Published:
Next article
It’s difficult to talk about what to do and see on Rapa Nui (Easter Island) without being aware of the challenging history of Rapa Rui, which has created a resilient community on one of the world’s most remote inhabited island.
As I am not a historian, the following overview is a summary of the history of Rapa Nui gleaned from various pre-trip readings and podcasts. It simply aims to set the scene for your visit to this amazing island. Resources used are cited at the bottom of this blog.
Here are some of the key dates in the history of Rapa Nui (*dates are approximate):
Over 1,000 years ago, intrepid Polynesian navigators discovered Rapa Nui. They had travelled thousands of miles from other Polynesian islands in double-hulled canoes, with no navigation devices other than the stars and sea birds. They discovered a palm-filled paradise island and sent word back home to plan a new expedition for settlement.
Rapa Nui legend says that the island’s first king, Hotu Matu’ (‘the Great Parent’) sailed in one of the two canoes, along with his wife and 6 sons and extended family. He was led by a dream from the mythical land of “Hiva“ to colonise the island.
After the initial exploration trip, Polynesians later returned with a Chief and his family, also bringing skilled tradesmen to build villages and establish a society on the island. The canoes carried pregnant women to start populating the island, and children, chickens and Polynesian rats (like Guinea Pigs but now extinct). They worked together to create villages and communities across the island.
Deforestation would have begun from this point – clearing trees to make space to grow crops. Sweet potato was the main crop.
*The arrival date is not known for definite and may have been as early as 300 AD.
A period of frenzied statue carving took place on the island using handheld chisels. Huge statues in human form called Moai, were carved from soft and compacted volcanic stone. The moai were thought to embody the spirit of important clan ancestors and erected overlooking their villages and communities, rather than looking out over the ocean.
There is an alternative, and more controversial theory, that Rapa Nui (Easter Island) was discovered much earlier than the above timeline, and that it might not have been the Polynesians who originally arrived on the island and built the moai. This theory was initially raised by Norwegian explorer Thor Heyendahl, who suggested that natives from South America first made the journey and brough carving skills with them. However, this is not born out in DNA from any of the skulls found on Rapa Nui.
If you are interested in finding out more about alternative theories, then check out the TV Series Ancient Apocalypse on Netflix. Rapa Nui (Easter Island) features in Series 2 (Episodes 2 and 3) with a very random and unexplained appearance from Keanu Reeves!
The first European to find Rapa Nui was Dutch Navigator Jacob Roggeveen whose ship arrived on Easter Sunday, which is why he used the name Easter Island. Roggeveen found an island without trees; deforestation having taken its toll.
The arrival of the Dutch started a turbulent 150-year period in the history of Rapa Nui. On this visit, 12 locals were killed by gunfire before the Dutch left, having been disappointed by the barren land and lack of resources they discovered.
Nearly 50 years later, a Spanish expedition led by Felipe Gonzale de Haedo arrived on Rapa Nui with the intention of claiming the island for Spain. However, his expedition ship only stayed for 6 days before leaving and not returning.
Note – both the Dutch and the Spanish expeditions recorded the moai as being ‘mainly standing’ statues.
British explorer James Cook visited briefly. On arrival his crew were sick and weary, and his logbooks paint a bleak picture of a barren island with few resources – little food just potatoes, plantain and sugar cane.
James Cook’s expedition also found the island in greater disrepair than the Spanish had recorded only 4 years earlier – some of the moai had been toppled and lay face down in the earth.
The toppling of the moai was thought to have come about due to an increase of warring factions on the island. As the moai represented the ‘mana’ (spiritual energy) of their ancestors, it made sense that enemies would topple them facedowntowards the ground.
The last date that an outsider recorded seeing a standing moai on Rapa Nui.
Slave traders from Peru took around 1,500 Rapanui away on ships, around half the population of Rapa Nui – strong men, pretty women, children, chiefs and elders who could read the local Rongo script. They left behind the elderly and infirm.
Only 15 Rapanui were ever repatriated, however they brought smallpox with them which further reduced the already small population.
Later, an epidemic of Tuberculosis would kill a quarter of the remaining Rapanui population, and many more would choose to leave. In the late 18th century, there might have been more Moai than people!
Christian missionaries arrived from Tahiti.
French–born Eugene Eyraud was the first missionary to live with the Rapa Nui people. He established a permanent Catholic Mission and converted many islanders to Roman Catholicism. The missionaries put an end to the island’s famous Birdman Competition at Orongo.
A census counted only 111 indigenous Rapanui on the island, down from around 12,000 people at its peak population.
A British Navy survey ship arrived, and its team made a detailed inventory of the island. They discovered a half buried Moai, excavated it and took it off the island. Hoa Hakananai’a (‘lost or stolen’ friend) ended up in the British Museum.
Britain encouraged Chile to take-over Rapa Nui before the French could take it. Chile was initially reluctant to do this, but Chilean annexation eventually happened, after almost 1000 years of Rapa Nui self-sustained existence. The islanders become Chilean, whether they liked it or not.
English Archaeologist Katherine Routledge arrived on the so-called ‘Mana Expedition’ and excavated the first Moai, documenting everything she found. She also interviewed the few remaining islanders to record their stories, songs, and beliefs. She published ‘The Mystery of Easter Island’ in 1919.
Williamson, Balfour & Co was an Anglo-Chilean nitrate and sheep farming company who acquired the land on a 25-year lease. They effectively converted the whole island to a sheep farm, with 70,000 grazing sheep.
This was a dark period in the history of Rapa Nui, as local Rapanui were fenced in at Hanga Roa to ‘prevent them from stealing any sheep’. Stones were taken from the ceremonial platforms to build stone walls.
World War II didn’t really affect life on Rapa Nui; however, it affected the wool trade and, coupled with locals trying to flee the island, the lease was evoked for the sheep company.
Restoration of around 40 Moai which were remounted upright on their ceremonial platforms (Ahu).
Rapa Nui was permitted by Chile to elect its own Mayor.
The Rapanui people gained full citizenship of Chile. Today only around half of the islands’ 8,000 population have Rapa Nui heritage. The rest originate from Chile or further afield.
Rapanui now have several benefits not found elsewhere in Chile, including: no income tax, subsidised fuel and air travel, free schooling and healthcare. Most importantly, land on Rapa Nui can only be owned by the Rapanui.
Tourism picked up with the advent of the first weekly flights to Rapa Nui from Santiago, Chile. It would no longer take 2 weeks on a ship to get there and make the island more accessible.
The Rapa Nui National Park was given UNESCO World Heritage Status.
The management of the National Park was transferred from the Chilean Forestry Department to a locally managed organisation, giving the Rapanui back more control.
Annual tourism levels are as high as 150,000 visitors. Whilst tourism is now essential to Rapa Nui, it brings a new range of challenges to be managed in terms of the added pressure on scarce resources (including water) on the island.
Given this turbulent history of Rapa Nui and the fact that the local population came close to wipe-out, it’s incredible that the culture of Rapa Nui feels so strong.
Despite now being a territory of Chile, Rapa Nui still feels decidedly Polynesian:
Preserving their resources and protecting the National Park on Rapa Nui is of paramount importance for the island. It was clear to us on our visit, that the locals are embracing tourism, whilst trying to keep a strict handle on it, particularly around the moai.
Rapa Nui is clearly in a much more positive phase of its history with much to be celebrated. However, it is still learning how to balance the numbers of people who want to visit, with the number of people they can safely accommodate.
Whist some Rapanui are keen to seek independence from Chile, others believe that the islanders are better off with background support from Chile. From an outsider’s point of view, it appears that Chile is allowing Rapa Nui to have its own personality and culture, without imposing too much of itself on the island. I hope very much that this is the case for the Rapanui.
For more information, please refer to the following:
Thank you so much for reading my blog, I hope you found it useful?
For more stories, itineraries, and advice, check out my Related Posts and sign up to receive my blogs by email.
If you have a blog-related question, please do ask in the Comments box and I’ll try to help…
Request please – if you use my photos, then please credit Love Travel Planning on your social media or give me a shout out on Instagram @lovetravelplanning as I am growing my website. Huge thanks.
Enjoy your travels!
New to our website? Learn to create the perfect travel plan:
