History and Culture of Rapa Nui (Easter Island)

Flashcards covering the geological, social, and chronological history of Rapa Nui, including key archaeological terms and theories regarding its societal collapse.

Thor Heyerdahl

The explorer who sailed a traditional craft for $103$ days to Raroya to prove that the technology and currents made it possible to migrate from South America to the Polynesian islands.

Old School Argument (Jared Diamond)

The school of thought that attributes the collapse of Easter Island to choices made by its inhabitants regarding environmental mismanagement.

New School Argument (Terry Hunt)

The perspective that the Rapa Nui people did not mismanage their environment but were devastated by the effects of Western colonization and imperialism, such as disease.

Mount Tervaka

The tallest peak on Rapa Nui, reaching an elevation of $1969\,\text{feet}$.

Obsidian

A sharp, volcanic glass provided by the island's volcanoes that was used to make cutting tools and inlaid as eyes in the moai.

Ahu

A raised and dressed platform tied to funerary rites; bodies were wrapped in bark and left on the platform to decompose before being buried inside.

Moai

Large stone statues that are a pan-Polynesian practice; they were placed on an ahu and potentially represented ancestor worship, lineage, or past rulers.

Ariki Mau

The high leader of the Rapa Nui society who exercised generalized rule over political, economic, and social life.

Mana

The term used for the 'good power' or divinity possessed by the Ariki Mau.

Tapu

The term used for the 'bad power' or dangerous spiritual force associated with the Ariki Mau.

Rano Raraku

The sacred volcano that served as the primary quarry for carving all moai that currently stand on an ahu.

Manu tapu

A secondary deity manifested as a bird; birds were a significant protein source and were used by seafarers to locate the island.

Pukao

Also called a 'topknot,' these are hats placed on some moai; they were made of red scoria to indicate power and royalty.

Red Scoria

The specific volcanic material used to create the pukao, chosen because its color was indicative of status and royalty.

Vague Period

The initial settlement period of Rapa Nui, dating from $300\,\text{A.D.}$ to $1000\,\text{A.D.}$, characterized by smaller and less detailed moai.

Peak/Ahu Moai Period

The era from $1000\,\text{A.D.}$ to $1500\,\text{A.D.}$ involving high levels of economic specialization and the creation of larger, more detailed moai with exaggerated features.

Decadent Period

The phase from $1500\,\text{A.D.}$ to $1722\,\text{A.D.}$ marked by population spikes, resource imbalances, civil war, and the rise of the Bird Man cult.

Matatoa

The warrior class that emerged during the decadent period as the society shifted back from a chiefdom toward a tribal-level structure.

Bird Man Cult

A primary religion that rose in opposition to the moai cult during the decadent period; moai were sometimes retagged with carvings of the bird god.

Protohistoric Period

The final period starting in $1722\,\text{A.D.}$ with Dutch contact, followed by devastating Peruvian slave raids and the arrival of Christian missionaries.

Peruvian Slave Raids

Attacks initiated in $1862$ that captured $50\%$ of the Rapa Nui population ($1000$ people), leading to only about $50$ survivors returning due to disease and poor conditions.