Easter Island

Easter Island is a six hour flight from Santiago and forms the most westerly part of Polynesia in the Pacific Ocean. Populates at around the same time as New Zealand and Hawaii, around 1,400 years ago, it has a very unique history.

The civilisation was founded by a King and his sister, who set up two clans on the island. Within a few generations there were around sixteen clans dotted around this relatively small island. This was the first phase of the civilisation, and for hundreds of years these clans lived together and carved the monolithic Moai structures, which they placed on burial places called ahu, in tribute to their clan leaders and royalty.

Eventually, there were around 20,000 people on the island and there became a worsening situation with resources from trees to fish. This was the second phase, when the clans were at war. The moai of neighbouring clans were knocked down, and there was cannibalism amongst some of the clans.

Eventually a solution was found whereby a competition was introduced. This phase was the “birdman” phase, where every spring members of each tribe would train for two weeks before each race. On the given day, the men would climb down the steep cliffs, swim across to an island and return with a complete egg from the nesting sooty terns. The birdman was crowned and his clan chief ruled the island for the following year.

All of these aspects are recorded on the island. The birdman ritual is at the restored site of Orongo. In the west. The island is full of the ruined ahus and moai. It also has the abandoned quarry where many moai remain incomplete. Also, where standing moai are found, these are where various organisations have restored them.