Dr. Flint and Dr. Simpson, outstanding video discussion! As I am analyzing this video from the perspective of a student in Dr. Simpson's ANTH class, I wanted to point out a few key topics that I thought were especially interesting. It is clear the islanders of Rapa Nui developed several technologies, which are made even more unique knowing that they were in isolation. As a showcase of their ingenuity, the islanders worked with stone tools using volcanic rock (such as basalt and obsidian). The Rapa Nui understood that specific stones had different purposes based on their properties; as Dr. Simpson mentioned, the Moai statues were carved from a soft volcanic tuff that was relatively easy to carve. Similarly, basalt (a harder, denser volcanic rock) was used for its durability and strength in carving the Moai. As discussed heavily throughout the video, the Rapa Nui people had extreme resilience and innovation, and their level of understanding is even more impressive knowing that they did so without the influence of outside advanced civilizations. The video especially highlights how the Rapa Nui truly mastered their environment to exhibit and preserve their cultural heritage. Great video!!
HL! So glad to have you in class! You sound like an archaeologist! I love it. For sure they were master of their environment, both physical and cultural! I love you point about resilience, it was the key to their survival and the true lesson to learn about the island! NICE!
wow... my mother was an archaeologist ....I am a septuagenarian.......you "new kids on th block" are fabulous! my mother would be proud of you.......thank you.
Very cool, then the force is strong with you, more so with 70 years on this planet! Us "new kids" would only be were we are by standing the shoulders of giants!
Rapa Nui as an archaeological site of interest would be so fascinating! I'm so glad the new learnings are undoing alot of the introduced myths made by early Europeans. I'm often mind blown how the language is so ridiculously close to modern day Maori right down to the placename: Te Pito o te Henua/Whenua (Belly Button of the World) The Moai were clearly walked with weaved harakeke ropes...EZ Clap! Just asking a local would answer so many questions. LOL Nobody talks about the stone gardens either, so glad this was brought up. Great interview, thank you so much!
Is whenua land or world, or are you just adding whenua to the name? As if whenua means world then it gives a different meaning to tangata whenua and would not mean people of the land but people of the world....
Yes, that PPN (proto-Polynesian) has many similar cognates and grammatical structures. However, Rapa Nui is more closely related to Mangarevan than Maori, but they are all mutually intelligible.
@@dfsj381 one of our waka that settled in Aotearoa is actually from Rapa Nui, so we have ancestral links back to the motu, the Ngati Hotu iwi/tribe specifically. Their knowledge of stonework on Rapa Nui benefitted them greatly in Aotearoa where a wide range of stones were worked for use, including Greenstone. My grandfather also spoke of the continual voyages back and forth to the Polynesian triangle (Hawaii, Aotearoa, Rapa Nui), and also North America. Would love to know if Kumara was planted in the stone gardens there?!
Interesting stuff, thank you. I remember reading Thor Heyerdahl's book when I was a kid and being both fascinated by his adventures and disgusted by his attitudes towards the locals. I particularly liked the dismissal of the 'how did they move them?' nonsense. As a timber framer (wood not stone, but still too heavy to just toss around) I'm familiar with techniques to move heavy things by human power.
RIGHT ON! For sure, Heyerdahl's work is a common intro into Rapa Nui archaeology. One of the first things I read too! And spot on, lets give more credit to our ancestors and their abilities!
Excellent vid, but just wanted to comment on Dr. Simpson's comment about Rapa Nui being the most geologically diverse location in Polynesia. Not to take anything away from them, but both Hawai'i and Aotearoa (New Zealand) have volcanic stone, with the latter also having Greenstone, Ignimbrite, Greywacke and Argillite.
Good comment and eye here. However. although Aotearoa is a Polynesian island, it is a geological continental island and did not form like basaltic oceanic high islands. Hawaii has multiple islands, so of course, it will have a great diversity. To be correct, I should say, it is one of the most geologically diverse islands in the Pacific. Thanks for the comment.
Great video and really interesting discussion. It's fascinating the complex nature of society on the island especially when it comes to the use of stone.
Great video and discussion on Rapa Nui! I found it so fascinating that the Polynesians brought rats on purpose and that it would become the dominant species and had a small part in the decline of Palm. One thing stuck in my head now is the moai had the "original man bun", will never look at them the same. Thanks for a great class Dr. Dale!
Hi Mr Simpson Very interesting video about Rapa Nui I am Ricky from Niu. This video has taught me a lot about how people live in Rapa Nui and interact with the ecosystem over centuries. I really find it important that we need to preserve our nature as we see a decrease in biodiversity as you mentioned in the video. I totally think this island is a place to learn about archaeology since it offers so much and has so many old remaining. As you talked about the physicality of moving statues was extremely interesting to me and has taught me a lot about the course too. Overall this video has taught me a lot about archaeology and how the island of Rapa Nui offers so many archaeological sites and reamins.
Ricky, so good to hear from you! So glad you were in class and taking it from abroad! For sure, the Rapanui interaction is a great story, something we can all learn from; how the islanders survived and thrived, not collapse!
The bit at the end about the ancestor statues being the original security cameras reminded me of Julian Jaynes' hypothesis in the classic (if not real scientific) 'The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind'.
Whoo new Flint video! This is one of those subjects that as a professional archaeologist I feel like I should know more about but I really don’t. So I’m excited to learn!
I see how the theory that the residents of Rapa Nui fell victim to overconsumption, civil war, and other typical signs of social collapse (based on the History Channel’s reruns of the famous Roman collapse) doesn’t hold up. The idea that Rapa Nui’s true story is one of survival through adaptation, rather than collapse, seems more realistic to me.
NAT, you are a legend! Was great to have you in class and even better to see your insight here! The island is a story about survival and success, not collapse and failure!
From the great amount of interesting fact based material here, I can now (by contrast) put my finger on that empty feeling that came with the more superficial "findings/discoveries" of the pseudo-archaelogy crowd 🤔 Real evidence/discovery is far more interesting than fantasy & wishful thinking. Excellent presentation 😃
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I wonder if the Rapa Nuians ever discussed the idea that they might eventually use up all the good stone.... (Science Fiction Scenario: Humans reach the stars by themselves, run into several "Ancient Alien" species, who informed the humans that their world had escaped development assistance because the original expedition landed in Northern Europe about 3,000 years ago and reported that the locals were 'dumb as rocks' and unable to benefit from assistance.)
No, much of the good stone still exist on the island and they never ran out. What they did run out of was hau hau, which was used to make rope. This was another reason why moai transport was haulted.
I would like to say that it is great to learn about Rapa Nui and your discoveries there. I'm sure that many people appreciate learning about your findings on the island. I found not one, but many things interesting in this video. The fact that this island is almost the size of Washington DC is crazy. My most favorite part was learning about the structures that preserve history. Those structures represent history as much as they represent culture. Watching the clip of how they move these statues was very cool. At 29 minutes, the statue looked like a person of Rapa Nui waddling its way down the path. Looking at all these different findings, it is fascinating how a small island can hold so many findings, history, species, culture, and etc. Thank you for educating us on such wonderful knowledge!
NP, Thank you so much for being in the NIU class, your insight and archaeological thinking was spot on in class, and here with your comment. I am glad you used this video too better understand archaeology!
Hey Dale, thanks for sharing all that info, super informative. I noticed that the images associated with the Rapa Nui Museum on google maps has some pictures of those Rongorongo writing boards. Do you know if those are authentic? Perhaps recently returned to the island from another museum? I see the fake fish shaped one shown there too, but there are also some others.
@Eyes_Open is completely correct! Mass wasting, erosion, and deposition are the main phase transformation processes that buried moai, over time. However, the islanders may have also filled in carving holes to support the moai while detailing. The first moai on the outer flanks of Maunga Eo were probably carved from 1200-1500 CE. Thanks for the questions.
Thank you so much for this really interesting interview Dr. Simpson. I have a new understanding of Rapa Nui. And I agree that actual archeology is so much more interesting than pseudo-archeology. I mean just the possible meaning of the eyes being an early cctv, captivating...
At 24:00, I found it both interesting and amusing since this is more within my area of expertise and understanding. Laypeople (and the pseudoscientific charlatans who profit from them) tend to latch onto the idea of "How could humans move these stones? It has to be aliens and lost technology that moved and shaped them," which makes those like me laugh. As I've mentioned, this is a well-known phenomenon found in most cultures that work with stone, and it has never been a lost technology from a traditional perspective. From my point of view, moving and shaping big rocks is the easy part. The interesting part is all the other esoteric elements of research that will better flesh out our understanding of these ancient cultures and the ecologies in which they lived. It's important to note that the Indigenous people of the planet, including myself, have never gone away, despite what obtuse films and books may suggest. Many have thrived, but they just don't need planetary dominance, as other cultures have sociologically demonstrated a need for. Thanks for another great video Dr. Dibble...
RIGHT ON! What a solid and thought out response. And 100% Rapa Nui people are alive and well today. Solving problems and working with new materials and mediums as the world turns. Yes, the Rapa Nui were/and still are happy on their island, but they love to travel and see other places on planet earth! Thanks for the support!
@@dfsj381 Dr. Simpson, thank you so! I've always dreamed of wilderness paddling through the Polynesian archipelago, including Rapa Nui. Your detailed description in this video was incredibly rewarding. The fact that these Polynesian cultures have preserved traditional navigation methods without compass or technology, relying solely on their minds, bodies, and traditional knowledge, is a testament to the enduring spirit of indigenous peoples. If a global catastrophe were to occur, it will be those of us with traditional knowledge and skills who will continue to thrive, not just survive. I can't wait to explore your channel now that I know it exists. Thanks again for a fantastic presentation in this video!
Does Dr dale know where sweet potato came from, and how it ended up as a food crop in places as variable as the Papua New Guinea highlands and in Japan.
Fantastic, in Tetum one of the languages spoken in Timor "Matan" means eye as well, as well as in Meto (Uab Meto/Baiqueno) language eye is "mata" as well...
Great point! The austronesian people have been present in Timor for thousands of years, and their migration to the island may have helped develop agriculture! It makes total sense the cognate of eye in Rapa Nui and Timor!!!! Great EYE;)
No one who seeks knowledge listens to Graham. He is just cheap entertainment you all aren't even in the same field. I personally can't stand some crazy guy lying to me looking for connections fit his crazy ideas. But I guesse some people find that entertaining.
Absolutely! As they both are Austronesian>PPN (proto-Polynesian)>Individual Polynesian languages they are very mutually intelligible, sharing many cognates. Good eye!
I do not see any direct connections between these cultures as @lurks3r also notes below. However, what is in common is the need for humans to honor other humans, including their ancestors, the elite, and spiritual entities.
Thanks, I agree. Re: naledi. Nope. The final version of the paper still has not appeared. Nor have any substantive things been stated or published about it afaik
I wish I could go back in time to 1997 and study all this stuff and do all this neato stuff with fun guys and gals like yall. I'm never going to solve homelessness nor fix this dang world by giving out propane and snacks and coats. So! Someone bring me a time machine. please:)
SB! There is always time! Bit by bit, class by class! And if you are helping just ONE person, you are doing so much more for world than studying piles of rocks! Good on ya!
Not really, it is just highlighting were Europeans, and later Americans really abused the culture and put so much stress onto their survival. Even though, they still survived and thrived and are very well today!
Dale Simpson’s geological approach was a unique perspective of the island as compared to other archeologists. He connected archeology and geology by taking a look at the basalt rock among other types of rock to infer how the social economical system of the island might have functioned. The stones brought all the clans together and created an economy as each clan had one specific type of stone that other clans would need as well. This also brought Dale to the conclusion that the natives must have been “geological masters” as they were able to identify the best use cases for each type of stone found on the island. I found it impressive that the Polynesians who inhabited the island, traveled almost a fifth of the globe over about 2000 years. Using Geochemical research, they uncovered the “fingerprint” of different stones to relate them to quarries they came from which helped map their movement. I also liked Dale’s perspective on the complexities of the history of Rapa Nui. From talking about the misconceptions of the collapse of their society, the people still present on the island, and how we need to look past basic ideas that most people get hung up on such as “how do they move the Moai”. Like dale says “It’s a place of conflict resolution” as in order for people to strive on the island, they needed to work together in trading stones but also allowing for travel between their territories.
Outstanding, what a through provoking and well thought out comment! Thank for pointing out the points of emphasis we tried to make in this presentation! TOP MARKS!
This was a great video discussion between Dr. Simpson and Dr. Flint! I am also from Dr. Simpson's ANTH class and I wasn't familiar with the archaeology of Rapa Nui before watching this video. The tree analogy used at the beginning of the video for the Austronesian language family was extremely interesting. Polynesia was so rich in culture and language and the fact that they had traveled the oceans so much in such a short amount of time and come back is amazing! You mentioned how well-studied Rapa Nui was not even just in archaeology, but through geology and biology, and I couldn't agree more. The fact that they had brought rats with them to use for fishing and food, which eventually made them a dominating population was so interesting. I have learned so much from this video.
So glad you took the NIU class! I was happy to have you in it! I am also glad that you got so much out of this video. Flint was a great host with solid questions and an productive editor who made an impactful video.
Brilliant content. Learned a lot new from this! It’s too easy to think of the island as a complete mystery (as is often presented in the media). Geographically it’s just one arm of an extremely impressive people. Plus, it’s not even the only megalith erecting culture in that landscape (seascape?)
This is true, we have a solid understanding of the island including information form both etic and emic viewpoints! And yes, we find megaliths all throughout the Pacific!
Love your comments about "how could people move these stones?" As if current people dont get in a movable metal box and mentally calculate inertia, geometry, and physics every day. We are constantly underestimating ourselves.
@dfsj381 so true! 1500 years from now the mechanical understandings we hold now could be lost to a civilization that doesn't understand our language. It would be funny if they thought we could never understand cars without aliens.
I did notice on the statues that their belly buttons, but I never knew there was a reason that it linked to the name of the island. I do like how the names of objects correspond with something regarding narrative, like how the island is the bellybutton of the world. I have also seen demonstrations of the stones moving, where they basically tie ropes around them and shimmy them. That is both interesting and ingenious. Despite stereotypes of ancient people being dumb. The people of Rapa Nui were obviously anything but dumb. I have always said when I see a stupid News article "Human nature has never changed" and that seems to be the case as well here. They seem to be obsessed with this idea with fertility as seen in their monuments, and so were many other civilizations, and in a way we still are today, just in both more subtle and less subtle ways. And not only that, but my saying also proves true with the idea that basically every civilization uses stone, and have for 2.6 million years as Dr.Simpson has said. Rapa Nui also unlocks a core memory for me. I used to play with a Lego set called Bionicle and the names they used are very similar to what I am hearing when there are discussions of Easter Island. The location Bionicle took place on was Metri Nui which sounds similar to Rapa Nui. The main group of heroes were called the Toa. I know that can't be a coincidence and I find that quite cool.
PW, It was so good to have you in class where you provided such good comments and insight like this post. Yes, the belly button is a very sacred part of the body. It is where mana is sent to the next generation! Yes, it was not that hard to carve, but a bit more difficult to move statues; however, it could be done by a well organized population with chiefly and elite organization. For sure, we need to give more credit to our traditional custodians of the world, there were "advanced" in many ways. AND LEGOS FOR LIFE! I know exactly what you mean with Bionicle, my son played with the same sets and recognized the same names! Good on ya!
Right on! I have spent almost a quarter of a century putting those slide desks together. I am so happy DFD and his awesome editor were able to make good use of them!
28:47 Their legends say the moai got up and walked to their positions. They made a life-sized moai, they wobbled it on it's base from side to side and walked it along the ground. As shown here (which was shown after I started typing. 😉) So I'm not surprised he says _"I don't care"_ how they were moved. Too many people say _"We couldn't do it today with diamond-tipped tools and our heaviest cranes!"_ They aren't worth talking to. Dr Josh of Digital Hammurabi, his 70 year old father moved a 1 ton swimming tub on his own from the front drive where it was delivered to the hole he had dug in his back garden, by using simple fulcrum and balance principles. {:o:O:} _(Edited for tyops)_
Very true, there is a Rapanui song that specifically mentions how statues "walked" to the platforms. And for sure, humans have been organized enough long enough to preform community activities like moving statues and large stone. The ancestor were physicists as well!
The Lenca taulepa of Managuara did interact with sea people. This is frowned upon by many scholars in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua, whose simple ideas are the Lenca are of Mexican stock. Nice video.❤
Thank you for the comment. There is evidence that Polynesians made it to the new world, and may have had connect from as far as from the South of Chile to the Channel Islands in California. As such, there is a great possibility that populations in Central America met "Sea People" (Polynesians), during their interactions.
Thanks Flint & Dr. Simpson 😃 Love your work, particularly the reluctance to ride the wave of woo woo for views, etc., and giving respect to the discipline of archaeology, and the benefit of choosing rational thinking over wishful thinking. Much respect sir 🙏🏻 Really enjoy watching the JRE with Hancock...I honestly think you handled yourself perfectly 🙌🏻 It must've been hard to keep the ego in check because you could tell that Graham had nothing of substance with which to respond to your thorough and fair presentation. Well done...an absolute highlight of my year. 😃 (Not sure if you are familiar with Stefan Milo 🤔 I really like his thoughts & desire to learn. I think he made a video about your work regarding Atlantis, and Hancock's mish mash of borrowed theories) Live long & prosper.
The island does have fires quite frequently, putting much risk to the island archaeology. Here is a short video where I discuss this on Rapa Nui: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Bcp0TMTKh2o.html
One mystery still remains, how did they make and transport the Megalithic Walls/Ahu platforms at site likes Vinapu? It is the same Megalithic mortarless/precision walls seen all over the world in country's like Peru/Egypt/Turkey.
Great question. I have been in the quarry where many of the large paenga (dressed construction stones) were carved, and it seems they created the walls in the quarry, measured well there, then transported and fitted the walls into place like legos. The main difference of paenga compared to other large megalithic walls is that they are flat fascia walls made to hold dirt and fill, and are not complete blocks like in places you mention. We have independent innovation thought-out the world, but when working with stone, there seems to be a universal best practice, that does not need diffusionism or hyper-diffusionism to exist.
Excellent analyse of Rapa Nui, I recently visited the island and agree with Dr Dale work, I will be covering many of the topics discussed here in my Easter Island documentary.
Hanau Momoko. Lizards and Serpents The first settlers of Easter Island are known as Hanau Momoko, though they didn't recieve this name until the second migration, the so called Hanau 'E'epe, arrived. Momoko is an abbreviation of the word moko-moko (repetition of the word moko meaning lizard) which means pointy/slender/tall. This would refer to the tall, slender body proportions of the Hanau Momoko.
To be honest, this was an incorrect translation made by Heyerdahl and his team. It did not represent different migrations, but really representing elite and non-elites on the island. Archaeological and genetic evidence show only one migration made it to the island, and for 500 years the system was in place until the coming of the outside world.
Easter Islanders carry rats with them... Funny. 🪤🐁 Like I said, the Easter Islanders and the Egyptians landed at the same time 5,000 years ago. Of course, mice were also produced by the black ball in the center of the earth.
