Monday, October 28, 2013

Easter Island


Essential Questions:
1. What makes Easter Island so strange and mysterious?
2. Why do people still discuss and visit Easter Island today?
3. What makes Easter Island so intriguing?

Located in the South Pacific, this triangular island filled with statues holds mystery and debate.  Explore this topic and find out what theories and speculations surround this fascinating location.

Research the history of Easter Island.  Find as many facts as possible.  Use the following to guide your blog comments:    Who formed these statues?  For what purpose?  How were they able to transport these massive statues around the island?  What happened to the inhabitants?

Websites:
link 1 http://mysteriousplaces.com/Easter_Island/index.html


 

21 comments:

  1. what makes these stone heads on Easter Island so intriguing is nobody knows how they got here! But, researchers do have theries about what they are and how they got there. These stone heads are called "Moai". There are about 887 left on the island and on average they stand 13 feet high and weigh 14 tons! They believe these stones have been here from around 1400-1600 AD and because the stones have their backs to the seas they believe its to represnt spirits of cheifs, ancestors, or other high ranking males on the island at the time. People still love to vist Easter Island today to see all these old artifacts and myserious stones.

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  2. Historians believe that a crew of 75 men landed on the shores of Easter Island in 1772. What makes this story so strange and mysterious is that no one knows what really happend,and how those 10-ton statues got there. People still talk about this myth becuse no one knows how a crew could build such great statues with onky the small tools that they had. What makes Easter Island so intirguing is that some people believe that the statues where left by aliens,although most believe that a crew saild from Europe. That is why Easter Island is so strange and mysterious

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  3. Easter island is so intriguing to people because many people are curious about how the statues and how they where made. I believe that the statues where made by the south pacific tribe known as the Rapa Nui. The Rapa Nui disappeared before settlers and explorers got to the island. Many of these statues weigh 10 tons and would be extremely difficult to move and place even with modern tools. Historians believe the statues where made for their gods and deties. People who visit Easter island should not see the statues has a mystery, but more has a incredible monument that ancient people built to their gods like the pyramids in egypt or the temples built by the romans and greeks.

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  4. What is so mysterious about Easter Island is that no one knows who the first inhabitants were and why they came to the island in the first place. Some people believe that they came from East Polynesia or even South America. The wall on Easter island closely matches the Inca society walls by how they are built so closely together. That is one mystery that is left unsolved. People today still visit Easter island to see the massive statues that have been carved by the first society. There are nearly 900 of these statues covering Easter Island. Many stories about what the stone statues were for have been told. I believe that they were used for ceromonial purposes on the island. The most intriguing part about the whole mystery is that there are no written records. The society dissapeared and left behind a great mystery that is yet to be solved.

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    1. I agree with AustinE2, for I also believe that the statues could have been used for ceremonial purposes. I think that they could have been honoring the founder of the civilization because it was also believed that they represented high ranking members in society. Also, I believe that it is highly plausible that the settlers came from South America or East Polynesia because they are some the closest inhabited areas during that time. The similarities of Incan walls being built close together much like the architecture on Easter Island is great evidence for the theory that the settlers came from South America, thus leading me to agree with AustinE2.

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  5. Easter Island is considered strange and mysterious because 1200 years ago the were a lot of canoes filled with seafarers that came upon this island and then for some still unknown reason they started carving out statues of the giant rocks. People today are still discussing and are trying to figure out what happened years ago and how those giant statues got there. Easter Island is so intriguing because it is a big island and full of interesting attractions, but people don't get to see them because the are so puzzles on how the statues got there.

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  6. The mystery of Easter Island is strange because it seems impossible of how the Maoi (statues) got there. People still discuss it because there is no current way to determine exactly how the Maoi were made, why they were made, and how they got to the hills of the island. It is believed that the giant heads of volcanic rock were etched into the side of the cliffs and then slowly chipped into a statue. Then, the islanders would tie the statues up using ropes and trees, and they would pull it down the slopes/hills until it would reach the small whole for it to rest in. The reason that they're so intriguing is because the statues were about ten to 15 tons, and that is impossible even for archaeologists now when we use the same tools as the islanders. Archaeologists believe that they were made to represent the King who settled the island and/or the high ranking chiefs. Many people (mainly researchers) visit Easter Island to find out about the amazing mysteries of the island.

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  7. What makes these "Stone Heads" so wonderful is no one knows how they got here.! After time it took researchers a little to find out what they are and how they got here to the hills of this island.! Some people believed that the heads of the rock with etched in to the side of the cliffs and chipped into a statue. People today are still discussing and figuring out what happened years ago.Easter Island is so..intriguing because it is a big island. As well as it is full of intetresting attractions. Finally many people(researchers) visit Easter Island to find out about these mysterious mysteries about this island.!

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  8. Eater Island is concidered strange cause for some strange reason they are carving big rocks. 1200 years a go canoes filled with seafares that came upon the island. People are still trying to find out what happend 1200 years ago with the big carved rocks. The island is full of these big things all over. These cavings have volcanic rock in them of various colors. This is so intreaging because they are every where and they are a large rock carved and they are just weird like face looking things so they are still unknown.

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  9. What makes Easter Island so strange and mysterious is how the statues got from place to place and why. Nobody really knows why, but some people made a guess as to how the natives moved the statues that natives formed from volcanic rock from place to place. They think the natives used some kind of rope and pulley system by using ropes attached to trees. This is so intriguing because it is amazing that people were able to move statues up to 15 tons using only a rope and tree. It is interesting that they did this with the limited amount of tools that they had. It is also interesting how they formed the statues with volcanic rock by etching away into the side of the rock to form figures so long ago. Many people today still visit Easter Island because they are curious and intrigued about how the statues got there and why.

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    1. I agree with KalistaO3 because it is truly amazing how people could move statues weighing up to 15 tons. Also, when you said that they didn't have many tools, you were correct. Even with the tools today, it would be difficult to build such things, much less move them. I think that scientists are on the verge of knowing how they got there, they just don't know why exactly. I also agree when you said that people still visit the island because of curiosity. Great information too.

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  10. What is strange and mysterious of the Easter Isalnd is that nobody knows how Maoi statues got there and how they were built. People to this day still disscuss the Maoi statues because no one knows how they were made, how they got there, how long it was to make it to the hills of the island and why they made them. What makes Easter Island statues so intriguing is that the statues were so big that it wouold take forever to get them out of the ground. Some people believe that the Maoi statues were built because it was to repersent the king who lived on the Easter Island. Also some people want to go to the island to search facts and to see how big the statues are and, how long many there are. Reasearchers say the statues are so deep into the ground it would take forever to dig out.

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  11. Whats so strange and mysterious about Easter Island is that no one knows how they got the statues there or how the people there all died. people still discuss this island because whatever webt on there was strange. How did all these statues get there, how did the people there die, why did they make so many statues? with all these questions to answer no wonder people go back there trying to answer at least one but unfortunatly all the history of the island was destroyed. What makes Easter Island so intriging is that they were so ubsessed with these statues and used all the resources and even started eating each other and going crazy. Its also intriging that they could put those giant statues there that no one could move because they were so far down even today it would be challenging to get out.

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  12. this strange and mysterious mystery of easter island was riveting to me. did u know that it took 7 to 10 weeks with possibly 10 or more people to drag a moai to its rightful place? they began carving giant statues out of volcanic rock. they were known as moai. moais are some of the most incredible ancient relics ive ever seen.in this link i read it says that moais are deep under ground and they took forever to dig out ! i think easter island is the best thing i have researched in my life. its fasinating, good, and really cool to read ! this is zack stocks on easter island.

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  13. What is so strange and mysterious about Easter Island is the fact that no one has yet to figure out how the Maoi Statues got there. Scientists are still working hard to crack the case. Today, people are still disucing how they got there and why they are there. What makes Easter Island so intriguing is that the statues are so big and heavy that its nearly impossible for them to get the statues out of the ground. Also, how they were built is a mystery. Even using the tools we have today, it would still be difficult. Some people believe they were there to represent the king of the island. Others believe it was a greeting to those who enter it. Many people visit the island today to see the Maoi statues, trying to figure out what really happend.

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  14. On the first site, I saw the entire story. People believe that the Easter Islanders came from South America. No one knows why. Some belive they moved them with help from aliens, but they probably used trees. They used too many trees, like humans, and when they were the most vulnerable, missionaries came and squashed their culture. The Rongo-rongo tablets, an important part to learning about their culture, were mostly destroyed. It was so intriguing because no one knows why they built them. I think it was for luck, until it turned into a competition.

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  15. I agree with kelseyc5, but I also think that the scientists have a pretty good idea as to how the statues go there. They said they used a rope and pulley system to move the statues. I also agree that some people thought the statues were built to represent the king. I completely agree with all your other facts though.

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  16. I agree with AndrewM2 because people shouldn't think of the statues as a mystery, I believe the mystery was already solved. Scientists already know how the statues got there. What more is there to know? Aliens obviously didn't do it, in my opinion. An ancient tribe, perhaps from South America, seems to have done it. Other than how or why they came, everything is known already. At least, to me, but I may not know everything.

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  17. I agree with TommyD2 because he believes that people think it is so mysterious because they are not sure how the statues got there. Scientists believe that they used ropes and trees, but other people think something supernatural things like aliens built them. Even though scientists believe that the locals built them, we will never know for sure why they built them or how the statues got on Easter Island.

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  18. I agree with TommyD2 because I too believe that the statues were made to represent a king or other high ranking official. Also, it is very intriguing of how the 15 ton statues were moved. I agree about that they tied ropes and trees around the statue and slowly brought it down the hill. Lastly, I agree about the reason that the statues are still talked about to this day; because it is a great mystery of how they were made.

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  19. I agree with addieB3 because she had many of the points I had, like she believes it is so mysterious that nobody knows how the statues got there. People have so many opinions about how the statues got there. Personaly I think that the most believable way would be cutting down the trees and rolling it. This would explain why they used up all their resources so easily.

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