Easter Island is a unique place that is known for its huge stone statues, rich in history and is considered one of the most remote islands in the world (among inhabited). Is it connected with the Christian holiday and who gave the island such a name?
The origin of the name Easter Island
The first thing worth noting is that Easter Island is far from the only name. The second widespread name is Rapanui - that is how the locals call the island. But also he was repeatedly assigned other names: Waihu, Hititeiraigi, San Carlos and others. In particular, various navigators who visited this island liked to come up with new names.
Rapanui became Easter Island at the same time as the Europeans discovered it. The fact is that in history there has been much debate as to who first discovered the island. The main conflict erupted between the Dutch and the British. England insisted that it was their native, Edward Davis, who found the island first. But he could not stay there, because he was forced to flee from the Spanish fleet. Then the travelers tried again to find the unknown continent, but could not do it. But instead of Rapanui they found many other islands.
Another attempt to find the "Davis Land" was made by a Dutch navigator named Jacob Roggeven. He began the voyage with several ships from Amsterdam in 1721.Almost a year later, on April 5, 1722, the crew, who was on the main ship, noticed land on the horizon. It was decided to get as close to her as possible. The same day became the official opening day of the island, and the name was chosen by Jacob Roggeven himself. The fact is that according to the calendar of that time Catholic Easter was celebrated on April 5. So Rapanui and got his European name.
It is noteworthy that the Dutch were not able to land on land immediately. While their ships were standing near the island, on April 6, a local resident sailed by canoe and was surprised to examine a large ship. The landing took place only four days later. In his notes, the traveler Roggeven made a detailed description of the island itself, as well as local residents. The Rapanuiites were not happy with the invasion and entered the battle with the Dutch, but, of course, were defeated.
Subsequently, many foreign ships from Spain, America, and even Russia arrived on Easter Island. The Spaniards tried to subjugate the island to themselves, and the Rapanuiites were not against the protectorate. But then they forgot about the island. Some foreign travelers showed aggression towards the local population, so the Rapanuiites also began to be hostile to all arrivals of the ship.
Interesting fact: Russian sailors tried to visit Easter Island in the early 19th century. The ship was called "Rurik." But some time before his arrival, the island was visited by foreigners who kidnapped some local residents. After this incident, the Rapanuiites became hostile and did not allow the Russians to land on land.
The 19th century was a turning point in the history of the Rapanui people, when the island was in the jurisdiction of Peru.Locals were used as free labor. In other words, the indigenous inhabitants of Easter Island were turned into slaves, as a result of which the number of islanders decreased significantly.
Subsequent historical and religious events made Easter Island a part of Chile. Since 1995, Rapanui has been considered a UNESCO heritage - that is, significant measures are being taken to preserve the local culture.
The secret of civilization and the sights of Easter Island
The most famous landmark of Easter Island are considered giant sculptures made of stone. They are called moai and are human heads with an upper body. Statues reach 20 meters in height. All sculptures face the island. It is noteworthy that stone sculptures were somehow transported to the current location. They made them in the quarries, which are located in the central part of Rapanui.
The way to move the statues is one of the biggest mysteries. There are several hypotheses, some of which have been tested in practice. For example, it is possible that logs were placed under the statues and, thus, rolled them to a new place. In the quarries there are several unfinished sculptures. Locals believed in the legend that the statues moved independently.
For a long time it was believed that Easter Island used to be a large continent, on which a highly developed civilization lived. Moai statues, as well as tablets with hieroglyphs, served as an aid to this theory.Later, the continent almost completely went under water, and only high mountain peaks remained on top. But scientists have established that these are not mountain peaks, but the remains of volcanoes.
Easter Island used to be called differently, but its original name is Rapanui. The island is still called by locals. It received its modern name thanks to the Dutch navigator Jacob Roggeven. On April 5, 1722, he discovered it in the middle of the ocean and named it in honor of the Christian holiday of Easter, which was just celebrated on this day.
