Easter Island, Day 2

We are still completely immersed in the wonder of Easter Island. Today, we learned quite a bit more about Easter Island. Starting in the second half of the 17th century, the Birdman culture became prevalent. It replaced the Moai culture, which attributed godlike status to deceased leaders. The Birdman culture is monotheistic. The locals believe that the scarcity of resources (water, wood, food) led to upheavals. Previously, the Polynesians would simply move on when the resources of an island were exhausted. However, they had already been on Easter Island for 1,200 years. They no longer had wood for large canoes, and no one possessed the necessary nautical knowledge. However, it was observed that thousands of migratory birds would come every year, nest, and then move on again. They thus believed that the birds lived with the Birdman and wished to go there as well.

These upheavals manifested in the abandonment and partial destruction of the Moais on one hand, and on the other hand in the fact that the houses and chicken coops were no longer made of wood and straw (as there was no more wood), but entirely built of stone. The construction style is comparable to the Neolithic settlements of Northern Europe (e.g., Skara Brae or Jarlshof), which were also built with flat stones and where the building floor was below ground level.

To save wood and other burning materials, cooking or baking was done in earth holes, as is still practiced on many South Sea Islands (e.g., Hawaii).

The new monotheistic religion fit much better with the Christianization in the 18th century. There are written records from the Birdman culture (tablets, reports from scientists and missionaries). These show that certain festivals and events, such as ceremonies and competitions, were already practiced at that time.

In the morning, we visited the volcanic crater Rano Kau, some remnants of the Moai culture, and finally a Birdman settlement near Rano Kau. Among other things, we saw a Moai that has eyes (which were added during restoration). This is unusual, as almost all Moais do not have eyes. Sometimes the head is not shaped in a way that allows for eyes to be added. It is possible that eyes were only added on certain occasions.

In the afternoon, Tommy walked along the crater rim for about 5 km. In the evening, we enjoyed a fantastic Indian menu on the ship and bid farewell to Easter Island.