Before picking up this book, I knew little more about the Easter Islands than the famous photos of the carved heads. This book is an eye-opener. They are 2000 miles off the coast of Chile. Formed by volcanic action thousands of years ago, Polynesian settlers arrived between 700 and 1100 CE. Their fascinating story involves the hitchhikers that came with the Polynesians -- namely rats.
While the Polynesians were building a culture and sculpturing the famous Moai statues as part of ancestor worship, the rats were eating their way through the forests. At the base of the statues, deceased Polynesians were buried. Over time, the increased population and diminished food sources, and deforestation caused a destabilization of the culture. With the deforestation, they could no longer leave the island. That was compounded by attacks by Europeans and slave traders who visited the island. Thus, their closed ecosystem (with rats that had no natural predators) led to a shortage of food and difficulties in surviving.
Then this book highlights the benefits that have finally come to the island through tourism and archaeology. The islanders are actually trained to help excavate and conserve their statues and other Easter Island treasures for future generations. UNESCO listing it as a 'world treasure' has helped bring needed preservation of the Moai statues for future generations to see and admire.
While the Polynesians were building a culture and sculpturing the famous Moai statues as part of ancestor worship, the rats were eating their way through the forests. At the base of the statues, deceased Polynesians were buried. Over time, the increased population and diminished food sources, and deforestation caused a destabilization of the culture. With the deforestation, they could no longer leave the island. That was compounded by attacks by Europeans and slave traders who visited the island. Thus, their closed ecosystem (with rats that had no natural predators) led to a shortage of food and difficulties in surviving.
Then this book highlights the benefits that have finally come to the island through tourism and archaeology. The islanders are actually trained to help excavate and conserve their statues and other Easter Island treasures for future generations. UNESCO listing it as a 'world treasure' has helped bring needed preservation of the Moai statues for future generations to see and admire.
