by KAWENA CHUN
Sun Columnist

Rapa Nui is a very interesting island with a mysterious history that still baffles some of the best minds today. The island was originally called Te Pito o Te Henua ("the belly button of the world") by the early Polynesian settlers. Admiral Roggeveen was the first European to land on the island's shores on Easter Day in 1722, hence the name Easter Island. The native people later named it Rapa Nui.

Being 2,000 miles away from the closest populated areas - Tahiti and Chile - makes Rapa Nui one of the most isolated places in the world. Archaeological data suggests that Polynesians discovered the island in 400 AD. One of the perplexing things about it is the gigantic Moai (stone statues) that decorate the coastline. In addition to the Moai, these islanders are the first and only in Oceania to have had their own written language, called the Rongorongo script. Although, this writing cannot be deciphered today.

When Admiral Roggeveen arrived in Rapa Nui, to his surprise, there was not one tree or shrubbery over 10 feet tall. Roggeveen also documented that there was not one native species over the size of an insect. There were no bats, birds or even lizards.

From this odd data, a major theory was proposed. The movie Rapa Nui does a great job portraying the common theory of the island's history. Basically, the natives used up all the natural resources, to construct and move the enormous Moai statues. Soon thereafter, the social order collapsed and a brutal war began which supposedly led to cannibalism. The natives themselves tore down the Moai during this war period. Since there were no trees left to construct canoes, everyone was deserted on the island. From this theory of history, there have been countless articles published using Rapa Nui as an example of our possible future to come if we continue to extinguish our natural resources in the same way.

This synopsis of history has never sat well with me. It just does not seem accurate. Polynesians have always maintained a deep love and respect for the land. It is difficult to see them purposely cutting down every single tree on the island. At my studies at UH Manoa, I came across Professor Terry Hunt, who had a different theory of what happened to the trees on Rapa Nui. The Polynesian rat was brought overseas and released on the islands that were inhabited. It was used as a food source. In this particular circumstance, archaeological evidence suggests that the rats' population exponentially increased soon after their arrival on Rapa Nui. But what do rats have to do with the disappearance of all the trees? The rats thrive off of the tree seeds. All of the seeds were being eaten by the massive amounts of rats. Therefore, no new trees were able to flourish. It would also help describe why there were no birds, bats, and lizards on the island at the time of Roggeveen's arrival. The rats ate them all.

In conclusion, we have to remember that every theory we hear is not accurate. It is our duty to distinguish between what we see as truth and fiction. The natives of Rapa Nui have undergone a great deal. Besides being an example of what we don't want to happen to our future, they have experienced slavery and disease and almost the total demise of their race. At one point there were only approximately 110 natives left. Despite their harsh history, their population has risen to about 2,000 and they maintain a strong Polynesian identity. The natives of Rapa Nui have encouraged all of us to be stronger, and not take our own history for granted.

It just goes to show, you may think that you're having a bad day, but somewhere else around the world, your worst day could be someone's best day. This is to remind us that Hawaii may have a history filled with unfairness and loss, but it has made us stronger as a people today. It could have always have been worse.