Chile Travel Guide - History of Easter Island

Easter Island History

Easter Island's history was largely speculative until recently. The original setters were believed to have arrived around 400 A.D., and thought either to be descendants of Peruvian Incas, or of Polynesians. DNA tests done on 12 skeletons in 1995 demonstrated that they were in fact Polynesian. Two thirds of the current population of 3,800 is Polynesian. The remaining third is largely made up of Chileans. Despite the devastation of the population in the late 1800's and the loss of their independence to Chile in 1888, the islanders have maintained the strength of their Polynesian heritage and remain very proud of their past.

The Original Settlers
Rapa Nui's original settlers gave it the name Te Pito O Te Henua, which means "the navel of the world." They cleared forests to cultivate crops and fished offshore for seafood. They were originally a cave-dwelling community with homes along the ocean until the population expanded enough to demand bigger homes. They then moved into hare paengas, or boat-shaped houses located further inland when the growth in population demanded more space.

Western Discovery of Easter Island
The first westerner to discover the island was Jacob Roggeveen, a Dutch explorer who landed there on Easter Sunday in 1722. His notes indicated a thriving community of thousands of people. However, when famed British explorer Captain James Cook arrived in 1774, he discovered only a few hundred starving natives. Many of the island's massive Moai statues were toppled, probably by warring clans who knocked down statues of rival clans.

At the beginning of 19th century, European whalers began to stop at the island, looking for fresh vegetables and women. They left behind venereal diseases. By 1860s, the community had been revitalized and the population had grown to a few thousand people. In 1862 Peruvian slave traders captured nearly all of the island's work force. Eventually the Bishop of Tahiti caused a public outcry and an embarrassed Peru rounded up the few survivors to return them. A shipload headed to Easter Island, but smallpox broke out en route and only 15 arrived to the island. They were put ashore. The resulting smallpox epidemic wiped out all but 110 of the remaining islanders, and everyone who could read the original rongo-rongo language has died. The language still remains a mystery even to linguists, who have been unable to decipher the complex script.

How did Easter Island become part of Chile?
When the Spanish influence in South America collapsed in the late 1800's, Chile won the race to Easter Island, claiming it for themselves in 1888. They leased the land to a sheep company in Britain, which prevented native islanders from leaving the capital city of Hanga Roa until 1953. When an airport was constructed in 1967, life began to improve for inhabitants of Rapa Nui-the Chilean government finally invested in infrastructure of the island, and the burgeoning business of tourism gave the economy a much-needed jump start. To this day, most of the island's 3,800 inhabitants are involved in tourism in some capacity.

Tapati Rapa Nui Festival
Rapa Nui's volcanic craters, stunning beaches, cobalt blue waters, and the famed archaeological sites containing the moai statues are available for visitors to explore year-round. But for two weeks every year, the islanders have the chance to celebrate their heritage during the Tapati Rapa Nui festival. Though it was created as a tourist attraction in 1975, the festival has come to symbolize the strength and influence of Polynesian culture.