EASTER ISLAND— LAVACHERY 395 



stone, so easy to fashion is the stone of this island. This argument " 

 can be used against those who put forward the alleged difficulty of 

 carving igneous rock as a reason for attributing them to a race 

 more skilled, more strong, and gifted with better implements than the 

 Polynesians. 



But to return to the first Polynesian colonists. Very probably the 

 fauna and flora of Easter Island were extremely restricted. But 

 following a custom common in all their migrations, they would have 

 taken with them plants, seeds of the most useful vegetables, rats, and 

 chickens. They colonized the island, and their first settlements were 

 at Anakena on the north coast and at Akahanga on the south. They 

 set about conserving rainwater, for Easter Island has no springs. At 

 the same time they learned how to protect the crops against the con- 

 tinual winds. They were familiar with certain crafts which they 

 hold in common with all Polynesians — the making of cloth from mul- 

 berry bark (tapa) and the working of wood and stone. The latter 

 craft differs only from that found in the other Polynesian islands in 

 respect of the size of the monuments. The abundance of easily 

 carved stone was the sole predetermining cause of the Pascuans erect- 

 ing on their island the largest statues found in the islands of Oceania. 



The technical skill of the former inhabitants is seen also in the 

 manufacture of implements and weapons of obsidian, and of fish- 

 hooks of stone and bone. These last were made with human bone, for 

 man was the only mammal available with bones large enough. The 

 Pascuan writing on wood shows their skill and taste. There have 

 been found a large number of rock paintings and engravings, the 

 former magical, the latter merely trial pieces. 



The Pascuan house, when it is above ground, shows many tech- 

 nical analogies with the Hawaiian house, which, like it, is roofed 

 with tufts of grass set on a framework of boughs. Whenever pos- 

 sible, the Pascuans settled themselves in artificial caves or holes in 

 the ground, which provided a less precarious shelter in war and 

 against thieves. The fowl house was built on the same principles. 



The Pascuans were tatooed, and on feast days they painted their 

 bodies with appropriate emblems. 



Ten family groups or clans divided up the island between them. 

 The king belonged to the clan of Miru. His place of residence 

 changed, and his role was indeterminate. Many taboos, notably in 

 the matter of food, isolated him from Pascuan life. He did not en- 

 gage in the wars which often broke out between the clans of the west 

 and north and those of the east (Kotuu against Hotu Iti). He pre- 



• Unfortunately, however, the mystery mongers are not as a rule open to reason. 

 Mystery is their religion. — Translator. 



