Visit to the Easter Island: Horst Cerni

Foreword

Few places in the world are as mysterious as Easter Island. Scientists have studied the culture and remains of previous island populations for many decades and no clear answers resulted of where they came from, what made them build massive sculptures and why the activities suddenly stopped. Theories abound on how gigantic monoliths were carved, erected and moved for miles to their destination. And what do the different petroglyphs signify, or the writings on the wooden tablets, - the only written language in all of Polynesia?

Living in Chile in the seventies, we were especially curious and anxious to experience the island for ourselves. We happily accepted the invitation from a friend who was transferred there. We, that is the Cerni family - Horst, Isabel and children Karl (13), Paul (11) and Anneliese (6 years). I was UNICEF’s Regional Information Officer at that time.

Since we went to Easter Island on vacation, we only got a superficial impression, but enough to awaken my curiosity. So I read several books - almost anything I could find - and every time when it seemed that a plausible answer was given, new questions came up. I wrote summaries about four particularly relevant studies, and these book reviews can be found here.

One apology. In those days, I filmed everything on Super-8 film which eventually deteriorated. I included our family photos in this report (which have also faded), and if you notice some really foggy and blue photos, then those are screenshots from the movie. I think it adds to the mystery…

Moais

Moai

Rano Raraku

Te Pito o Te Henua

We boarded the LAN Chile flight in Santiago in February 1977, flew over Valparaiso, and then there was only the blue Pacific Ocean underneath. For close to five hours there was nothing else. Finally, after 3,750 km (2,330 miles) a tiny dot appeared - the most remote inhabited island in the world - Isla de Pascua/Easter Island. We landed at Mataveri airport in Hanga Roa, the small and only town where about 2,300 people lived. The landing strip was at the edge of the town, and the weekly planes brought some excitement to the islanders. Until 1951 there was only a maritime connection with one boat arriving per year, bringing supplies and news.

Walking in Hanga Roa was not very exciting. The roads were unpaved and dusty, and except for the simple building of the Catholic church there wasn't much to see. But, up on the hill, there stood a massive stone figure - a Moai. This isolated island is home to one of the most mysterious cultures where stone-age men created, moved and erected enormous sculptures and worshiped ancestors.

Hanga Roa

Polynesians are amazing navigators and somehow found this lonely island around 300 CE. It is thought that they came from other islands, like Hiva, Mangareva or the Marquesas. Later - between 700 to 800 CE - another group arrived from Cook Islands on two large catamarans with their legendary king Hotu Matu’a, who is credited with good government, cultivation of the land and worshiping “Mother Earth.” They called the island Mata Kiterani - “Eyes that look to heaven'' - and Te Pito o te Henua - “the navel of the world.” Later on, they also chose the name Rapa Nui - the large island. The small island, Rapa Iti, was 3,443 km away.

Pascuense girl

Karl, Paul & Anneliese trying to ride

Anneliese & Isabel trying to get the horse to move

at Rano Raraku

We wanted to see the large Moais up close, and the Ahus, the base on which the Moais stood. We could walk to some, but the majority was further inland. We rented horses and thought we could ride like the Chilean cowboy, the Huaso. Well, the horses had different ideas and preferred to move slowly and eat the grass on the way. I actually had to get down and pull my horse until it understood we had a destination to reach. We went to the “Factory”, as it was referred to, the quarry at the extinct volcano Rano Raraku.

Rano Raraku

According to a recent study, between 1300 and 1450 CE ancestor worship resulted in an ambitious building of large Moais. There are almost one thousand, some standing - on their middle body, - even with “hats” and eyes. At the quarry, several giant heads stand scattered along the slope and others are in lying position, still partly inside the mountain and waiting to be completed. It must have been a very busy place with several Moais being carved at the same time. One can only wonder at the ingenuity of these islanders who with simple basalt and obsidian tools formed the lava rocks into humanite sculptures. How could they measure and produce almost identical, yet different and unique monoliths? And then how could they move and erect them without any mechanical equipment? These questions have occupied scientists for a long time, and we certainly were in no position to find answers, either. We just wondered and admired them in awe.

Ahu Tongarik (?)

Moai Hat

Moai Hat

AHU base

Oxcart passing Ahu Tongariki (?)

The local tradition says that the Moais walked to their place of destination, but how could they, since they had no legs? Thor Heyerdahl and others have demonstrated that the islanders may have been able with strategically placed ropes and people pulling from different sides to move the Moais forward - one step at a time. Another theory is that tree trunks were used as rollers, which may have contributed to the deforestation of the island.

The first European who found the island was the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen. Since it was on Easter Sunday in 1722, he named the island Easter Island. He noticed that the islanders only had small canoes, not even big enough for fishing, and lived in houses that looked like upside down canoes with only a small entrance. What impressed them most were the gigantic figures which they thought were made of clay.

Moais

It took 48 years before the next Europeans arrived. Two Spanish galleons led by Don Felipe Gonzales landed in 1770. They described the islanders as tall, mostly men, and there were no trees. He claimed the island for Spain and called it San Carlos Island in honor of the king. That was the one and only visit of the Spaniards.

Then in 1774 the English explorer James Cook came and in 1786 the French Admiral La Perouse. It was reported that all statues were standing at that time, but there were few palms.

When we visited, there were some palms and other trees in Hanga Roa and a small sand beach and some pools between the lava rocks, but too small for swimming, just enough to put your feet in and for children to splash around. Most of the coast is steep and rugged of rough lava rocks, except the Northern tip of Anakena. Here small boats can land and there is a nice beach and a small forest of palm trees. Here was the first settlement of the legendary king Hotu Matu’a, and there stood a Moai. We rented a jeep to get there and explored it and some other sites.

Anakena

Moai at Anakena

Map of Easter Island (By Eric Gaba, NHPR)

Easter Island is a triangle with an extinct volcano on each corner, 23 km long and 14 km wide. Most Moais face inland “to protect the people '' and to give them “Mana” - supernatural strength. It is believed that the Moais represent ancestors and important personalities and that erecting them provides a better after-life for them, while honoring them for their protection. The society was well organized and respected each other. But the population was growing, and natural resources were getting scarce. Trees had been cut to cultivate the land for agriculture and for making rollers to transport the Moais. This resulted in erosion, and no more boats could be built and fishing declined. And there were rats which ate the palm seeds.

By the end of the 16th century, the population had grown to over 15,000. Clans started competing for food. Conflicts erupted, many families were hiding in caves, and Moais were toppled.

The dominant clan were the long-ears who demanded more and more sacrifices from the short-ears, including building even bigger Moais and removing stones from the land to make it available for agriculture. The short-ears revolted and killed the long-ears. This is assumed to have caused the sudden cessation of work.

The cult of the Moais and Mana was pushed aside and the Birdman Cult became dominant. Here young men appointed by the priest of their clan had to climb down a steep cliff from the ridge of the O’Rongo volcano to the sea some 250 m below and swim through shark infested rough waters to the small island of Motu Nui one and a half km to fetch the egg of the Sooty Tern Bird (White-tipped Tern). The one who found the first egg and managed to bring it back to Orongo, the sacred village on top of the ridge, would become the Chief and main priest for the entire island and for a whole year. Many petroglyphs tell the stories of these competitions dedicated to Make Make, the god of fertility and humanity.

 

Orongo at Rano Kau

Petroglyphs at Orongo

Petroglyphs at Orongo honoring the god Make Make

Petroglyph at Orongo honoring the Birdman

Petroglyphs

Petroglyphs

Another amazing mystery, possibly of even greater scientific significance, is the fact that the ‘Pascuense’ (as they are called in Chile) created a written language. About a dozen tablets have been found with symbols clearly representing a written language. They are called Kohau Rongorongo - meaning “to recite or sing”. The different symbols represent people - even a couple dancing (it seems) ,- others are animals, like fish and a species not known on the island, circles and lines. It is the only place in all of Polynesia which has created a written language. How could a written language evolve in a relatively small society? There usually is a reason to communicate with other peoples, but Easter Island is completely isolated. The closest populated island is Pitcairn, - 1,920 km away with a dying population of about 50, mostly descendants from the mutineers of the M/S Bounty.

Tablet with writing

One analysis suggests that Hotu Matu’a had brought with him several tablets from Hiva and that Maori Rongorongo - those who knew the language, taught others to read and write. Another theory is that it may have come with migrants from South-East Asia, and then continued to Chile and up North to the Inca and Maya Empires. Other scientists, Thor Heyerdahl included, think it was the other way around and that the first settlers came from South America. Heyerdahl had demonstrated with his Kon Tiki expedition that this is feasible.

In addition, there are structures on Easter Island which are only found in the Inca areas of Peru and Bolivia, especially in Tiahuanaco, where similar, but smaller monoliths stand. There are no similar ones in Asia.

Despite Easter Island’s incredible archeological and cultural richness, its history is sad and the people have suffered and were exploited ever since the world found them. Even the first Europeans shot some islanders because they felt threatened. In the mid 19th century, Peruvian slave traders abducted 1,000 islanders and took them to work in the guano fields. Most islanders died and only 15 returned to Easter Island, bringing back diseases. The population was reduced to 111 people.

In 1888, Chile annexed the island. There was no clear plan what could be done with it, so the government leased it to a sheep rancher. Soon 20 to 40,000 sheep roamed the island and ate whatever grass was left. Meanwhile, the locals were banned to a reservation in Hanga Roa. The islanders protested. In 1966, Rapa Nui people became Chilean citizens. But there were demonstrations for independence. In 1980, the lease for the sheep rancher was terminated and the entire island became a national park and is now fully managed by the residents. In 1996, UNESCO declared Easter Island a World Heritage Site.

French missionaries arrived in the 19th century, and built the first Catholic church in 1878. They were very persuasive and converted the islanders, while at the same time stopping the Birdman cult. The Catholic faith became the dominant religion, although natives adapted according to their old traditions and beliefs.

Catholic church Sunday Mass, Hanga Roa

We went to church on Sunday and were impressed how crowded it was. Everybody was in their Sunday best and there was happy mingling and laughter. I think we were the only outsiders, but everyone welcomed us. When the singing started, it seemed like a big choir. The voices were so well coordinated and everybody sang with great enthusiasm. We didn’t recognize the songs, because they were in the Polynesian language and apparently original compositions.

The Pascuense we met - mostly souvenir sellers - were all very friendly. Towards the end of our stay we decided to go to a Dancehall or disco with music we had heard almost every night. It was crowded, but near the entrance, a group of islanders invited us to join them at their table. We didn’t know each other, but they treated us like old friends and immediately offered us Pisco with Coca Cola. We danced the Sau Sau – similar to the Hawaiian Hula dance, and had a great time. This experience impressed us very much and the laughter of the people seemed like a contrast to the stoic Moai figures. Walking back to our friend’s home, it seemed that we could reach the stars. It was the clearest and closest sky we had ever seen.

Our two week vacation ended too soon. People had originally told us that there is not much to see and that after three days we would get bored. But we felt the exact opposite. We only had seen part of the island and none of the mysterious caves which are all over, but their entrances were carefully concealed with stones. We took with us wonderful memories and several wooden moai carvings. In Santiago I received a Pascuense chess set as a farewell present with impressive figures from ancient times.

Isabel watches the carving of a souvenir moai

Souvenir wooden moais

Rapa Nui chess set

I think we were on Easter Island at a good time with hardly any tourists. Now it seems that the island has become more touristy and organized. Several hotels have been built and even cruise ships have arrived. Visitors are now restricted to a fenced-in area and can only walk on special paths. And there is an admission fee of $ 80 for a ten day visit,

Nevertheless, if I could, I would love to go back and for a longer stay.