6 Easter Island and Polynesia

Dr. Sinoto measuring pictographs of birds at Ana Kai Tangata cave in Rapa Nui. Photograph by Ben Simmons.

Moai

A When people think about Pacific archaeology, an image of Easter Island’s moai—the giant stone statues—often comes to mind.¹ The moai have inspired many outlandish theories, such as the claim that they were made by aliens from outer space, or that they are vestiges of the lost continent of Mu. These kinds of sensationalized stories about Easter Island have appeared in magazines, newspapers, and documentaries. As we reach the end of our conversation, would you please say more about this enigmatic place, putting it in a realistic perspective? When did you first go there?

S I first visited Easter Island in 1969, with Dr. Emory. A great many moai were being restored, and Dr. William Mulloy² told me that I must come and see them. At the time, I had recently finished a project restoring marae on Huahine. I had declined earlier invitations to go to Easter Island, but I accepted Dr. Mulloy’s, in part because it was finally possible to get there by plane. Previously, only one boat a year made the journey.

A I imagine you had always wanted to go.

S Definitely. I was interested in more than the moai, however. As you know, a major topic of discussion in Pacific archaeology during the 1960s was Thor Heyerdahl’s theory that indigenous Easter Islanders—called the Rapa Nui people—were the descendants of voyagers from South America. I wanted to look into this for myself.

A I see. How long did it take you to get to Easter Island?

S In those days, the flight was nine hours by jet from Tahiti. When I got off the plane, the landscape immediately reminded me of Kamuela, a town on the northern side of Hawai‘i Island. I also noticed that the features of the people were quite different from those of other Polynesians, because they had been intermarrying with Chileans for over a century. But because their indigenous language—also called Rapa Nui—belongs in the Polynesian language family and the island looks so much like Hawai‘i, I immediately felt very much at home. I knew, intuitively, that this place was a part of Polynesia.

A What about the climate?

S Easter Island is located at about latitude 27 degrees south. Consequently, the temperatures are low in the mornings and evenings. When I arrived, it was so cool and rainy that I needed warm undergarments, a sweater, and so forth. Because of the colder climate, the coconut trees brought from Tahiti grow there but don’t produce coconuts.

A Where did you stay when you were on the island?

S At the time, there were no hotels, so I stayed in a private home that offered lodging for travelers. On the first evening, I heard people outside the house speaking in a Polynesian language. Someone said, “There are two people among the visitors that arrived today who can speak Tahitian. We want to talk to them.” They were referring to Dr. Emory and me. Clearly, I was in Polynesia.

A Did that impression change after staying on the island for a while?

S No, it only intensified. The island received Tahitian-language radio broadcasts, and the main entertainment for most people was listening to Radio Tahiti. As a result, we could communicate with the elders and almost everyone in Tahitian.

A What was the food like?

S At my lodging, they served authentic Chilean food every afternoon. However, most of the islanders ate steamed sweet potatoes, fish, and other things.

A That definitely made it feel Polynesian for you. But given that Easter Island has been a Chilean possession for over one hundred years, has South American culture altered the island’s Polynesian traditions?

S Well, much of the indigenous culture had already been lost by that time.

A As you said, Thor Heyerdahl became world famous by building Kon-Tiki and sailing it from Peru to Easter Island. He wanted to demonstrate that...