SkillBuilder discussion Historical Significance 1. Why do you think the statues of Ahu Tongariki are positioned with their backs to the sea? What significance might this have for the Rapanui people? 2. Looking at the background
SOURCE3 Ahu Tongariki: the largest platform of mo’ai. Most statues stand with their back to the sea, protecting the islanders while turning their back on the spirit world.
of SOURCE3 , what clues can you detect that moving the mo’ai had an impact on the environment?
3. Considering the
engineering skills required to construct and place the mo’ai, what can we infer about the technological advancements and societal organisation of the Rapanui people?
11.4.3
Diminishing population
The collapse of the Rapanui civilisation is one which causes a great deal of debate between historians. The island is covered with examples of culture and heritage, and evidence suggests that the indigenous people — the Rapanui — had a far greater population in the centuries before Roggeveen arrived to find around 2000 inhabitants. Archaeologists suggest that at its height, there were as many as 15 000 people on the 163 square kilometres of land that is Rapa Nui. This society was relatively advanced and had a clear political structure. It was culturally sophisticated to the point that it had the only Polynesian writing system known to historians — rongorongo — as well as the engineering ability to construct and move the impressive mo’ai that met Roggeveen’s ship in 1722. The four major theories about what caused this downfall are described below.
SOURCE4 An excavated mo’ai showing how much of the statue was buried underground
Stripping the land bare
This theory suggests that in order to mine, carve and move the mo’ai, the Rapanui had to strip the island of its trees. These enormous statues might have been rolled on the cut trunks of the subtropical palm trees of the island, a practice which continued until there were no trees left. The trees might also have been used for shelter, boat-building or other purposes.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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