Flenley and bahn have created an incredibly comprehensive reconstruction of easter islands history. The life of katherine routledge and her remarkable expedition to easter island lisa drew books. Easter island has always interested me so ive read a lot of nonfiction books about it. It was perfect because not only does it tell you history and legend, but. Best books on easter island easter island forum tripadvisor.
The mysteries of easter island the mysteries of easter island. Easter island history the island itself many people have found easter island history very fascinating. The population has declined steeply more than once. Elsa beazley arrives at easter island in 1916 with her new husband and her mentally handicapped sister. Jan, 2010 a 0 year exploration of easter island history. There is no such flummery in steven fischers new book. Restrained passion and conflicted loyalties drive this sweeping debut novel, in which two women of different eras experience the mysteries of easter island. Guide for inquisitive minds and millions of other books are available for amazon kindle.
The easter island foundation promoting the conservation. Im particularly interested in books that will give me the sort of info id get if i went on a guided tour. Easter island simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Steven roger fischer offers the first englishlanguage history of easter island in island at. What happened along the way that caused the island ecosystem to collapse. Easter island history, polynesia history, books barnes. Mystery of the stone giants by catherine orliac 7 times the art of easter island by thor heyerdahl 7 times. Bringing his history into the modern era, fischer examines the colonization and annexation of easter island by chile, including the rapanui peoples push for civil rights in 1964 and 1965, by which they gained full citizenship and freedom of movement on the island. Flenley and bahn have created an incredibly comprehensive reconstruction of easter island s history. Easter island covers roughly 64 square miles in the south pacific ocean, and is located some 2,300 miles from chiles west coast and 2,500 miles east of tahiti. Score a books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. The book begins with the story of how seaver kurze came to easter island and initiated her research on the. Im so glad i decided to read it because its just a great book full of interesting information, some of which id never come across before, and such a. As befits the head of the institute of polynesian languages and literatures in auckland, new zealand, he has produced a scholarly and readable account of the island s turbulent history.
A brief history of easter islands incredible moai statues. We visited easter island in sept 2017 and have compiled this list of best easter island books for the curious traveler. The survival of easter island dwindling resources and cultural resilience. For decades, scientists have studied this remote island in the south pacific and its hundreds of giant stone statues known as moai. Captain roggeveen renamed the island easter island. In this extraordinary fiction debutrich with love and betrayal, history and intellectual passiontwo remarkable narratives converge on easter.
As befits the head of the institute of polynesian languages and literatures in auckland, new zealand, he has produced a scholarly and readable account of the islands turbulent history. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. In fact, for a layman such as myself, the sheer volume of details is a. This book, part of the new york times bestselling series, is enhanced by eighty illustrations and a detachable. This title features expanded coverage of patagonia, including new adventure options in puerto natales and more information on chiles crown jewel, torres del paine national park. First published in 1919, this work provides information on that most mysterious of islands easter island rapa nui. Easter island is the story of two women who went to the island and did research. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. Easter island, chilean dependency in the eastern pacific ocean. It is the easternmost outpost of the polynesian island world and is famous for its giant stone statues.
The islanders culture left a legacy that was important enough to. History, traditions, texts by steven roger fischer clarendon press. The moai are some of the worlds most fascinating and widelyrecognised monolithic statues. Army say the new signs from waianae complete a total of 17 signs found on the island. He has appeared 15 times on the ancient aliens television series as well as numerous. Easter island and millions of other books are available for instant access. Strong cultural coverage gets under the skin of this skinny country including a special feature on wine. The events that happened there make it an icon of environmental degradation and collapse. The island stands in isolation 1,200 miles 1,900 kilometres east of pitcairn island and 2,200 miles west of chile. Oct 12, 2017 the giant, mysterious stone men, or moai, for which easter island, or rapa nui, is known. Aug 16, 2016 this comparison suggest that a common system of writing may have been used on easter island and hawaii.
Dna testing has suggested that easter islanders may have sailed to the south american mainland and returned at least once between 1280 and 1495. The mysterious stone statues carved and erected by the rapa nui people have enthralled people since their discovery. Pocket books, 1950 the modernization of easter island. The turbulent history of easter island 9781861892829. Eifs bestselling guidebook, easter island, the essential guide. A paper on the people, government, economy, history, and more of easter island. Born to a wealthy and prestigious english quaker family in 1866, katherine rebelled against victorian values, becoming one of the first female graduates of oxford university and the first woman archaeologist to work in polynesia. Virtual tour of the hidden history of ancient easter island. The name easter island was born from the first european, jacob roggeveen, to arrive on easter sunday in the year 1722. Easter island also has a huge crater called rano kau at the edge of the island. The mystery of easter island by katherine routledge 9 times citadels of mystery by l. In this extraordinary fiction debutrich with love and betrayal, history and intellectual passiontwo remarkable narratives converge on easter island, one of the most remote places in the world. As jared diamond tells it in his bestselling book, collapse, easter island is the.
The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine. To its original inhabitants the island is known as rapa nui, and its population is predominantly of polynesian descent. On a long stretch of green coast in the south pacific, hundreds of enormous, impassive stone heads stand guard against the ravages of time, war, and disease that have attempted over the centuries to conquer easter island. It was perfect because not only does it tell you history and legend, but also things you need to know day to day, plus fun stuff like the passport stamp at the post office. Im so glad i decided to read it because its just a great book full of interesting information, some of which id never come across before, and such a lovely double story. Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island, located in the midpacific ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most isolated. The mystery of easter island travel smithsonian magazine. One of the most remotely inhabited places on earth, this 64squaremile speck in the south pacific is more than 1,000 miles from anywhere else, yet polynesian voyagers managed to settle easter island a thousand years ago. The huge stone figures of easter island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider world for centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one. By the time dutch explorersthe first europeans to reach the remote islandarrived on easter day in 1722, the land was nearly barren. The history of easter island is the history of our planet, he says.
Good book, good story that deserves to be read for years and years. The tiny island is more than a thousand miles from its nearest island neighbor to. It details routledges journey by yacht from england to south america, around patagonia to chile and on to easter island, giving an account of its life, history and folklore. Opinion a parable of selfdestruction the new york times. This site includes many useful resources for visitors. The giant, mysterious stone men, or moai, for which easter island, or rapa nui, is known. Easter island remains one of the most mysterious places in the world. Steven roger fischer offers the first englishlanguage history of easter island in island at the end of the world, a fascinating chronicle of adversity, triumph, and the enduring monumentality of the island s stone guards.
Easter island, also known as rapa nui, is a tiny island in the pacific ocean, thousands of kilometers away from its nearest neighbors. Sep 01, 2014 modem archaeological scientists and engineers try and recreate and decipher the mystery of easter island s moai statues by experimenting with archaic engineering methods and mysterious practices. The natives were fenced in around guarded borders in the area that today is the town of hanga roa to prevent sheep theft. This enthralling book deals with the now famous bird cult and the customs and beliefs of the islanders who lived on rapa nui. Easter island was named on easter day, 1722, by the dutch navigator jakob roggeven. This book aims to show you the archeological masterpieces and the living traditions carried on in a continuum from ancient to modern in the form of the tapati. Jan 10, 2019 the huge stone figures of easter island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider world for centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one of the biggest mysteries. Many books about easter island are superficial fluff. The life of katherine routledge and her remarkable expedition. Its inhabitants, the rapa nui, have endured famines, epidemics of disease and cannibalism, civil war, environmental collapse, slave raids, various colonial contacts, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasion. At some point in the islands history, when both the art and the population were increasing, the islands resources were. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Easter island is an isolated historical place that boomed in population and thrived in culture.
Jennifer vanderbes, in her first novel, easter island, plays loosely with the. Megan stine reveals it all in a gripping narrative. Located on the remote chilean territory of easter island, they tell a mysterious story of the islands early people and their obsession with rock carvings. In fact, for a layman such as myself, the sheer volume of details is a bit overwhelming, and i frequently found myself skimming. Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. Born to a wealthy and prestigious english quaker family in 1866, katherine rebelled against victorian values, becoming one of. Of volcanic origin, easter island is mostly covered with grasslands and is swept by strong trade winds.
The foundation provides a forum for a variety of programs and activities designed to further knowledge about easter island and oceania. Informational nonfiction, 585 words, level m grade 2, lexile 690l. List of books and articles about easter island online research. Lonely planet chile and easter island country travel guide. There is also a small thread of a german world war i naval squadron present in the book. Programs include a scholarship program that provides. Katherine routledge is a central figure in the history of easter island, one of the worlds most remote and mysterious locales. The waianae inscriptions are not the only inscriptions found on the islands as discussed earlier. This is the first novel ive seen about this island of mystery.
The ensuing cultural legacy has brought the island notoriety out of proportion to the number of its. The moai statutes date back nearly a thousand years and are the work of the early inhabitants of easter island. On easter sunday, april 5, 1722, a dutch sea captain named jacob roggeveen landed his ship on an island known as te pito o te henua, meaning the center of the world. The tiny island is more than a thousand miles from its nearest island neighbor to the west and 2,200 miles. The islanders have left a cultural legacy that is famous. Mystery of the stone giants by catherine and michel orliac a history of the remote island in the pacific ocean that was discovered by dutch sailors on easter sunday, 1722, is pieced together by archaeologists and considers the mysteries of an aweinspiring place filled with giant statues.
They cover the origins, flora, fauna, tides, culture, language, stone carving, etc. Easter island books includes resources to plan selfguided tours and recommended must reading to understand the history of easter island. The spread of european diseases, especially smallpox, and the raids of spanish slavers reduced the population to slightly more than 100 by 1887. Restored apollo 11 moonwalk original nasa eva mission video. It was perfect because not only does it tell you history and legend, but also. Easter island is a polynesian island in the southeastern pacific ocean. This comparison suggest that a common system of writing may have been used on easter island and hawaii. About half of the inhabitants are of polynesian stock. Easter island covers roughly 64 square miles in the south pacific ocean, and is located some 2,300 miles from chiles west coast and 2,500 miles east of shows this day in history. Its inhabitants have suffered famines, civil war, slave raids, and near total loss of forests. The history of easter island is rich and controversial. What happened on easter island a new even scarier scenario. In easter island dna, evidence of genetic loneliness the. Brien has explored more than 90 countries but his true passion is researching and writing about the ancient megalithic works found in peru, bolivia, mexico, easter island, egypt, england, and beyond.
Much research has been carried out on these famous statues and many of the damaged and fallen statues have since been restored around the island. Sep 14, 2017 we visited easter island in sept 2017 and have compiled this list of best easter island books for the curious traveler. The turbulent history of easter island by steven roger fischer 8 times easter island. List of books and articles about easter island online. It is the easternmost outpost of the polynesian island world.
They are tall sculptures made out of volcanic rock, with disproportionately large heads. Easter island is often given as a metaphor, a dire warning for all of human life on our planet. Steven roger fischer offers the first englishlanguage history of easter island in island at the end of the world, a fascinating chronicle of adversity, triumph, and the. The easter island foundation was originally founded to create a research library on rapa nui to house the collections of anthropologist william mulloy and to encourage study and research about the island.
Modem archaeological scientists and engineers try and recreate and decipher the mystery of easter islands moai statues by experimenting with. The state historic preservation division and the u. The average height of a moai is about ft 4m and can weigh around. Geologically one of the youngest inhabited territories on earth, easter island, located in the midpacific ocean, was, for most of its history, one of the most isolated its inhabitants, the rapa nui, have endured famines, epidemics of disease and cannibalism, civil war, environmental collapse, slave raids, various colonial contacts, and have seen their population crash on more than one occasi. Easter island has captivated the worlds imagination since its discovery in 1722. In the book, routledge and her companions explore the secret caves, ancient roads, pyramid platforms. The mysteries of easter of island is a detailed text that will keep students engaged and leave them with many of their own questions to consider. Easter island books tagged easter island librarything. Migrations and settlements, the evolution of a culture, wars between tribes, and ultimate decimation of a whole population define the course of easter island history. It is famous for its 887 huge statues called moai, made by the early rapa nui people.