Easter Island, which occupies 117 square. km. - One of the most secluded habitat: it is located in the Pacific Ocean at a distance of more than 3700 km. from the nearest continent (South America) and 2600 km from the nearest inhabited island (Pitkeyrn).
Generally in the history of Easter Island a lot of mysteries. Its discoverer - Captain Juan Fernandez fear of competitors, decided to keep secret his discovery, made in 1578-th year, and after some time accidentally died under mysterious circumstances. Although it was a fact that he found a Spaniard, Easter Island, is still unclear.
After 144 years, in 1722, Mr., on Easter Island came across Dutch admiral Jacob Roggeveen, and this event happened on the day of the Christian Easter. So quite by accident Island Te Pito o te Hen, which is translated from the local dialect means center of the world, has turned into Easter Island.
Interestingly, Admiral Roggeveen and his squadron, not just swimming in the area, he tried in vain to find the elusive land Davis - English pirates, who from his description was found for 35 years before the expedition of the Dutch. True, no one but Davis and his team, the newly discovered archipelago of more never seen.
Easter Island's mild climate and volcanic origin would have to make it a paradise, away from the problems that afflict the rest of the world, but the first impression Roggeveen on the type of island was like to ravage the countryside, covered with dry grass and scorched vegetation. No one could see no trees or bushes.
Modern botanists have discovered on the island, only 47 species of higher plants, typical for this area, mainly grass, sedges and ferns. The list also included two types of dwarf trees and two shrubs. In such a plant natives had no fuel to keep the body warm in cold, wet and windy winter. Domestic animals were only chickens and there was no bats, birds, snakes or lizards. There were only insects. Results on the island had about 2000 people.
Now the island is home to around three thousand people. Of these, only 150 people - Thoroughbred Rapa Nui, the rest - Chileans and mestizos. Although again not entirely clear who exactly can be considered purebred. After all, were the first Europeans landed on the island were surprised to find that the inhabitants of Rapanui - Polynesian name of the island - an ethnically homogeneous. Familiar as we Admiral Roggeveen wrote that on the open land they lived in white, dark, brown and even reddish people. Their language was Polynesian, related to the dialect, isolated from approximately 400 AD. e., and characteristic of the Marquesas and Hawaii.
It seemed inexplicable about 200 giant stone statues - "Moai", located on massive pedestals along the coast of the island with a pitiful vegetation, away from the quarries. Most of the statues were placed on massive pedestals. Not less than 700 sculptures in various stages of readiness, were abandoned in quarries or on ancient roads, linking career with the coast. One got the impression that the sculptors suddenly left their tools and stopped work ..
Far master felled "moai" on the slopes of the volcano Rano Roraku, located in the eastern part of the island, from the same soft volcanic tuff. Then the finished statue was coming down the hill and being set on the perimeter of the island, a distance of more than 10 km. The height of most of the idols range from five to seven meters, while a more recent sculptures and reached up to 10, and up to 12 meters. Tuff, or, as it is called, pumice, from which they are made, the structure resembles a sponge and crumble easily, even at the light affects it. so that the average weight of the "moai" not exceeding 5 tonnes. Stone axy - platforms, pedestals: up to 150 meters in length and 3 meters in height, and consisted of pieces weighing up to 10 t.
At the time, Admiral Roggeveen, recalling his trip to the island, claimed that the aborigines were bred before the idols "moai" bonfires and sat beside him on his heels, bowed his head. Then they lay down arms and rocked them up and down. Of course, this observation can not explain who actually have been statues for the islanders.
Roggeveen and his companions could not understand how, without using thick wooden rollers and strong rope, you could remove and install these blocks. The islanders had no wheels, no draft animals, and no other source of energy, except their own muscles. Ancient legends say that the statues were themselves. Ask a question, as it actually happened, there is no sense, because the documentary evidence still remains. There are many hypotheses of movement "moai", some even confirmed by experiments, but it only proves one thing - it was possible in principle. I moved the statue of the inhabitants of the island and none other. That's why they do it? Here the differences begin.
What is also surprising that in 1770 the statues were still standing, James Cook, who visited the island in 1774, mentioned the underlying statues, to no one else noticed anything like that. The last standing statues seen in 1830, then we are entering a French squadron. Since then the original, that is established by the inhabitants of the island, statues never seen again. All that exists on the island today, was restored in the XX century. The last restoration of fifteen "moai", located between the volcano of Rano Roraku and the peninsula Poike occurred relatively recently - from 1992 to 1995 And the Japanese were engaged in restoration works.
In the second half of the XIX century, has died and the cult of man-bird. This strange, unique for the whole of Polynesia, the ceremony was devoted Makemake - the supreme deity of the islanders. Elect to become his earthly incarnation. And, interestingly, the elections were held regularly every year. This very active part in them have servants or soldiers. It depended on them to be seen whether their boss, the head of the family clan, tangata manu, or a man-bird. That this rite owes its emergence of the cultic center - a rocky village Orongo on the largest volcano of Rano Kao, the western extremity of the island. Although perhaps Orongo existed long before the emergence of the cult tangata manu. Tradition reports that the heir of the legendary Hotu Matua, the first leader who came to the island, was born here. In turn, his descendants through the centuries themselves gave the signal for the beginning of the annual contest.
Spring on a small island Motu Kao Kao, Motu Iti and Motu Nui, located not far from the coast, flew the messengers of the god Makemake - black sea swallows. That soldier, who first found the first egg of the bird and took him to swim to his master, received a reward of seven beautiful women. Well, the owner became the leader, or rather, man-bird, getting the respect, honor and privilege. Last tangata manu ceremony took place in the 60 years of XIX century. After the disastrous raid pirate Peruvians in 1862, when pirates seized into slavery the entire male population of the island, choose the man-bird was a nobody and not from anyone.
Why aborigines of Easter Island carved statues "moai" career? Why did they stop this occupation? Society, to set the statue, was significantly different from those 2000 people who saw Roggeveen. It was supposed to be well-organized. What happened to him?
More than two and a half centuries, the mystery of Easter Island has remained undisclosed. Most theories about the history and development of Easter Island is based on oral traditions. This happens because no one still can not understand what was written in the written sources - the famous sign "to how Motu mo rongorongo", which translated roughly means - the manuscript for recitation. Most of them were destroyed by Christian missionaries, but those that survived, would probably shed some light on the history of this mysterious island. And although the scientific world has not just been excited about reports that the ancient writings finally deciphered, with all the scrutiny it turned out not too accurate oral interpretation of the facts and legends
Several years ago, paleontologist David Stedmen and several other researchers performed the first systematic study of Easter Island in order to ascertain what was previously its flora and fauna. As a result, there is evidence for a new, surprising and instructive interpretation of the history of its settlers.
Easter Island was inhabited by about 400 AD. e. The islanders grew bananas, taro, sweet potatoes, sugar cane, mulberry. In chickens, on the island were also rats, arrived with the first settlers.
Frequency refers to the manufacture of statues 1200-1500 gg. The number of residents at that time ranged from 7 000 to 20 000 people. To lift and move the statue in just a few hundred people who used ropes and rollers of the trees available at that time in sufficient quantities.
The hard work of archaeologists and paleontologists showed that approximately 30 000 years before the arrival of people in the early years of their stay the island was not such a wilderness as it is now. Subtropical forest of trees and small forests towered over shrubs, grasses, bracken and turf. In the forest grew tree daisies, trees hauhau from which to make ropes, and toromiro, which is suitable as a fuel. There were also varieties of palm trees, which is not on the island, but before there were so many that the foot of the trees were tightly wrapped their pollen. They are related to the Chilean palm tree, which grows to 32 m and a diameter of up to 2 m high, without branches, the trunks were ideal material for the rollers and canoeing facilities. They also provided edible nuts and sap from which Chileans make sugar, syrup, honey and wine.
Relatively cold coastal waters provided fish only in a few places. The main marine prey were dolphins and seals. To hunt them out in the open sea and used harpoons. Prior to joining the people, the island was an ideal place for birds, because they did not have any enemies here. Here arranged nesting albatrosses, footed boobies, frigates, silly, parrots and other birds - all 25 species. This was probably the richest nesting throughout the Pacific Ocean.
Approximately 800-ies began the destruction of forests. Increasingly, began dating layers of charcoal from forest fires, it became less and less arboreal pollen and, increasingly, the pollen from grasses, replaces the forest. Not later than 1400 palm trees have disappeared completely, not only as a result of deforestation, but also because of the omnipresent rats that did not give them the opportunity to recover: a dozen of the surviving remnants of nuts, preserved in caves, had traces of izgryzennosti rats. These nuts could not germinate. Trees hauhau not disappeared completely, but they are no longer enough for the manufacture of ropes.
In the 15 th century have disappeared not only palm trees, but also the entire forest as a whole. It was destroyed by people who cleared land for gardens, cut down trees to build canoes, for the manufacture of rollers under the statues, for heating. The rats ate the seeds. It is likely that birds are dying due to pollution and reduce the color of fruit harvest. There was the same thing happens everywhere in the world, where forest destruction: the majority of the inhabitants of the forest disappears. The island disappeared all kinds of local birds and animals. It was fished out and the whole coastal fish. In the food went to the small snails. Because the diet of people to 15 at. Dolphins have disappeared: not on what was going to sea, and harpoons, there was nothing to do. The matter went to cannibalism.
A haven, which opened the first settlers, 1600 years later, became almost lifeless. Fertile soil, plenty of food, lots of construction materials, adequate living space, all the possibilities for comfortable existence were destroyed. By the time of visiting the island Heyerdalom on the island was the only tree toromiro and now it is gone.
It all began with the fact that a few centuries after the arrival of the men began, like their Polynesian ancestors, set on a platform of stone idols. Over time, the statue became larger, their heads began to decorate the 10-ton red crowns; spiral of competition, rival clans tried to surpass each other, demonstrating the health and strength, like the Egyptians built their giant pyramid. On the island, as in modern America, there was a complex political system of allocation of available resources and the integration of the economy in various fields.
Growing population tormented forests faster than they can regenerate, more seats were occupied by vegetable gardens, soil, devoid of forests, springs and streams dried up, trees that were spent on transportation and the rise of the statues, as well as to build canoes and houses, were not sufficient even for cooking. As the destruction of birds and animals trod hunger. Decreased fertility of arable lands due to wind and rain erosion. Drought began. Intensive breeding of chickens and cannibalism have not resolved problems with food. Prepared to move the statue with sunken cheeks and visible ribs - Certificate famine.
With a shortage of food the islanders could no longer contain the leaders, the bureaucracy and shamans, who were exercising social control. Surviving islanders described the first Europeans to visit them, how to replace the centralized system came the chaos of war, and won the class of hereditary chiefs. On the rocks appeared the image copies and daggers, made by the warring parties in the 1600's and 1700-ies., They are now scattered across the island of Easter. By 1700, the population was one-quarter to one-tenth of their former number. People moved to the caves to hide from their enemies. Around 1770 rival clans started to topple the statue from each other and to demolish their heads. The last statue was overturned and desecrated in 1864
As soon as the researchers showed the picture to the decline of civilization of Easter Island, they asked themselves: - Why did they not looked back, do not realize what was happening, did not stop until it was too late? What were they thinking, log the last palm tree?
Most likely, the accident did not occur suddenly, and stretched for several decades. Changes occurring in nature, for one generation were not visible. Only the old, remembering the years of his childhood, to understand what is happening and understand the threat posed by forest destruction, but the ruling class and stonemasons, afraid of losing their privileges and the work included the warnings, just like today's loggers in the north-western United States: "Work is more important than the forest!".
The trees gradually became smaller, thinner and less relevant. Once was cut last fruit-bearing tree, and young shoots are destroyed along with the remains of shrubs and underbrush. No one noticed the recent death of young palms.
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