The Moai were commissioned when an important chief or tribe member died. The Moai was imbued with the spirit of the departed and watched out from the Ahu looking over the village and offering protection.
When the europeans first made contact in the early 1700's the population and general health was in decline, resources were dwindling and the social order was starting to break down - the Moai were being toppled as civil unrest grew. The cult of the Birdman was on the rise.
In the 1860's Peru raided the island in search of slaves. Although slavery had been abolished in Peru, they were uncontested when they collected "agricultural workers" from the tiny unprotected Isla Pascua. About 2000 were taken and 15 returned complete with small pox. By 1877 estimates were that only 111 true Rapanui remained.
Jesuit missionaries did some intervention and alerted the outside world to the decimation here. Chile eventually picked up the reigns for strategic military, and not compasionate, reasons.
The Americans set up a cold war spy station here in the 60's and in the 70's Allende gave them the boot. The Americans were back again in the 80's and 90's and brought some improvements to the island. First in '85 by extending the airport runway sufficently to allow the space shuttle to land. In '86 when the Challenger exploded it put the brakes on the space program. The airport never received the equipment necessary to allow the shuttle to land but the new runway opened up tourism like never before. Then in '93 Kevin Costner and co. came here to film Rapa Nui. The movie tanked but it brought a lot of money to the island and also brought a resurgance of Rapanui pride. The main road got paved and people were able to buy cars for the first time. I still haven't watched it even though I have a copy on my netbook.
So today the islanders both rely on and harbour some resentment for their colonial overlords like many other indigenous peoples around the world. Bit by bit it gets better but the recent intimidation could end up being a big set back. I told Kia that she is in a unique situation and should get involved here. She has a world view of indigenous culture, a very sympathetic eye and a personal connection. She just smiled and gave me a seashell necklace and hug.
I met up with Edgar & Co. in the airport and spent a while chatting to Gordana, one of his many acquaintances. She is Croatian married to a retired english diplomat in London. She and her family have lived in a number of African countries (the scary ones,) Israel, Indonesia, Yeman and on and on. It sounded like most of the countries they lived in had a military coup or a war going on during their stay. Gordana was not so disturbed by such things having grown up in a communist country. I told her what a shock it was for me to see my first real live machine gun when I was 25 in Thailand and that even the gun toting cops in downtown Hanga Roa made me look twice.
My guide book had an interesting story about the airport. In 1993 the island lost electrical power which was not that unusual BUT the airport back up generator was also on the fritz. The scheduled flight from Chile was enroute and had passed it's point of no return for fuel so it had to land at Isla Pascua. The radio station, which must have had a working generator, put out a call for everyone with a car to come on over to the airport to lite up the runway with headlights. Problem solved.
The island looked tiny as we took off. It's asounding that those wayward Polynesians even found this speck in the ocean so may centuries ago.
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