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EASTER
ISLAND
Children of the Moai 1 x 60'
and Mystery and Magic 1 x 120'
Easter Island is the most remote inhabited place on our planet. For 1,500
years, this
isolation has
acted as both a
shelter for --
and a curse upon
-- the
island’s
indigenous Rapa
Nui people. Trapped
on their 64
square miles of
land – 4,000
kilometres from
their nearest
neighbour -- the
Rapa Nui
eventually used
up their limited
resources only
to see their
tropical
paradise
transformed into
a bleak prison
filled with
chaos, warfare
and cannibalism.
Facing
in from the sea
in their eternal
vigil, each
evening, the
"Moai"
statues are
participants in
an incredible
display of
hues--living
colours--brought
momentarily to
life as the
tropical sun
once more bathes
their stone
faces.
Shot
completely in
the HDTV, this
documentary for
the first time
immerses viewers
into the
hauntingly
beautiful world
of the "Moai”
and the ways of
the Rapa Nui
People.
By the
1400's over
15,000 people
inhabited the
tiny island.
Powerful clans ruled, and they expressed themselves in
sculpture, art
and by creating
a written
language.
Rapa
Nui life
revolved around
the canopy of
giant palms the
original
settlers
discovered. The
palms were a
source for
canoes, food,
clothing, tools
and they
provided the
rollers
necessary to
move the large
carved heads
from the quarry
to the seaside
pedestals called
Ahu.
But by
1500's, the
palms were all
but cut down and
the rains had
washed most of
the topsoil into
the sea fowling
the near shore
fishing beds --
the civilization
was threatened.
Without
canoes to fish
in deeper water
or soil to grow
more food, the
Rapa Nui faced
imminent
starvation. The
ruling families
waged war for
what little food
remained as
rival groups
toppled each
other's "Moai."
The Rapa
Nui social
system fell into
chaos: cults
formed, warriors
took what they
wanted and
cannibalism was
rampant.
On Easter
Island,
civilization
came to a
crashing end
with the
population
falling to 120
souls.
Today’s
4000 Rapa Nui
are the
descendants of
these few
survivors.
Go back to Canadian Content Catalogue Docu-Series Page
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