Ancient fishing activities developed in Easter Island

Abstract

Easter Island, Rapa Nui or Te pito o te henua, is in the middle of the Pacific Ocean halfway between South America and Oceania, constituting one of the most isolated places on the planet. It was colonized by Polynesians at the end of the first millennium of the Christian era, thus becoming one of the extremes of the Polynesian triangle. The island is of volcanic origin, has a small surface area (166 km 2 ) and limited resources, and gave rise to a culture that is unique in the world, recognized internationally for its numerous megalithic constructions and large moai. Just as it was discovered and colonized by sea, the development and sustainability of the island is closely related to the ocean that surrounds it. The objective of this article is to describe the sailing and fishing techniques used by the Easter Islanders, or rapanuis, and their use of marine organisms prior to contact with Europeans, demonstrating their inventiveness and adaptation to the specific characteristics of this small territory. Keywords: boats, fishing methods, sea food, Easter Island, Chile. Actividades pesqueras realizadas en la antigüedad en la Isla de PascuaRESUMEN: La Isla de Pascua, Rapa Nui o Te pito o te henua se encuentra en medio del océano Pacífico a mitad de camino entre Sudamérica y Oceanía, constituyendo uno de los lugares más aislados del planeta. Fue colonizado por polinesios a finales del primer milenio de la era cristiana, conformando uno de los extremos del triángulo de la Polinesia. Esta isla de origen volcánico, de pequeña superficie (166 km 2 ) y limitados recursos, dio origen a una cultura única en el mundo, reconocida internacionalmente por sus numerosas construcciones megalíticas y grandes moais. Así como fue colonizada y descubierta por mar, el desarrollo y sustentabilidad de esta isla está asociado al océano que la circunda. Este artículo tiene como objetivo describir las embarcaciones y técnicas de pesca utilizadas por los pascuenses o rapanuis, así como el uso que le daban a los organismos marinos previo a su contacto con los europeos, demostrando su inventiva y adaptación a las especiales características de ese pequeño territorio.

Overview of recent advances in oceanographic, ecological and fisheries research on oceanic islands in the southeastern Pacific Ocean

“…Nonetheless, the numbers of fish hooks found in caves and archeological excavations, the abundant representation of marine animals in petroglyphs and the frequent inclusion of sea-related themes in the island's folklore suggest the use of fish protein from ancient times. In fact, the islanders identified distinct fishing zones (Arana, 2014). The tactics and methods used bear close relation to the systems of other Polynesian islands, demonstrating notable adaptation to the resources available on this island.…”

“…However, 669 Advances in oceanographic, ecological and fisheries research on Oceanic Islands 5 we know very little on the important and increasing human effects on coastal marine communities in ocean islands, such as fishing. Arana (2014) nicely describes ancient fishing boats and gears, though it is difficult to establish a concrete idea of the real importance of fishing on this island before the arrival of Europeans. Nonetheless, the numbers of fish hooks found in caves and archeological excavations, the abundant representation of marine animals in petroglyphs and the frequent inclusion of sea-related themes in the island's folklore suggest the use of fish protein from ancient times.…”

A review and analysis of Easter Islands traditional and artisan fisheries

“…The official Management Plan for Rapa Nui National Park was drafted in 1997 (CONAF, 1997). So far, comprehensive reviews about the natural history and fisheries of Easter Island have been published by Echeverría & Arana (1978), Castilla (1987) and Arana (2014).…”

Diet of the Prehistoric Population of Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile) Shows Environmental Adaptation and Resilience

“…The presence of bone and stone fishhooks also attest to the creation of tools specifically for acquiring fish (M etraux, 1940). In addition, it has been suggested that microwear patterns on prehistoric human dental enamel are consistent with seafood consumption (Polet, 2011) and petroglyphs could suggest the cultural importance of fishing (Arana, 2014). However, estimates of the relative contribution of seafood to Rapa Nui diets vary considerably;…”

“…The presence of bone and stone fishhooks also attest to the creation of tools specifically for acquiring fish (M etraux, 1940). In addition, it has been suggested that microwear patterns on prehistoric human dental enamel are consistent with seafood consumption (Polet, 2011) and petroglyphs could suggest the cultural importance of fishing (Arana, 2014 Marticorena, Rojas, & Barrera, 2015). This is of particular relevance in isotopic studies as most invasive grasses on Rapa Nui are C 4 plants in the subfamilies Chloridoideae and Panicoidae, which make up 60% of the grass species, whereas indigenous grasses were dominantly C 3 plants (Finot et al, 2015).…”