas Islands), leading its people to Easter Island. Hotu Matu'a and the people are said to have settled the island, living remotely, far from the rest of the world inhabited for generations until the arrival of European explorers.
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| By TravelingOtter - Hanga Roa Waterfront - Easter Island - Source : Wikimedia Commons |
What happened on the island?
Although there was a gap in the history that was
recorded between the arrival of Hotu Matu'a in the 1200s and Jacob Roggeveen
500 years later, it was believed that the island maintained a population that
developed around 10,000 people over the years. However, when travelers from
Europe arrived, the number of Rapa Nui had dropped to around 2,000-3,000. The
reduction in the island population is estimated to be largely due to
deforestation - the loss of the island tree shows volcanic soil with erosion,
reducing the amount of fertile land. Oral tradition also claimed that there was
a civil war and cannibalism among the population. The population fell further
after the arrival of Europeans, as a dispute between social groups causing
plants and housing to be burned to the ground, producing hunger and homeless.
In addition, the raids by Peruvian slave traders, the introduction of European
diseases and emigration meant that in 1877, only 111 were left on the island.
How were Easter Island’s statues made?
The statues on Easter Island are made of compacted volcanic ash, which can be found in the ranaku volcanic crater in the island. Tuff is a fairly soft stone, so Islanders will carve it with hands with stone chisel. The statues were then taken from the crater mine with their resting points around the island, but without written history and only the stories spoken pass from generation to generation to rely on, there was no real indication of how the statues of Easter Island were transported. Considering that many statues have bodies buried underground and the heaviest is 82 tons that are decent (180,779 pounds), it must be an impressive achievement.
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| By victoriaspics - Source : Pixabay |
What is the meaning behind Easter Island’s statues?
People Rapa Nui carved up this large stone statue to
represent the worshiped ancestral faces, which should be buried under AHU
(platform). The reason the statues faced into is to show protection with each
other. Some Moai has Pukao (structure like a hat in their head); Some theories
consider them to have a power expression, others they represent hair. Initially
there were thousands of Moai sculptures, but before the island was made by the
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995, many statues were taken by collectors. Moai
can be found in museums around the world, the most famous is Louvre in Paris
and the British Museum in London. What's more, the biggest Moai can be seen
from Google Earth.
How is Rapa Nui’s culture celebrated?
The Tapati Rapa Nui festival is an annual celebration
of Easter Island culture, and is held for the first two weeks of February every
year. The island is divided into two teams, both of them are led by a Queen,
with the winners crowned 'Queen of the Island' for a year. Traditional
archipelagic activities that participate during this festival include dancing,
wood carvings and playing music, which is played on ukuleles flat eight unique
strings that look a bit like an electric guitar.
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| By Oficina Regional de Educación - Source : Flickr |
What is the rongo-rongo scripture?
Rongo-Rongo Kohau, as Islanders called it - also known
as the scriptures of Rongo-Rongo - still an unbreakable text, which consists of
a flying machine carved on wood or tablets. Rongo-rongo means 'great message'
or 'The Great Study'. So say theories around Easter Island that great leaders,
Hotu Matu'a, have 67 tablets that are in accordance with 67 Māori wisdom - this
includes astronomical and sailing knowledge. However, the meaning was actually
still unknown to us because there was no contact with the residents until the
arrival of the Spaniards in 1770.
Can you swim around Easter Island?
Visitors to Easter Island can sunbathe in the waters
of the beautiful Pacific Ocean, which is said to be the most transparent in the
world. Water around the island has fantastic visibility, up to a depth of 50-60
meters (164-196 feet), creating the perfect condition for scuba divers and
snorkelers, which can enjoy swimming between coral and fish of all shapes and
colors.
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