Rapa Nui

Words: 1854

Pages: 8

Open Document

The Island of Rapa Nui, or known as Easter Island, is a small island located on the south-eastern point of the Polynesian Triangle, which is comprised of Hawai’i, Aukland Island and Rapa Nui (Hamilton, 2013). Hamilton (2013) states that the island was initially inhabited by Polynesians, who were sailing eastward. However, it is debatable specifically where these Polynesians came from, and furthermore, it is disputed when Rapa Nui was colonized. Initially, through glottochronology, dated stratified finds, and radiocarbon dates, archaeologists narrowed the colonization date to approximately 800 AD (Hamilton, 2013). However, there is some question with this date because there is recent archaeological evidence — eight radiocarbon samples from ‘Anakena (a location on the island) — that indicate Rapa Nui was potentially colonized in 1200 AD instead of 800 AD (Hunt & Lipo, 2007). Still conclusively, regardless of when Rapa Nui was colonized by the early Polynesians, there is still a small archaeological record between their height and their collapse (Peiser, 2005; Hunt & Lipo, 2007; Lipo & Hunt, 2009).
It is this small archaeological record that creates problems for archaeologists and other scientists because they are …show more content…
However, Peiser (2005) noted that most of the atrocities were never recorded which is why no one can be sure whether the population before the 1860s to 1870s stood at 3,000 people or 20,000 people. However, one thing was for certain and that is the population of Rapa Nui was around 100 in 1877 (Peiser, 2005). It is from these demographic changes Peiser concluded that the Rapa Nui collapsed from genocide instead of an

Rapa Nui Chile Analysis

Rapa Nui, Chile is home to a most enigmatic anthropological story trove of historical human behavior. Colonized sometime between 300 and 800 CE by nautical Polynesian settlers (Mieth & Bork, 2005), the triangular shaped island is no more than fourteen by seven miles around and is remarkably excluded from the rest of the Polynesian Triangle. The closest plots of land from either direction are 2,200 miles respective to Pitcairn Island and 1,200 Pacific ocean miles away from mainland Chile in South…

Words 911 - Pages 4

Essay about Easter Island

problem on the island. The island itself isn’t rather large, and the amount of people that first settled there wasn’t that great of a number. So, one would think that an island as plentiful as Easter Island would be able to provide everything the Rapa Nui needed to survive. At first, that’s what they thought too. Once they started to grow in population, again, that’s where their problems started. When they first arrived, they ate as much as they wanted, and as frequently as they wanted. They didn’t…

Words 2068 - Pages 9

Voyages: Easter Island and Joanne Van Tilburg Essay

and Joanne Van Tilburg. They believe the island was first settled between 800 and 1200 AD by a small founding population of 20- 50 people (probably one voyaging canoe). The island underwent population growth from 1000-1300 AD, to the point where Rapa Nui is believed by these scholars to have sustained as many as 15,000 people (between 9,000 and 15,000). This was also the period when the citizens of Easter Island began constructing the massive Moai statues that they are famous for. Diamond and Tilburg…

Words 1427 - Pages 6

Easter Island Research Paper

Island, but many don’t know the history behind it, such as the original name, Te Pito O Te Henua meaning “The Center Of The World”. Many People don’t even know what is on the Island such as the ancient statues called the Moai statues carved by the Rapa Nui Tribe. The Moais were built in approximately 1400 AD 1650 AD to honor their dead ancestors. The Moai stand on the tribes that once were, but also reminding the native people of their culturally rich past. The 887 Moai statues also serve to show just…

Words 1536 - Pages 7

Easter Island Research Paper

today, it was inhabited first by other people. The settlers of this island are called the Rapa Nui. They settled on the island and developed their own complex society and famous stone architecture (Tyson). The Rapa Nui put a lot of work into making the island their home. The most known thing about Easter Island is its’ giant stone statues known as moai (Tyson). These statues, carved from stone blocks by the Rapa Nui, average 13 feet tall and weigh about 14 tons (World Heritage Site: Easter Island). It…

Words 942 - Pages 4

Chile Country Analysis

Religions: Roman Catholic 66.7%, Evangelical or Protestant 16.4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 1%, other 3.4%, none 11.5%, unspecified 1.1%. Languages: Spanish 99.5% (official), English 10.2%, indigenous 1% (includes Mapudungun, Aymara, Quechua, Rapa Nui), other 2.3%, unspecified 0.2%. Literacy: 98.6%. Official name: Republic of Chile. Highest point on mainland: Ojos del Salado (6,880 meters/22,573 feet). Lowest point on land: Sea level. Time zone: 8 A.M. = noon GMT. Longest distances: 356 kilometers…

Words 684 - Pages 3

Essay about Easter Island

BIO301 1. Title- What are the Lessons of Easter Island? 2. What? Without judgment or interpretation describe in details the facts of the article (who, what, where, when, how). Easter Island is one the most remote points on the globe and is called Rapa Nui by its inhabitants. It was discovered by European explorers on Easter Sunday 1722, they said there were few people living on the island and it seemed destitute, but they managed to have large statues of carved rock. Several explores came up with…

Words 367 - Pages 2

Essay on Easter Island

are many theories revolving around the mysterious moai that inhabit it, and immense research has taken place. But for the time being, the megalithic stone heads that reside on Easter Island are just that, a mystery. Easter Island, properly named Rapa Nui by its natives, is a miniscule island thousands of miles off the coast of Chile. The rocky patch of land just fourteen miles long and seven wide is home to 887 rock statues depicting a man-like face and body. Each monument on average is over thirteen…

Words 425 - Pages 2

AP WORLD Essay

AP WORLD HISTORY OUT OF AFRICA SECTION 1 ESSAY: MARIA VALDEZ Humans started migrating into the Middle East around 40,000 years ago the best evidence of early European settlement comes from southern France and northern Spain, settlers in northern Europe were pushed southward into warmer areas around 20,000 years ago. developed new hunting habits, new hunting technologies. The earliest Europeans left hundreds of cave paintings: depictions of animals and humans and abstract design…

Words 544 - Pages 3

Easter Island Research Paper

Have you ever vacationed on an island that has an odd back story? Introducing the Easter Island! Easter Island has a fascinating history such as who inhabited the island first and how the civilization got there or even how Easter Island’s famous statues ‘moved’. Background information: Easter Island is only about sixty-three square miles and the closest country to Easter Island is more than two thousand miles away. Easter Island is located in the South Pacific Ocean. Many historians believe that…

Words 738 - Pages 3