The island was victimized by blackbirding from 1862 to 1863, resulting in the abduction or killing of about 1,500, with 1,408 working as indentured servants in Peru. Only about a dozen eventually returned to Easter Island, but they brought smallpox, which decimated the remaining population of 1,500.
What really happened to Easter Island?
In this story, made popular by geographer Jared Diamond’s bestselling book Collapse, the Indigenous people of the island, the Rapanui, so destroyed their environment that, by around 1600, their society fell into a downward spiral of warfare, cannibalism, and population decline .
How did Easter Island die?
By eating the nuts, the sizeable rat population could have prevented reseeding of the bountiful but slow-growing palms across the island, causing them to die out. But the most likely cause of the downfall of Rapanui society is disease brought about by slavery .
What caused Easter Island to become extinct?
Around 1400 the Easter Island palm became extinct due to overharvesting. Its capability to reproduce has become severely limited by the proliferation of rats, introduced by the islanders when they first arrived, which ate its seeds.
Was there cannibalism on Easter Island?
With no trees to anchor the soil, fertile land eroded away resulting in poor crop yields, while a lack of wood meant islanders couldn’t build canoes to access fish or move statues. This led to internecine warfare and, ultimately, cannibalism.
Is Easter Island safe to visit?
Unvaccinated travelers should avoid nonessential travel to Easter Island . Because of the current situation in Easter Island, all travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.
How did humans get to Easter Island?
Some scientists say that Easter Island was not inhabited until 700–800 CE. ... The Austronesian Polynesians, who first settled the island, are likely to have arrived from the Marquesas Islands from the west. These settlers brought bananas, taro, sugarcane, and paper mulberry, as well as chickens and Polynesian rats .
What is the mystery of Easter Island?
Easter Island was covered with palm trees for over 30,000 years, but is treeless today . There is good evidence that the trees largely disappeared between 1200 and 1650. ... For example, deforestation took place on the Hawaiian island of Oahu between 900 and 1100, but there is no evidence of human presence there until 1250.
Is there anyone living on Easter Island?
Today, the people living on Easter Island are largely descendants of the ancient Rapa Nui (about 60%) and run the bulk of the tourism and conservation efforts on the island. Many locals living on Easter Island have livelihoods that involve the water—which makes sense!
Who discovered Easter Island first?
Ever since the Dutchman Jacob Roggeveen , the first European known to have reached Easter Island, arrived in 1722, scholars have debated the origins of the isolated population he found there.
What language do they speak on Easter Island?
Islanders smile, sing and dance in polyester costumes to cater to the mostly Spanish-speaking spenders. Ever since Chile annexed Easter Island more than a century ago, the Spanish language has been chipping away at the Polynesian-based language called Rapa Nui .
Are the Rapa Nui still alive?
First of all, the Rapa Nui haven’t been wiped off the face of the Earth: the Rapa Nui people still make up over half the Polynesian population today . Their ancestors likely arrived on Easter Island, now part of Chile, roughly a millennium ago.
Are there any Easter Islanders left?
The Rapa Nui are the indigenous Polynesian people of Easter Island. ... At the 2017 census there were 7,750 island inhabitants—almost all living in the village of Hanga Roa on the sheltered west coast. As of 2011, Rapa Nui’s main source of income derived from tourism, which focuses on the giant sculptures called moai.
How much does it cost to fly to Easter Island?
| Expense Cost (daily) | Transportation $24,000 CLP ($37 USD) | Total $66,000 CLP ($100 USD) | Total (four days) $264,000 CLP ($400 USD) + flights | *You can reduce this to $16,000 CLP (camping) or $30,000 CLP (dorm) |
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Why do they call it Easter Island?
The first known European visitor to Easter Island was the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, who arrived in 1722. The Dutch named the island Paaseiland (Easter Island) to commemorate the day they arrived.
