Their 'new' island was overwhelmed:
By Susan Kreifels
too many people, too few resources
Star-BulletinWhen ancient Polynesians wanted to discover a new place where they could be the ali'i, or chief, they felled a tree, carved a canoe, and set sail for another unexplored island of vast Oceania.
But on Rapa Nui, the skilled navigators found themselves trapped.
The few forests there were denuded by a population far too big for the tiny island. The battle for resources ended in tragedy for this remote Pacific isle, a tragedy from which the native people are still recovering.
Sergio Rapu, governor of the island from 1984 to 1990, looks to the Hawaiians to help restore a healthy, sustainable environment and develop a more prosperous economy for the 2,100 indigenous people there.
Below, moai at Hanga Roa,
the island's only town.
(By Cliff Wassmann,
special to the Star-Bulletin)
Rapu, an archaeologist, counts himself lucky. He is a descendant of only 111 Rapa Nui natives who, by 1888, had survived ecological devastation, starvation and war.
Rapu gave this history of the island:
Polynesian star navigators from the Marquesas Islands settled Rapa Nui around 400 A.D. They landed upon colder shores with far fewer native animals and plants than the more lush tropical Pacific islands.
But the ancestors of the Rapa Nui people were the greatest of Polynesian carvers, creating the famous "moai," or carved stone heads that draw tourists to the place known in the West as Easter Island. Tribes tried to outdo each other, and the barren spot became covered with statues reaching as high as 66 feet and weighing up to 300 tons.
But resources other than the easily cuttable red stone were scarce. There were no freshwater streams above ground and no direct tradewinds or reefs to protect the island. The water was rough and cold.
By the 16th century there were 10 tribes, and by the next century the population reached close to 20,000. The natives continued to clear land for taro and sweet potatoes.
In this fragile ecosystem were few grass species. Soil eroded and nutrients disappeared. A drought of five to seven years, combined with wind, led to starvation and fighting over scarce resources between two warrior factions -- the leeward and windward. People resorted to cannibalism to survive.
Peruvians wiped out the dying population even more by taking slaves back to South America. Under pressure from other Pacific islands, 1,000 were returned in the late 1800s, bringing with them Western diseases.
But warring leaders became weary of battle and started to consider the future of the entire island. They used annual competitive "birdman" games to determine new leaders.
Then came the European explorers and Catholic missionaries, changing the islands forever.
Today, the Chilean territory is about 40 percent national park, 20 percent privately owned, and the rest government land for reforestation and grazing beef.
Rapu, a businessman, said the government is slowly returning land, but not fast enough, and locals are prevented from selling their property to foreigners.
He still encourages entrepreneurs and believes help from Hawaii experts in tropical agriculture could lead to an annual $20 million industry.Rapu also looks to Hawaiians to help restore a healthy, sustainable environment as well as Polynesian culture and pride.
The mission of the Hokule'a is just that: empowering Polynesians across the Pacific through cultural revival and a healthy environment.
Stone giants watch over
a barren landscapeA BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ISLAND
First inhabitants: It was settled as early as 400, according to linguists, but archaeologists suggest a later date -- between 700 and 800.
Sources: NOVA Online; World Book Encyclopedia; Polynesian Voyaging Society
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