A Rapa Nui civilization were a people of Polynesian origin who developed on Easter Island, most likely from 1200 onwards. Historians believe that the Rapa Nui arrived on this island through the Marquesas Islands.
The Rapa Nui are well known for having built the moais, huge megaliths (large blocks of stone) made of volcanic tuff and with a humanoid shape. How the Rapa Nui transported these megaliths around Easter Island intrigues historians. The depletion of the island's resources may have contributed to the decline of this civilization.
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Summary about Rapa Nui civilization
The Rapa Nui were a Polynesian civilization that developed on Easter Island.
They are believed to have migrated from the Marquesas Islands until they settled on Easter Island.
They developed a civilization in a remote location with limited resources.
They built moai, megaliths with humanoid shapes that are spread across the island.
The decline of the Rapa Nui may have been caused by the depletion of the island's natural resources.
Rapa Nui civilization on Easter Island
The Rapa Nui civilization developed on Easter Island, located in the Pacific Ocean and considered one of the most isolated places in the world. The closest piece of land to this island is Pitcairn Island, located about 2000 kilometers away. Isolation was, therefore, one of the hallmarks of this civilization.
Other The greatest mark of the Rapa Nui were gigantic megalithic constructions,the moai, spread across the entire length of Easter Island. These megaliths were built with humanoid shapes, being made from volcanic rocks present on the island. Researchers are still trying to understand how the Rapa Nui moved these megaliths miles away.
The Rapa Nui also draw the attention of historians for their ability to survive in a place with extremely limited resources for the maintenance of human groups. The Rapa Nui civilization came into contact with Europeans at the beginning of the 18th century, when a Dutch expedition arrived on the island.
When Europeans arrived there, they found the Rapa Nui in a state of rather steep decline. The populations were greatly reduced in number and maintained a precarious lifestyle. Easter Island is currently a territory that belongs to Chile.
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Origin of the Rapa Nui civilization
The fact that a civilization developed in one of the most isolated places in the world is something that draws the attention of researchers. The arrival of human groups on the island causes considerable division among historians and many claim that this occurred around 1200.
Other researchers, in turn, claim that human presence on the island occurred earlier, around the year 700-800. In any case, there is an oral tradition that points out that the Rapa Nui who ifsettled on the island they were led by a tribal chief called Hotu Matu’a. He would have made this migration after dreaming of a new land.
What historians say, in turn, is that the Polynesian population that inhabited Easter Island was, most likely, originally from the Marquesas Islands (more or less 3700 kilometers away from Easter Island).
This hypothesis is based on cultural and linguistic similarities between the populations of the two islands. The migration may have happened due to an outbreak of food poisoning which may have reached the Marquesas Islands.
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Rise of the Rapa Nui civilization
The arrival of the Rapa Nui, regardless of date, caused these human groups to settle and prosper over time. This happened through exploitation of resourcesexisting locally, but also by growing some foods, although the island was not the most suitable place for agriculture.
Many historians explain that the strength of the winds on Easter Island had a negative effect on agriculture and this effect was worsened as the island's vegetation was deforested. Furthermore, the amount of rainfall in the area is considered low. Many historians point out that deforestation of the island may have directly contributed to Rapa Nui's decline.
At its peak, the Rapa Nui population may have reached 9000 inhabitants, but there are statistical surveys that indicate that they may have reached 15000 inhabitants — an expressive number if we consider that the island currently has around 8000 inhabitants. The limitation of geographic space, isolation and few resources make this number significant for the Rapa Nui.
Construction of the moai
Another great feat of the Rapa Nui was the construction of moais, megaliths that are spread throughout the island, being approximately 1000 total moai on Easter Island. The tallest moai is about 10 meters tall and the heaviest is about 75 tons. There are also several moais that were not finished and it is estimated that the construction of these megaliths took place between the years 1400 and 1650.
The moai were built from a rock called volcanic tuff, and the site of its construction was a quarry in volcano Rano Raraku. Most moai were built horizontally, but some were placed vertically. Some moai had an ornament similar to a hat, called pukao, which was made from volcanic rock found in the quarry of the Puna Pau volcano.
Historians speculate the motivations surrounding the construction of these megaliths, and one of the most accepted explanations points out that the moais were built as a way of paying homage to ancestors deified. Other hypotheses suggest that they were built to guarantee the protection of the island and to increase soil fertility.
Know more: Inca civilization — people who inhabited the territory of present-day Peru
What was the end of the Rapa Nui civilization?
The arrival of Europeans on Easter Island took place in 1722, when Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen's expedition landed there. When they arrived there, Europeans witnessed the Rapa Nui in rapid decline, as their population was reduced and living in a state of impoverishment.
We don't know for sure what explains Rapa Nui's decline, but the island's deforestation and the exhaustion of local resources is the hypothesis most accepted by historians. This hypothesis states that the destruction of local trees has harmed agriculture and the soil, starting a cycle of food shortages. Drinking water was also a very scarce resource on the island.
Other historians, in turn, assignin the decline of the Rapa Nui à arrival of Europeans, who brought diseases that reduced the local population, in addition to committing violence against the Rapa Nui, including selling locals as slaves.
