Jun 23, 20203 min read

Easter Island: Unearthing the Mysterious Secret behind the statues in Pacific Island!

Easter Island is an island and special territory of Chile. On this island, there are huge statues built about 900 years ago. The artifacts date back to the Polynesian era. Yet they are still standing strong and stout. How did they fight all the natural calamities to date? Here is a dearth of clear theories to propound on another picture here.

But you may devise your own brain and figure out answers to the question while we thrill you with more sources of suspense. How did those craftsmen build those huge statues? How did they carry those stones weighing about 40 tons each? How did the engineers transport these stones from one place to another? What instruments were in use?

The archaeologists have their own theories to expound on these. Let us unfurl them one after another and see if anyone comes up to the mark.

About the Place

Easter Island is also called Rapa Nui and Isla de Pascua in Spanish. The Island is situated in the center of the Pacific Ocean, about 3700 km off the west shoreline of continental Chile. On this island, there are thousands of huge monumental statues called Moai, created by the group of people known as Rapa Nui People. Records show that Polynesian inhabitants arrived on Easter Island in early 1200 A.D.

The evidence found on Easter Island says that the Polynesian inhabitants created the industrious culture by making the Moai and the art crafts. The population of Easter Island was around 2,000-3,000 by the time of the arrival of Europeans in 1722.

Visiting Easter Island, you will surely find about 900-1000 moai. Normally, the size of a moai is 13 feet tall, and weight is 14 tons. The statue was built in appreciation of the leaders of the tribal group. People believed that the soul of their leader would always watch the tribe and bring favorable luck. This is why the statue is called moai, the word comes from Rapa Nui which means ‘’so that he can exist’’.

The major cultural investments in monumental architecture and sculpture started after the initial settlement. In 1995 the UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site with most of the area of Easter Island protected within Rapa National Park. It is the first of any Pacific island to get on the list. The island got its name after the first European visitor on this island.

The Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen came upon this island on Easter Sunday on 5 April 1722, while searching for Davis Land. Jacob Roggeveen gave it the name Paasch-Eyland in Dutch. The official name for this Island is Isla de Pascua.

Reports say that the predicted dates of the settlement of Easter Island are between 300 to 1200 AD. It is likewise said that the colonization of Easter Island exists together with the appearance of the first pilgrims in Hawaii. The ongoing or progressing archaeological studies demonstrate that colonization started in the island in late 1200 AD.

The mystery of Easter Island

In recent research, when few scientists researched the statues, they found that they were built by the mud of volcanic ashes of volcanoes. In this research, a belief or a story comes out when the scientists meet with the locals of these regions. They state the purpose to build these statues was a belief that life existed in these statues.

To deduce how people of that time were able to move these statues, scientists performed some experiments. They made a similar statue and put them in the place of the original ones with the help of a crane. After that, they tried to move the statue with the help of a rope tied on it. Even after several efforts, they failed.

Scientists tried for the whole day, but they were not able to move the statue. Then they noticed the actual statue carefully and found that the shape of the eye of the statue is different. They then tied the rope to the eye of their statue and moved it. This time they got success.

Conclusion

As you bask in the beauty of these mysteries, the Eastern Islands will further mesmerize you with its natural elegance. The sun rays and the scented fruits will further add to the delicacy of the place. While the heavy monuments thrill you with their authoritative appearance, nature will sing you to a sweet slumber. To experience this striking diversity, get the next flight to Chile.