We never thought 22 years ago that we would be returning to Easter Island, but after 2,760 nautical miles (almost 3,200 land miles) from Tahiti, and 14 days, we had arrived.
Our previous trip to Easter Island in 2000 was an extension to a tour we carried out travelling the length of Chile. Easter Island’s history had intrigued us over the years and having gone all the way to Chile, it seemed a sensible choice to take advantage of our location and fly there from the mainland.
The island is a province of Chile. One source I read said: ‘This is a small island in the South Pacific and one of the most isolated places in the world’. But hey, they had obviously not seen some of the islands we had just visited. They are – what I call – remote!
During our previous visit we toured the island with a delightful and knowledgeable female guide. We wondered if she was still guiding and if we would come across her again. But what were the chances?
The island is in the shape of a triangle, 14 miles long by 7 miles wide. Its highest point is almost 2,000 feet being Mount Terevaka. Easter Island is known for its statues, referred to locally as moai. They represent the heads and bodies of the islanders’ ancestors.
Evidence of human habitation is considered to date back to 600 AD. The island was later named by a Dutch expedition led by Jacob Roggeveen, who it is said arrived on Easter Sunday, calling it Paaseiland, or Easter Island. However, to the inhabitants it is Rapa Nui (or Great Rapa). Captain Cook landed here in 1774.
Since 1935 the island has been a National Historic Monument, and almost 50% of the land is a national park which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. Most of its residents are of Polynesian ancestry rather than, what might have been expected due to its governance, Chilean. However, Spanish is the main language spoken.
The land is volcanic and has in recent times suffered from increasing coastal erosion due to rising sea levels. Unlike on some islands we have passed through this isn’t so much an issue for breeding birds, but it has threatened the precious historic archeological sites containing the moai.
The island has around 1,000 statues, carved from the nearby volcanic rock. Some people have spent their lives examining them, one being Edmondo Edwards whose passion for archaeology started when he was 12 years old and as far back at 1957 his interest in Rapa Nui grew. We were privileged to have his daughter Alex as one of our Expedition Team, who was able to speak in depth about the archaeology and even the cosmos that surrounds it.
The age of the moai is rather more recent that one might have thought, being dated between AD 1100 and 1650, depending on research sources. They are believed to represent ancestral chiefs descended from the gods. They held supernatural powers. They are scattered across the island, some erected on temple platforms (ahu) and along the coast mainly facing inland to watch over the people (as pictured above). They range from 8 feet in height and one is as much as 70 feet high. The latter was unfinished. Perhaps the creator thought it was not such a good idea after all, for it would have to be moved into position and erected.
We are fortunate that evidence remains of how these were created – initially in situ. The first step was to carve out the basic image in a horizontal position, from the local volcanic rock. A ‘keel’ (being attached un-carved rock under the back of the moai) would be left in place until the statue needed to be moved. This keel would then be carved away.
The next step was to move the statue nearer to its resting place to then carve other parts of the body, including the head detail and the shoulders. Just how they moved them is still being debated, but suggestions are that they could have been shifted horizontally and lying on logs (sounds similar to Stonehenge), toppled vertically (bit risky, one could lose their head), or rolled on their sides down the hill (watch out for passers-by. Ah not a problem, no health and safety committee in those days).
As carving progressed – it is thought this amounted to an industry – finer details were carried out, such as the facial features. Statues that had not reached their final destination did not have eyes. These were carved when the statues were in place. In later versions coral was added to show the eyes more effectively and indicated the statue had vision. Some had the addition of top knots on their heads. These were carved from a red quarry stone.
Many moai can be seen mounted individually or laying down. Some may have fallen, but some may have never got to their final destination. Some were moved by a tsunami in 1960. This was a consequence of the largest earthquake recorded in Chile – having a magnitude of 9.5 on the Richter scale. No human life was lost on the island. Japanese support helped with the reconstruction of some of these valuable historic sites.
Also part of the island’s history was the Birdman Cult. This appears to have commenced after the moai culture. Birds were considered to represent a link between the living and the spirit world. They were the messengers of the gods.
The sooty tern, whose migratory arrival marked the spring equinox and a new beginning in the yearly cycle, was given prominence. A competition was held annually, with leaders of the island’s local clans selecting one man each to represent them.
These representatives would race to swim to a sharp peak at Ongora and climb its craggy surface to retrieve an egg of the sooty tern. The first chief to receive an intact egg from his representative birdman was given power over the island for the year.
Small wooden carvings are still made today of Tangata Manu (the Birdman, seen above). Petroglyphs also illustrate the birdman. Fortunately, the competition is no longer held. The treacherous conditions, which killed many who took part, would not have got the approval of health and safety committees today.
Also still to be seen are the ancient remains of several stone houses, known as hare paenga. The bases were designed in a canoe shape, with two levels inside. A lower level for sleeping and a raised level for cooking. Ovens made from earth contained stones used to retain heat for cooking.
So what of our guide of 2000? With a little time left on the island before we boarded our Zodiacs, we asked around if anybody knew her. “Yes, we do”, we heard with surprise. “She was here this morning!”, but sadly we had missed our one opportunity to see her.
I turned away, disappointed to know that she was still on the island but our chance encounter was not to be. Some beautiful red plants caught my eye and I wandered over to admire them.
Shortly after I heard John calling. “Sue, Sue, come here quickly.” I walked over with some speed, puzzled at the urgency. In front of me was our previous guide – just as friendly and excited as she was 22 years ago.
We showed her photographs we had taken back then of her eating shellfish straight off the rocks, which she still does today.
We heard about her packed life since then and shared with her what we had been up to on our trip. Then our brief time had come to an end and we had to depart. It was a great way to leave our second visit to Easter Island, carrying with us some wonderful final memories.
Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2022