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World Easter Island

Sinceits firstEuropeandiscoverybyJacobRoggeveenonEasterDay1722,RapaNuihasfascinated

archaeologistsandanthropologistsalike.

RapaNui(EasterIsland)isthemostremoteinhabitedplace onEarth,yetits colossal,900-yearoldstatuesare knownworldwide.Since1996 theIslandhasbeendesignated aWorldHeritageLandscape.Itsrenownedarchaeology,whichcentresonthe statuesfromaroundthe12th to16thcenturies,roadstoandfromthequarry,enormousceremonialplatforms,rockart andsettlementarchitecture,ismuchmoreextensiveand diversethanitspopular portrayal.Theseremainsare denselydistributedthroughouttheisland.Rapa Nuiisimmensely stonyandthecreativityofprehistoriccommunitieswithits stoneresourcesmassiveconstructions,choicesof stoneswithdifferentcolour, qualitiesandorigins isoutstanding.Moreover,RapaNuisarchaeologydoesnot simplyrelatetoa deadpast itremainsactivelypart ofpresent-dayancestralbeliefsandunderstandingsof place,andthroughtourismitis vitaltothe

islandseconomy.Rapa Nuislivingarchaeologyoffersinsightsintothe complexityanddelicatebalancebetweenhumanbuilding,environmentalmodificationandchange.

Theinhabitantsuse ofvolcanicrocktomulchthebarelandcreateda sustainabilityofcultivationthatis ingenious,importantandpopularlyignored.Archaeologistscurrentlyworkingon theislandaimtoworkwithRapaNuiarchaeologystudentsandcommunityleadersto supporttheirknowledgeandabilities tobegatekeepersof theirownremarkablepastand lessonsitoffersfor thefuture.

SueHamiltonisProfessorofPrehistoryattheInstituteofArchaeology, UniversityCollegeLondon

Easter Islands newest hotel isnot short of amenities. TheHangaRoaEcoVillagehasaFinnish sauna, Jacuzzi, andthree restaurants. It has

patioswithseaviews.AndeveryThurs-day at 6pm, it has Marisol Hito, who

goes to those picturesque patios to tellthetouriststhattheyaretrespassing.

I get them when they are outside inthe evening, she says with a certainpride,takinginthesunset,havingalit-tlerest.Ifthereareconstructionwork-ers,shesometimesthrowsafewstones.

Ms Hito says that the land the hotelis on belongs to her family. Like many

indigenous Rapa Nui, their word forthe island, she considers the ChileanGovernment, to whom they are a pro-tectorate, little better than a colonialpower.And,likemanyofhercompatri-ots,shehasbeguntofightback.

This tiny Pacific island, famous forits hundreds of Neolithic stone heads,is half the size of the Isle of Wight,fartherfromlandthananyotherinhab-ited place and has a population ofabout4,500.

But it has had a turbulent few years.In summer 2010, Rapa Nui activists

occupied 17 government buildings, as

wellasthe HangRoa hotel.In Decem-ber that year, Chilean riot police triedto break up the protests. They injured24 people and it was well into 2011beforethe lastoccupation ended.

Archaeologists are concerned thatnow the more overt activism is over, akey bargaining tool has become accessto the stone heads, the main source oftourist revenue and a Unesco-protect-edWorld HeritageSite.

For many, the conflict goes back tothe late 19th century when Chile tookcontroland theindigenous inhabitantswereforcedfromtheirlandintoasmallarea to make way for farming. Manyview the event as their version of theHighland Clearances. Even now, theRapa Nui feel they have been treatedas second-class citizens ignored by

their ostensible Government. The first

time that Ms Hitos family complainedabouttheirlandwasin 1982.

Atthis time Pinochet wasPresidentof Chile, she says, so where was myfamilygoingtoturn?Whowasgoingtolistentousin themiddleofthePacific?

ElizaRiroroko,afriendofMs Hitos,sitsonthe islandsnewlyformedindige-nous council. The garden of the hotelsherunshousesreplicastoneheads.

It is there she waits to ambush tour-ists and tells The Times: Chileanscome here and say, why do you hateus?SoItellthemwhy.WhenI wenttoschool the only language I spoke wasRapaNui.IdidntspeakSpanishandsothey used to beat me. If you were con-stantly humiliated and beaten as achild,youwouldhatethesepeople.

Not all Rapa Nui approve of the new

activism. Even if they sympathise with

Ms Hitos goals, many acknowledgethat they could not survive withouttheir distant neighbour which ships infood, gives them subsidised air travel,fuel and electricity, and does not levytax.

TheislandleansonChileforitssur- vival, James Peterkin, the honoraryBritishConsul, told The Times.Ifelec-tricity and fuel were charged at themarket price, they couldnt survive.There are a huge amount of differingopinionshere,butmosteducatedRapaNui understand that Chile does a hugeamountforthe island.

Nevertheless, some archaeologistsare worried that the indigenouscouncil is trying to assert control byrestricting work on the islands majorasset: the heads. A British team, led bySue Hamilton, Professor of Prehistoryat University College, London, arrivedrecently with permission to excavate aquarry where the Pukao (hats) for thehuge Moai statues were carved. Butthentheydiscoveredthattheyalsohadtogettheapprovalofthecouncil.

Theyscrapedinby sixvotestofive.However, Claudio Cristino, a Chile-

an archaeologist considered to be aworldauthorityontheisland,hasbeenforbidden from working there. A col-league described the decision asstraight racism. Another said: RapaNuians dont like it that the worldsforemost expert on Rapa Nui is notRapaNuian.

Ms Riroroko is unrepentant. A lotof our heritage is gone. People havedugitup,andwhentherewereChileanarchaeologists it has been sold, sheclaims.Iftrue,thishasnotbeenrecord-ed officially. Either way though, MsRirorokowantsarchaeologytostop.

Were telling them, Were going todo our own law, our own things,because who are you to tell us? Shesmiles.Theydontlikethat.

The prehistoric creativitywith stone is outstandingFirstperson SueHamilton

How ancient heads becamehostages in a new conflictThe famous stone sentinels have becomeembroiled in a struggle between islandersand a government 2,000 mil es away,TomWhipplewrites. Photographs:BenGurr

The statues do not just relate tothe past they look to the future

Easter

Island

CHILE

ARGENTINA

BOLIVIA

Santiago

500miles

PacificOcean

The nearly 900 ancient stone heads are the main source of tourist revenue for Easter Island and a Unesco-protected World Heritage Site. The indigenous council has begun to restrict permission

Sue Hamilton, right, of University College, London, sifts soil at an island quarry

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4 RM Thursday February 23 2012 | the times

C

olinRichards,anordinarilyplacidprofessorofarchaeology,looksangry.Allthistalkofcatastropheisnonsense,hesays.Wevehad thisone

assumption,andbuiltuponitandbuiltuponit.Thatsthehistoryof workonEasterIsland.He risestoa satisfyingcrescendo.Behindhima SouthPacificstormbuildstoitsowncrescendo.Itisfalsenessandidiocyuponidiocy.Hegesticulates,sadlynotquiteintime

withthedistantthunder.FifteenmilesfromRichards,overthe

bleak,greenmeadowsofEasterIsland,amoaialsolooksangry.Theytendtodothat,moaithe localwordfortheislandsfamous, andperpetuallyscowling,stoneheads.Butthismoaihasmorereasonthanmosttobeannoyed.

Neitherlinedup neatlyon thecoastfacinga picturesquesunset,likehiscompatriotsin allthetouristshots,norguardingthegreatstonequarrywhichproducedhis900-oddislandbrothers,heis insteadinland,midwaybetweenthetwo.Worse,heis facedownintheground,balancingonhis

nose.Alightdrizzlepoolsrivuletsdownhisfrown,ashelooks,unblinking,atthesamepatchofmudhe hasinspectedforatleastthepast250years.

Ifonlyhe couldtalk.IfonlyhecouldtellRichardswhyhe isso oddlyplaced.Ifhedid, hecouldgosome waytosolvingoneof themostunusualrecentquarrelsin archaeology,andenvironmentalism.

IfpeopleknowonethingaboutEasterIsland,itisthatit hasstoneheads.Stoneheadsthatstandinrows

bythebeach.Stoneheadsthatstandincirclessurrounding volcaniccraters.Wheresedimenthaspiledup, stoneheadspeepoutofthe ground,theirimplacableeyesglaringsourlyatthetouristsposingfornoveltyshots.Therearetallheadsandsmallheads,one-tonneheadsandten-tonneheads.Thereareheadswithhatsandheads

without.Therearenosmilingheads.Ifpeopleknowtwothingsabout

EasterIsland,itisthatatsome point

beforethe arrivalofEuropeans,intheprocessof makingand transportingthoseheads,someonecutdownthelasttree.Whoeveritwas couldhavelookedaroundtheisland,halfthesizeof theIsleofWight,andseenitwas thelasttree.Theycouldhavegazedoutonanhorizonunbrokenon allsides,onwhichnoshiphadpassedincenturies,andknowntherewereno treestobefoundelsewhere.Buttheycutit downanyway.

Andthen,theislandsecologycollapsed.Foodranout.Thestoneheadsstillinthequarrywereleft,unfinished.Thestoneheadsenroutetothecoastwereabandoned,likeourmoai,mid-transit. Eventually,the RapaNuithe indigenousPolynesianpopulationturnedtothe onlyfood

sourceleft,andagreatcannibalwartransformedthisislandparadiseintoalivinghell.Stilltothisday,theirobsidianarrowheadslinethe ground,sonumeroustheycrunchunderfoot.

Environmentalistshavea nameforwhathappenedhere:ecocide.AprocessthatwasthesubjectofCollapse,a2005

bookbythebestsellingauthorJaredDiamond,itsmessageis inescapableandhasbeenreiteratedatenvironmentalconferences theworldover.Likeus,theEasterIslanders

becameobsessedwithproducingornamentsandfripperies.Likeus, theyusedscarceresourcesto makethem.Likeus,theyknewtheywere causingirreparablee nvironmentaldamage. Buttheydiditanyway andthendied.

Itisa darkparableforourtimes.Anditmakes archaeologistsangry.Richards,

andtheteamheworkswith,aresomeoftheacademicsnowarguingthatEasterIslandshistoryneedstobe revisited,andthatthesimplicityofthecollapseparabledoestheircultureadisservice.

Standingonthe craterrimof PunaPauquarry, theBritish archaeologicalexpeditioninsidethefirstto EasterIslandsince1914 lookscomfortinglylikethat1914expedition.Thereisahand-dugtrench.Thereisa maninfullcoloniallinen.Oneofthe nativestheyprobablydontcallthemthatanymoreis wearinga Panamahat.

Downinthequarry,itsconcavesidesfocusingthemiddayheattoan evenmoreu npleasantintensity, Richards,fromtheUniversityofManchester,andtherestofteam SueHamiltonfromUCL,KateWelhamfromBournemouthandJaneDownesfromtheUniversityoftheHighlandsandIslands aredigging.Itis likeeveryepisodeofTimeTeam everb roadcast:therearewheelbarrows,trowelsandsomelargely unfathomableexcitementcentringonscatteredrocksandaburnt

bitthatmighthavebeenafire.

Thisfire,ifit isa fire,wouldhavecookedlunchforthe masonsandminersofPunaPau astheyextractedthered circularstonesknownaspukaothatwouldonedayadornthetopsofa chosenfewmoai.TheBritishteambelievethattheirworkhere,ininvestigatinghowthestones whichare,dependingon whoyoutalkto,eitherhatsorjazzyhairstyleswerequarried,mayshowthatthequarryitselfwasasacredsite.Ifso, itcouldalsoexplainwhyso manypukao,andmoai,remainintheirquarries:theywerentabandonedatall.Rather,inmuchthesamewaythatshrineslinethegreatChristianpilgrimagesites,theywereleftthereandalongtheroutestoandfromthequarries,asamarkerofthesitessignificance.

Thisstoryofcollapsegoeson and

on,Hamiltonsays.Theideaisthatthestatueswereabandoned.Butstepbackfromitamoment.Whatif theyweremeanttobehere?Whatif thequarry

wassacred,andthe roadtoit?Suddenlyyougeta verydifferentframework.

Richardsworkseemstohavefoundevidencethatbehindthestatues

abandonedontheroadare platformstheyoncestoodon.Pushthistheoryfarther,andyounotethatthefrequencyofsuchstatuesincreasesthecloseryougettothe quarrywhereasiftheyweresimplyleften routetothecoast,one wouldexpectthemtobeuniformlydistributed.

Wetaketheideathattheymismanagedthe environmentandconcentrateon that,Hamilton says.Butoncethetreeshadgone theymanagedit reallywell.Instead,though,theirculturehasbeen demeanedandappropriated.

EasterIslandsrock-strewn,deforestedlandhaslongbeenconsideredawfulforfarming.Butresearchhasshownthat,farfrombeingrock-strewn,each rockwas carefullyplaced avast,andsuccessful,efforttomakeunworkablelandproductive,

byusingrockstokeepin moistureandnutrients.Thewholeislandisonegreatrockgarden.

Thisisstonetechnologyparexcellence,Hamilton says.We might

beatthe peakofdigitaltechnology,buttheywereatthepeak ofstonetechnology.We wouldnthavea clue

whattodowithstone.Theydidexploittheirisland,butthey learnttomanage.

Ofcourse,noneofthischangesthefactthat,perhapsin the17thcentury,thelasttreediddisappear,andthatthelossofwoodwouldnotjusthavestoppedmoaiproduction,but alsosometool-makingandfishing.Theremaywellhavebeena dramaticcorrespondingfall inpopulation.

Butifwe stillinsistonturningasingleeventonacomplicatedislandintoasimplisticparable, thenthis newparableofEasterIslandbecomesonelessconduciveto theenvironmentalmovement.In Hamiltonsinterpretationitis,instead,astoryofhumaningenuityovercomingapparentlyinsurmountableecologicalchallenges. Ifapplied tothecurrentclimate-change debate,it might

wellbebetterusedbythosewhooppose

theenvironmentalists,who argueweshouldntworry aboutemissions, that

weshouldtrustinhumanitysabilitytoadapt.

Yetsopervasivehas thealternativetalebecome,sopowerfulitsmessage,thattheRapaNuisometimesfindtheyhavetoarguetheirownexistence.I

explaintopeopleIcomefromEasterIsland,onelocalhotelownertellsme.Theysay,Ididntknowtherewerepeoplethere.Theythinkitsallaboutthemoai.Behindher,inthehotelgarden,a replicamoaipokesitsheadoutfrombehindashrubbery.

Sheisnot theonlyonetiredofexplainingtheislandtoforeigners.Withskinroughlythesamecolourandtextureas awell-lovedleathersofa,

JosCardinali,70,lookslikeamanwhohasspenthislifetravellingtheSouthPacific.BornonEasterIsland,hehaslivedinNewZealand,aswellasAustraliaandChile.Thetreethingisannoying,hesays.ThewholeofNewZealandknowstheresnotrees.

Sincemovingbackto theisland,though,he hasbroughtanoutsiderseyetothe debate,and noticedthatperhapstheRapaNui retaina linkto

theirdeforestingpast.Youknow,onedaymysistercamealongtomy house,hesays.I wentout,andwhenI came

back,he pauses,theatrically,shedcutallthebloodytreesdown.Heleansin,conspiratorially.Itsthe mentalityofthenatives:Treesare nouse,theythink,socutthebastardsdown.

TheRapaNuihavetheirownlargelyuncontroversialtheoryofnon-tree-based collapse.Whateverhappenedbe foreEuropeans arrived,therearethefacts,undisputedbyarchaeologists:that theremainingpopulationofEasterIslanddidalmostdieout;thatalmosttheentireoralhistorywaslost;thatallthe elderswhocoulddeciphertheiruniquescriptdied;andthatknowledgeof howandwhytheybuilttheheadsisgone forever.

ToreachEasterIsland,mostvisitorschangeplanesin Santiago,Chile.WiththeirbackstothewhitespineoftheAndes,theyflyawayfromSouthAmerica,overthePacific.Forfive

hours,thetimeittakestoreachCairofromLondon,theykeepf lyingwest.Inthattime,theonlylandtheysee isthesmall,oceanicpinprickof theirdestination.If, foranyreason,theyovershoot,thenextislandis1,200milesaway.The onlyreasontheycanlandhereatallis thattheAmericans,fearingtheirshuttlemightcomedowninahemisphereofthe Earththatwasalmostentirelyblue,builtanemergency runway.

Today,withmobilephonesanddailyairtravel,the islandstillfeelsextremelyremote.Our flightcarriesa jeepintheholdthemost effectivewayofgettingin carsisby airfreight.Foodprices,meanwhile,areinflatedtoalevelthatonearchaeologistdescribestome asWaitroseona priceyday.

Sowhen,in1722,the firstshipdockedatEasterIsland,itmust havebeen

Itisastoryofhumaningenuity

overcomingecologicalchallenges

times modern

HowEasterIslandsancientheadsbecamehostagesinanewconflictthetimes.co.uk/life

Clockwise from right:A moai on theoutskirts of Hanga Roatown; flooded craterat Rano Kau volcano;archaeologists SueHamilton from UCLand Colin Richardsfrom the University ofManchester; a touristamong the moai atRano Raraku;archaeologist JaneDownes and SorobabelFati T, a Rapa Nuianwho is helping theBritish team

Easter Island hasbecome an allegoryfor environmentaldestruction. But newevidence unearthedby a British teamdisputes this. TomWhipple reports

Secretsset in

stone

FRONT COVER AND BELOW: TIMES PHOTOGRPAHER, BEN GURR

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