Easter Island Indigenous Population Considers Travel Restrictions On Immigrants

globalpost.com:

SANTIAGO, Chile -- They are the face of Chilean guidebooks: giant statues made of volcanic rock scattered across Easter Island.

Constructed centuries ago, the figures are thought to represent ancestors or chiefs of the indigenous Polynesian population. It is their descendants who now inhabit the tiny triangular island nearly 2,000 miles off the Chilean coast.

Read the whole story: globalpost.com

Comments

[weatherwaxx]

Good luck to them! It's a pity the Native North Americans didn't have better immigration laws in place when the boat people from Spain, France, and England showed up.

[David Rozgonyi]

I don't know what I think about reducing immigrants, but it always blows me away that all of the statues on Easter Island face away from the sea, not looking out over it.

[wm1066]

Thor Heyerdahl in his book "American Indian in the Pacific" says that the people of Easter Island came from Peru, and he goes into depth about how the people of Easter Island used up thier trees to make the Heads and it almost brought them to extinction, so they are a little touchy about their resources. Easter Island in many ways is a closed eco system.

[Khirad]

Yup, stole my thought. Aside from nearly destroying themselves though, I entirely understand them here. Rapa Nui needs to be protected, and opportunists find somewhere else. I have no solutions on how to do this, and in any case, it is Peru's problem... though it is part of the world's heritage, as well.

[derrickhoyle]

It sounds like these people could use some tips about reducing, reusing and recycling.

[who38]

Spoken like a person who has never been there. Many people there travel by horseback rather than by auto. Bringing things to the island is very expensive as it is so isolated so most things are recycled.

[weatherwaxx]

It sounds like the tourists and immigrants need some tips on respecting the places they visit.