162 CultureShock! Chile
placed a heavy burden on the island’s ecosystem. The island
had been almost completely forested when the first settlers
arrived. Land was continuously cleared for agricultural
purposes, for fuel and to build houses and canoes. Most
importantly, however, large tree trunks had been used to
move the giant Moais across the island after they had been
carved. Deforestation caused soil erosion and crops were
insufficient to feed the large population. The islanders were
forced to live in caves and the lack of wood meant that no
canoes could be built. They were trapped on an island that
could no longer provide for them. The clans turned upon
each other and it is believed that the Moais were knocked
down during these wars.
The Europeans found an island without trees. The
population had already dwindled but the Peruvian slave
raids in the 1860s and diseases introduced by the Europeans
such as smallpox reduced the number of people by 90
per cent. By 1877, only 111 people remained. The king,
his son and the priests had all been captured as slaves.
Without them, the Europeans were unable to learn about
the island’s culture and history. This led to the invention
of many stories of extraterrestrial activity and submerged