Easter IslandBy: Katie Brittain

• The Polynesian name for Easter Island is “Rapa Nui”.

• Easter Island is also called “Te Pivo O Te Hanua”, which means “The naval of the world”.

• Evidence from archaeological finds indicate that around 400AD Polynesians settled Easter Island.

• The Dutch explorer, Jacob Roggeveen discovered Easter Island on Easter Sunday in 1722 and thus the name stuck.

• The giant figures made of stone on Easter Island are called moai.

• Moai are made from compressed volcanic ash.

• They are found all over the island in different sizes, shapes, and varying degrees of completion.

• Almost all of the moai face inland. It is said that they face inland to protect the villages.

• Moai sit on stone shrines called ahu.

• The moai were crafted from a volcano named Rano Raraku.

• Moai heads are scattered all around Rano Raraku in varying stages of completion. Some are completed and some are hardly carved at all.

• Moai are usually between 12 and 20 feet high. The tallest moai on the island are over 30 feet high and the shortest are at least 6 feet high.

• Ahu also vary in length. Some are as small as a few feet wide and some are as large as 300 feet wide.

• Moai weigh several tons. Some even weigh between 80 and 90 tons.

• It is believed that the moai statues were built to honor Polynesian gods.

• Most of the heads date back to the 14th and 15th century, though some go as far back as the 10th century.

• A myth surrounding the moai is that they were moved to their spots by mana. Mana was a word for magic and it is thought that this mana was possessed by the king of the Easter Island natives and also by the moai. The moai used to have real white coral eyes and folklore says that the mana was instilled in the moai at the time the white coral eyes were put in.

• Ahu Akivi is a space observatory and sacred sanctuary.• 7 moai heads face seaward at the place where the sun

sets during the equinox.• This is thought to be a highly unnatural placement

because the heads are not placed facing inland to protect villages.

• This is the only site with moai heads so far inland

• The national Chilean airline makes it possible to travel to Easter island. It has flights that travel there twice a week from Santiago.

• Tahitian airlines also fly there twice a week.

• The natives of Easter Island were called “kai-tangata” or man-eaters. Cannibalism didn’t end until the introduction of Christianity.

• The landing strip at Easter Island is First Class. NASA upgraded it to use as a landing site for the emergency landing of space shuttles.

• Slave traders came often to Easter Island because it was such an easy target. Lots of Islanders became slaves and that is perhaps why the production of the moai heads stopped. The islanders simply did not have enough people to continue making the heads. The culture was destoyed as more and more people were taken and many things were forgotten.

Works Cited• http://www.lost-civilizations.net/easter-island-stones-history.html• http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/islands/samer/easter.htm• http://www2.canada.com/topics/travel/guides/maps/wg-chile-and-easter-island-701-400x300.gif• http://www.easterislandquest.com/easter-island-map.jpg• http://farm1.static.flickr.com/203/495093415_d8eb5b2dfc.jpg• http://parkerlab.bio.uci.edu/pictures/photography%20pictures/rano%20raraku_moon%20shado

wed.jpg• http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/86/20486-004-4D34BA9C.jpg• http://www.thegreenduck.com/ka/images/moai.jpg• http://www.travel-picture-gallery.nl/images/easter-island/easter-island-0014.jpg• http://0.tqn.com/d/archaeology/1/0/j/3/1/easter_island5.jpg• http://www.janeresture.com/easter/map.jpg• http://flyawaysimulation.com/spaw/images/aircraftpics/737natparking.jpg• http://www.journeylatinamerica.co.uk/uploaded_images/country_LargeImages/Chile/Easter-Isla

nd-2-large.jpg• http://www.bugbog.com/images/galleries/chile_pictures/easter_island_pictures5.jpg• http://www.unique-southamerica-travel-experience.com/images/moais-at-rano-raracu-

copia.jpg• http://www.jehrlichmarineart.com/jackson/paintings/easterisland.jpg• http://www.travel-images.com/pht/easter1.jpg• http://www.world-mysteries.com/moai_statues.jpg

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