Easter+Island

__Easter Island __ _Easter Island is one of the most remote places on Earth, but it is also one of the most visited spot for tourist. (Clark) This reason is thanks to the “lost civilization” that once resided here. But the most common reason that people come to this remote place, is because of the moai statues. (Cohen) The giant stone beings made by the ancient people thousands of years ago. (Cohen) There are a total of 887 moai statues, 224 of them completed, and 42 of them still standing here today. (All sources)

_Easter Island or Rapa Nui, the natives call it meaning “Big Island” is just a flyspeck on the Pacific Ocean. (Belcher) The first people to inhabit the island found it by canoeing over 2,000 miles from a population district. (Belcher) The group that found the island is believed to be of Polynesian decent, but no one really knows for sure. No one really knows why they came to the island, or how they knew it was there. The first person to discover the island after the natives was a Dutch sailor named Jacob Roggoveen, in 1774, Easter Sunday. (Cohen) When Roggoveen saw the island, he ordered his men to be armed and row to shore. (Cohen) When they got close the natives or Rapanuis came to see who these strange people were, and Roggoveen, believing they were going to attack ordered his men to fire. When he got to shore, he found 12 dead. After naming the island, Roggoveen and his crew left and never returned. After he left, very little good happened on Easter Island, as if his visit was a bad omen. (Cohen) Slave ships have come, foreign diseases, civil war, famine, over population, and more. (Cohen and Belcher)

_At the height of its time, Easter Island held over 10,000 in population, when it could only supply around 4,000 people. (All sources) Food became scarce, space became limited, and tension broke between tribes, and they were thrown into a bloody civil war that turned to cannibalism.(Cohen) one killed an enemy, they would cook them up and eat. By the turn of the century, a population of over 10,000 became a population of only 110 people. At the end of the war, every last moai statue had been knocked down. (All resources) Thanks to archeologist’s work they have manage to raise 42 of them back to their original stance. (Belcher)

_There are many theories to why the ancient people built the moai statues. (All resources) Some believe that it was actually aliens that built them; others think that natives were more advanced than we believed.(All resources) One of the biggest statues weighed up to about 80 tons, and the head alone was about 30 feet high. No one knows how they were moved at least 12 miles across soft ground. (all) There are many theories, like how they used logs to roll them, ropes and trees for levers, carried by many men, or the most common theory for the natives, “they walked”. The people who believed it was the work of aliens believed that they built them because they were stranded on the island, and that they built the moai to signal the “mother ship” to come and get them. The reason that started this myth is because at one point, all the 224 completed statues had, red coral eyes, and they would appear to be glowing at sunset and sunrise. But now there are only 15 statues with the “glowing eyes” (Belcher

_Today, Easter Island is a tourist hot spot. Ever since 2006, Easter Island has been trying to develop into a more modern type of tourist attraction. A lot of Rapanuis think that this is an absurd idea; they believe that if they become more “modern” then they will lose the last piece of the lost civilization. They believe the island will become a vacation resort instead of a historical land mark. Others believe that more “modern” is good, because it will attract more tourists and then there will be more cash flow.(Clark)

_From about the 1900’s to present day, archeologist have been working hard to raise the moai state=use to their original place. They raised the first one only using tools that had been available to the natives in ancient times, and the reports read that it took about a month just to raise one statue, let alone 224. the statues were toppled during the civil war between the different tribes but today most people are fight over whether or not they should be raised again. Most people say yes, for they would like their main pride and joy to be standing tall and proud. While others say that it shows the history better for them to be in pieces on the ground, for proof of the difficult history of the ancient people. (Clark) Most people believe that the future of Easter Island will be loud and noisy thanks to the tourist, and rebuilding. While others believe it will stay the same as it is today. And so believe that it will become the resort and will boost profit, and the economy. Others believe it will destroy their reputation of being a “los civilization.” Whatever the outcome I bet that Easter Island will remain a “Hot Spot” for tourist. (Clark)

Work Cited Belcher, Ian. “//Where the Mighty Moai Guard a Lost Civilization//” Sunday Times, 2011. Brookman, Y. David. //Easter Island Homepage.// < http://www.netfax.com/~trance/rapanui.html Found 1 November, 2011. EBSCO, Web Access, Wed. Oct. 26, 2011. Cohen, Carl. //Earth’s Hidden Mysteries.// Middleton, CT Xerox Education Publications, 1974. Clark, Jane. Looking to the Future; Easter Island USAtoday.com/travel., 2007