Rapa Nui: Unraveling mysteries of the isolated Moai Island
Easter Island is a place that has fascinated historians, researchers, and tourists for centuries. Reaching it is not easy. Flights from Europe, with at least two layovers, take about 30 hours. However, standing face to face with the moai statues is an indescribable experience.
Easter Island, located in the Pacific Ocean, is a place with many names and a fascinating history. Europeans know it as Easter Island, while the residents and Tahitian sailors call it Rapa Nui or Te Pito o Te Henua, which translates to "Great Land" or "The Navel of the World." Each of these names carries a hint of mystery, given the island's small area.
what does Easter Island have to do with Easter?
The name "Easter Island" was given to these distant lands by the Dutch explorer Jakob Roggeveen in 1722.
It usually evokes associations with spring festivals; however, the island has no connections to the Easter bunny or historical events related to Christianity. The Dutch named it this way because they discovered it on Easter Sunday.
Rapa Nui has other equally intriguing names. As a small piece of land with an area of 163 square kilometres, the island is regarded as the "Great Land" and is located in one of the most isolated places in the world—nearly 3,700 kilometres from the coast of Chile and over 4,000 kilometres from Tahiti. Its closest neighbour, Pitcairn Island, is 1,900 kilometres away, making this place a true pole of isolation.
Great Land, the navel of the world
Though it is not easy to get there, the island is of great interest to tourists. For example, a flight from Poland to Easter Island with two layovers takes at least 31 hours, and round-trip tickets cost about 3,200 CAD. In comparison, you can fly from New York to the island in 16 hours with one layover, and the ticket costs about $1,900 CAD.
Despite high costs and a long journey, many travellers come here seeking the mystery hidden in the legendary moai statues. These stone giants, carved from volcanic rocks, draw attention. The largest of them, Paro, is 10 metres tall and weighs 20,000 kilograms. The fate of these statues is the topic of many debates among scientists who want to understand who created them and how they were erected in pre-industrial times.
On Rapa Nui, there are 887 moai, some of which are toppled, while others still stand in good condition, like the famous fifteen statues in the Ahu Tongariki group. Also intriguing is the "Seven Explorers" from Ahu Akivi, who, according to local guides, were once the royal guard on the lookout for ocean dangers.
Mysterious moai
Stories say that the statues depict long-eared aristocrats, descendants of ancient Polynesian visitors. The long ears ruling the island were supported by the short-eared clan, who are credited with building the moai. Although contemporary history remembers little of these clans, it is known that in the 19th century, many residents were taken by slave hunters to Peru, and epidemics such as tuberculosis and leprosy decimated the population.
Theories about the transportation and construction of the statues vary, from magical to cosmic. Erich von Däniken even suggested that their creators were extraterrestrial beings, while residents and researchers propose more down-to-earth theories, such as moving the statues over tree logs.
Rapa Nui is full of legends about civil wars and disasters caused mainly by excessive deforestation. Despite much research, there are more questions than answers, which makes the island even more mysterious and attractive to tourists. The still-living legends encourage personal interpretations and discoveries in this unique corner of the world.
