In the footsteps of Jacob Roggeveen.
In 1722 on Easterday Jacob Roggeveen saw as the first European this Island, which he named: Paaseiland (Easter island). He also saw the statues, locally known as Moai.
They are supposed to represent the ancestors of the local inhabitants of the Island. Erected on a sort of Altar (Ahu) near the coast facing land inwards they had magical powers and could provide “Manna” a sort well being and prosperity. But only when they could see, so the real Moai had ivory eyes placed in their eye sockets. We visited the quarry where they were carved out of special volcanic rocks, slided down of the hills, carved and then transported and erected. There are at least 900 statues on the Island, made between 800 and 1600 AD. After the forests had disappeared because of over exploitation of the soil and the introductions of rodents on the Island the production of statues stopped, a war among the tribes broke out.
After Peru took the population as slaves of the Island only 110 people survived. In the late 19th century Chile took reign and after leasing the Island to an English company to farm sheep in 1955 the Island finally came to peace. That is until Thor Heyerdahl set foot on the Island and started an archaeological program that stills lasts today.
He re-erected the fist statue in 1958 and most of what we see now is re-erected in the 70’s and 90’s.
Still it is breath taking. I did a lot of research for this trip, read all the books, saw all the documentaries even read the journal of Roggeveen and scientific reports of the Heyerdahl institution, but it still didn’t prepare me for what I saw here. On the most remote populated Island of the world you really feel part of the universe when you are eye to eye with the Moai…
They are supposed to represent the ancestors of the local inhabitants of the Island. Erected on a sort of Altar (Ahu) near the coast facing land inwards they had magical powers and could provide “Manna” a sort well being and prosperity. But only when they could see, so the real Moai had ivory eyes placed in their eye sockets. We visited the quarry where they were carved out of special volcanic rocks, slided down of the hills, carved and then transported and erected. There are at least 900 statues on the Island, made between 800 and 1600 AD. After the forests had disappeared because of over exploitation of the soil and the introductions of rodents on the Island the production of statues stopped, a war among the tribes broke out.
After Peru took the population as slaves of the Island only 110 people survived. In the late 19th century Chile took reign and after leasing the Island to an English company to farm sheep in 1955 the Island finally came to peace. That is until Thor Heyerdahl set foot on the Island and started an archaeological program that stills lasts today.
He re-erected the fist statue in 1958 and most of what we see now is re-erected in the 70’s and 90’s.
Still it is breath taking. I did a lot of research for this trip, read all the books, saw all the documentaries even read the journal of Roggeveen and scientific reports of the Heyerdahl institution, but it still didn’t prepare me for what I saw here. On the most remote populated Island of the world you really feel part of the universe when you are eye to eye with the Moai…
