The Mysteries of Easter Island

The religious beliefs of the Easter Island civilization included at least ninety different named Gods and spirits divided into high gods and lesser gods. High Gods included the creator, the rain God, and the superior God Make-make. Lesser Gods included Gods of, nature spirits, demons, and ancestor spirits. Religious ritual included offerings of food and tapa, communication through priests, and chanting. Traditional beliefs have now been completely replaced by Catholicism.  

According to Rapa Nui mythology Hotu Matu'a was the first settler and supreme chief  Hotu Matu'a and his double canoe colony were from Polynesia. They landed at Anakena beach and  the people spread out across the island, dividing it into clans decedents  from  his sons, and  lived for more than a thousand years in their isolated island until they were discovered by the Dutch  in 1722.

 Little is known of the role and status of priests other than the fact that they acted as healers and communicated with the supernatural world by trance when they were possessed. Priests could also place harmful curses. There were also sorcerers who used their skills to influence or cause harm to others.

Ceremonies were held to bring rain, sanctify new houses, and to ensure a good harvest and to mark major life events. The annual feast of the bird cult and the feast of the Bird-Man were the most significant ceremonies.

 The best-known of the traditional arts was an emphasis on stone working and stone carving. These expressions are seen by the 600 large, from 20 to 60 feet high, carved stone statues mounted on stone platforms called ahu. The statues may be portraits of ancestors and chiefs. By the time of European contact, the carving had ended with about 150 statues left unfinished and many fallen over. Some interior stone walls of houses are decorated with paintings. Various ornaments were carved and both men and women wore body tattoos.

Healing was done by the priests who used steam baths, massage, binding and contact with spirits.  In the past, the deceased’s body was placed on the ahu platform and left to decompose. The bones were then buried in the ahu vault. The funeral ceremony included a large feast with singing and dancing. Today, Roman Catholic practices have replaced the traditional ones, although they survived into the twentieth century. The body is now displayed in the home, followed by the church rite and burial in a coffin in the church cemetery. Interment is accompanied by hysterical