The spread of european diseases, especially smallpox, and the raids of spanish slavers reduced the population to slightly more than 100 by 1887. Other scientists who work on the island also remain skeptical of hunts later colonization date of 1200 a. It is the easternmost outpost of the polynesian island world. How to visit easter island without breaking the bank. Sep 14, 2017 the book references and analyzes most scientific theories around easter island and is a comprehensive analysis for anyone interested in easter island. Easter island books includes resources to plan selfguided tours and recommended must reading to understand the history of easter island. The culture and the mythology of the indigenous easter island people the rapa nui were very unique and diverse, and stood out from other polynesian cultures.
Rongorongo, easter island s enigmatic script and oceanias only known pretwentiethcentury writing system, is here comprehensively documented for the first time. Easter island is a polynesian island in the southeastern pacific ocean. Discover the rapa nui people of easter island and the mysterious stone maoi that dot the island. The island stands in isolation 1,200 miles 1,900 kilometres east of pitcairn island and 2,200 miles west of chile. The easter island foundation was founded in 1989 with the mission of. The tiny island is more than a thousand miles from its nearest island neighbor to. Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island, located in the midpacific ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most isolated. Early wooden tablets, known as rongorongo, surface even on easter island. The mystery of easter island by katherine routledge. List of books and articles about easter island online research. You fly right over the island and make a turn southeast across the ocean to finally land from the west at mataveri international airport, the only airport on easter island. Modem archaeological scientists and engineers try and recreate and decipher the mystery of easter island s moai statues by experimenting with. For decades, scientists have studied this remote island in the south pacific and its hundreds of giant stone statues known as moai.
Jan, 2010 a 0 year exploration of easter island history. Jo anne van tilburg, founder of the easter island statue project and a scientist at the. According to diamond and heyerdahls version of the islands history, the huri. One of the most interesting parts of their beliefs is also the subject of todays. The natives were fenced in around guarded borders in the area that today is the town of hanga roa to prevent sheep theft. Easter island comprehensively covers the facts, mysteries, and theories surrounding the island s inhabitants and their famous creations. With the mysteries of easter island, kids can explore questions and mysteries surrounding the huge stone statues of easter island and the culture that produced them.
Merlot of valparaiso leases the greater part of the island and subsequently form a company for the exploitation of easter island. Easter island simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Katherine routeledge visits for a yearlong expedition to the island. Many of these islands were discovered comparatively recently in our history, and. I wanted to research easter island for a new fantasy series ive been planning and once i saw there was a female archeologist and adventurer whod written an account i had to get the book. I learned a lot about the history and peculiarities of this tiny island of the south pacific, the polynesian inheritance, the foreign dominance over the centuries, the struggles and rebirths of the rapanui people, the problems in modern days. The giant, mysterious stone men, or moai, for which easter island, or rapa nui, is known.
The first king of rapa nui was hoto matua, who landed at anakena beach. The questions, discussion topics, and author biography that follow are intended to enhance your reading of jennifer vanderbes easter island. A story about two journeys of transformation, forgiveness, and, ultimately, redemption, easter island is a powerful debut and a wonderfully intriguing book to discuss. Reading guide for easter island by jennifer vanderbes. Easter island remains one of the most mysterious places in the world. The story of easter island s statues is extraordinary, but the story of how people came to be there in the first place is just as incredible. Easter island covers roughly 64 square miles in the south pacific ocean, and is located some 2,300 miles from chiles west coast and 2,500 miles east of tahiti. Slowly unearthing the islands haunting past, they are forced to confront turbulent discoveries about themselves and the people they love, changing their lives forever. It lies in the pacific ocean more than 2,000 miles west of the nearest.
This enthralling book deals with the now famous bird cult and the customs and beliefs of the islanders who lived on rapa nui. I love it when two or more stories come together like this. There are many travel guide books to chile that contain a small section on easter island. The story of easter islands statues is extraordinary, but the story of how people came to be there in the first place is just as incredible. We managed to visit each major site at least twice and with the help of this book really got into the history and mysteries of the island. Easter island, with an area of only 64 square miles, is the worlds most isolated scrap of habitable land. Of volcanic origin, easter island is mostly covered with grasslands and is swept by strong trade winds. Elsa beazley arrives at easter island in 1916 with her new husband and her mentally handicapped sister. Steven roger fischer offers the first englishlanguage history of easter island in island at the end of the world.
This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of easter island by jennifer vanderbes. The moai are some of the worlds most fascinating and widelyrecognised monolithic statues. China was also a foreground for what would eventually become the book. The book begins with the story of how seaver kurze came to easter island and initiated her research on the. Im so glad i decided to read it because its just a great book full of interesting information, some of which id never come across before, and such a. Famed for its breathtaking isolation, easter island was a verdant southsea idyll when a small canoeful of polynesians arrived in c ad 700. Far out in the southeastern part of the pacific ocean lies one of the worlds most remote islands. Join two intrepid young women as they delve into the centuriesold mysteries of easter island. Known today as rapa nui, or great rapa to distinguish it from little rapa, or rapa iti, the island s earliest native settlers called it te piti o te henua, or the. Despite its extremely remote location, the island has been inhabited for around 1500 years and has a rich and intriguing history.
What happened along the way that caused the island ecosystem to collapse. Much research has been carried out on these famous statues and many of the damaged and fallen statues have since been restored around the island. The ancient pagan origins of easter ancient origins. Those books only provide a brief glimpse and summary of what to expect during a visit to the island. Easter island is often given as a metaphor, a dire warning for all of human life on our planet. A story of struggle and survival the pacific ocean is a world filled with diverse and remote islands, which are the home to some truly unique natives. In 1995, unesco named easter island a world heritage site. The characters are flawed but well developed and believable in both eras. Easter island, also known as rapa nui, is a tiny island in the pacific ocean, thousands of kilometers away from its nearest neighbors.
How societies choose to fail or succeed titled collapse. Leased to private companies some british influence. Island at the end of the world the turbulent history of. The book describes the 19551956 norwegian archaeological expeditions investigations of polynesian history and culture at easter island, the austral islands of rapa iti and raivavae, and the marquesas islands of nuku hiva and hiva oa. Easter island has captivated the worlds imagination since its discovery in 1722. This is the first novel ive seen about this island of mystery. Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. In fact, the words biblos and liber first meant fibre inside a tree. Easter island natives the rapa nui with a moai monolith. My selfguided tour plan leads me to another question. This is an absolutely wonderful and vivid account not only of katherine and her husbands work on the island but of their epic journey to get there from.
Jan 21, 2011 easter island, an isosceles triangle of volcanic rock in the pacific ocean, is two thousand miles from both tahiti and chile and one of the most isolated places on earth. Add tags for island at the end of the world the turbulent history of easter island. Set in both 19 and sometime near the end of the twentieth century, it follows two women, one from each time period, who travel to easter island with different prospects. The ancient history encyclopedia logo is a registered eu trademark. About half of the inhabitants are of polynesian stock. The mysteries of easter island world book encyclopedia. Katherine routledge is a central figure in the history of easter island, one of the worlds most remote and mysterious locales. The essential guidebook to this mysterious and enigmatic island, and the only book about easter island written by someone who actually lives here.
Make sure to book a window seat on the lefthand side of the plane on the way there and back for the best views. The book is an ideal size and gives plenty of practical information and background. Linguists estimate easter island s first inhabitants arrived around a. As befits the head of the institute of polynesian languages and literatures in auckland, new zealand, he has produced a scholarly and readable account of the island s turbulent history. Easter island is an island and special territory of chile in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the. The mystery of easter island travel smithsonian magazine. Explore fascinating mysteries and secrets of history and. It was perfect because not only does it tell you history and legend, but also things you need to know day to day, plus fun stuff like the passport stamp at the post office. Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island, located in the midpacific ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most isolated its inhabitants, the rapa nui, have endured famines, epidemics of disease and cannibalism, civil war, environmental collapse, slave raids, various colonial contacts, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasi. There is also a small thread of a german world war i naval squadron present in the book. The archeological record suggests a somewhat later date of. The easter island foundation promoting the conservation and. Im so glad i decided to read it because its just a great book full of interesting information, some of which id never come across before, and such a lovely double story. Sep 01, 2014 modem archaeological scientists and engineers try and recreate and decipher the mystery of easter island s moai statues by experimenting with archaic engineering methods and mysterious practices.
It is famous for its 887 huge statues called moai, made by the early rapa nui people. First published in 1919, this work provides information on that most mysterious of islands easter island rapa nui. Head of a moat on temporary exhibition at the seagram building in new york city. It was perfect because not only does it tell you history and legend, but also. The world monuments fund on easter island opposite. Being dedicated to their work there is little room for love and romantic connections. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Migrations and settlements, the evolution of a culture, wars between tribes, and ultimate decimation of a whole population define the course of easter island history. Easter island also has a huge crater called rano kau at the edge of the island. There is no such flummery in steven fischers new book. Easter island has always interested me so ive read a lot of nonfiction books about it. Many books about easter island are superficial fluff.
Steven roger fischer offers the first englishlanguage history of easter island in island at the end of the world, a fascinating chronicle of adversity, triumph, and the. Its inhabitants, the rapa nui, have endured famines, epidemics of disease and cannibalism, civil war, environmental collapse, slave raids, various colonial contacts, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasion. Located on the remote chilean territory of easter island, they tell a mysterious story of the island s early people and their obsession with rock carvings. Restrained passion and conflicted loyalties drive this sweeping debut novel, in which two women of different eras experience the mysteries of easter island. It details routledges journey by yacht from england to south america, around patagonia to chile and on to easter island, giving an account of its life, history and folklore. Seaver kurze details the history of catholicism on rapa nui and.
This guidebook includes the island s history, culture and all of its significant archaeological sites. Born to a wealthy and prestigious english quaker family in 1866, katherine rebelled against their strict victorian values, becoming one of the first female graduates of oxford university and the first. Mackinnon reports in his new book, the once and future world, archeologists examined ancient garbage heaps on easter island looking for discarded bones and found that 60 percent of the. The author tells the full history of rongorongos exciting discovery and the many attempts at a decipherment. List of books and articles about easter island online.
Located over 2,000 miles away from chile and south america, the nearest continent, and over 1,300 miles away from its nearest inhabited neighbor, pitcairn island, easter island is a solitary mass of land alone at the southeasternmost point of the polynesian triangle. On a long stretch of green coast in the south pacific, hundreds of enormous, impassive stone heads stand guard against the ravages of time, war, and disease that have attempted over the centuries to conquer easter island. Easter island is the story of two women who went to the island and did research. A new green history of the world 2007 is the new and improved version of a green history of the world 1991, which was translated into languages. In easter island dna, evidence of genetic loneliness the. Easter island history the island itself many people have found easter island history very fascinating. Easter island was named on easter day, 1722, by the dutch navigator jakob roggeven.
Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. This guidebook includes the islands history, culture and all of its significant archaeological sites. Publishes the book the mystery of easter island in 1919. A remarkable book, heavy in research and with a vivid description of easter island. The events that happened there make it an icon of environmental degradation and collapse. In this extraordinary fiction debutrich with love and betrayal, history and intellectual passiontwo remarkable narratives converge on easter island. A brief history of easter islands incredible moai statues. In chinese, the charactersymbol that means book is an image of a bamboo tablet. Easter island comprehensively covers the facts, mysteries, and theories surrounding the islands inhabitants and their famous creations.
Easter island history, polynesia history, books barnes. The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine. We visited easter island in sept 2017 and have compiled this list of best easter island books for the curious traveler. British historian clive ponting did a fantastic amount of research, and then refined it into a very readable, mindaltering 400page book a silver bullet cure for folks suffering from denial. Buy the book before you go it is available on the island but costs. On easter sunday, april 5, 1722, a dutch sea captain named jacob roggeveen landed his ship on an island known as te pito o te henua, meaning the center of the world. Im particularly interested in books that will give me the sort of info id get if i went on a guided tour. The mysterious stone statues carved and erected by the rapa nui people have enthralled people since their discovery. Explore fascinating mysteries and secrets of history and folklore from countries and cultures around the world.
Easter island is a 2003 historical novel by jennifer vanderbes. Tradition holds that the first people arrived from the marquesa islands around 300400 a. Named easter island by the dutch explorer jacob roggeveen, who first spied it. Best books on easter island easter island forum tripadvisor. Captain roggeveen renamed the island easter island. Born to a wealthy and prestigious english quaker family in 1866, katherine rebelled against victorian values, becoming one of. How societies choose to fail or survive for the british edition is a 2005 book by academic and popular science author jared diamond, in which the author first defines collapse. Named easter island by the dutch explorer jacob roggeveen, who first spied it on easter day 1722, this tiny spit of volcanic rock in the vast south seas is, even today, the most remote inhabited. Slowly unearthing the island s haunting past, they are forced to confront turbulent discoveries about themselves and the people they love, changing their lives forever.
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