9 Awesome Facts About Easter Island

Rapa Nui or Easter Island is a remote island with a lot of theories about the inhabitants, the statues and the past and history. Here are some facts about Easter Island.

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When one thinks about adventure they think of places like Egypt with its pyramids shrouded in mystery, and while Egypt is fascinating there is another place just as fascinating and full of mystery. Join us as we look at some awesome facts about Easter Island!

The Statues:
Easter Island also known by its native name Rapa Nui is most famously known for the many large statues that reside on the island. These statues are known as Moai and are believed to have been carved by the Rapa Nui people somewhere between 1250 CE and 1500 CE. While at first it appears the statues only consist of giant heads, archaeologists dug deeper down and discovered bodies!

Its Name:
Easter Island got its nickname from Jacob Roggeveen. He was one of the first European visitors who were recorded to have been on the island, when he came it was on April 5, 1722 and that date was significant due to it being Easter Sunday, which is how Jacob decided to describe it, and the nickname stuck!

How Statues were Moved:
Nobody is sure how the statues on Easter Island were moved given that they were transported 11 miles across the island without using wheels, or other means of transport that would have been available at that time.

A Theft of a Moai Ear

It was in 2008 when a tourist was found on Anakena beach trying to remove an ear off of a moai. A native islander happened to see Marko Kulju 26 at the time running from the scene with a peace of a Moai in his hand.

Islanders Toppled Statues!
Easter Island went through a very rough period where it faced devastation in terms of deforestation.

The Island has Its Own Language!
Rongorongo is the official script of Easter Island. It is one of the few known scripts that was created with no influence from outside sources.

The Island has a Cult!
In the 17th and 18th centuries there were many issues with deforestation, and overworking of the land which depleted the natural resources. With this came many strong religious beliefs.

The Island has its own Currency!
Since Easter Island is a part of Chile it does use the currency of Chile which is a Chilean peso. However Easter Island also does have its own currency as well! In 2008 coins were created and in 2012 banknotes were created and named rongo.

Easter Islands Weapons
There are many native weapons to Easter Island, but they were very limited. Some known weapons were spears made out of obsidian, short clubs, and stones that were thrown.