What do we know about the most secluded island in the world? What secrets do the islanders hide? Who built the giant sculptures on Easter Island and how? Who are the Aku-aku? About all this we will tell this book.
To be honest, before reading the book by Thor Heyerdahl, I knew almost nothing about this island. Yes, I saw a glimpse of the giant figures lined up on TV, heard that there was some kind of mystery of the island, but I didn't even know that the island was inhabited. Embarrassing, of course. But interviewing some of my acquaintances, convinced that I'm not the only one such a dreary)).
Thor Heyerdahl (October 6, 1914, Larvik, Norway – April 18, 2002, Colla Micheri, Italy) was a Norwegian ethnographer and adventurer with a scientific background in zoology and geography. Heyerdahl became notable for his Kon-Tiki expedition, in which he sailed 4,300 miles (8,000 km) by raft from South America to the Tuamotu Islands. All his legendary expeditions are shown in the Kon-Tiki Museum, Oslo.
Let me start by saying that the book captivated me from the first lines. The author is not only a famous explorer and traveler with a long experience, he is also a wonderful storyteller, very fascinating narrator of his adventures. Reading his book with careful descriptions of the island, in parallel finding a map, as if I was there with the expedition of Tours and saw everything with my own eyes. This book can be called the travel notes of an experienced traveler, there is nothing superfluous in it, it is written with fascination and with a little irony.
In the book, Thor Heyerdahl told about his scientific expedition to the mysterious Easter Island. The island has many names, such as: Rapanui, The Eye That Sees the Sky, The Threshold of Heaven, The Belly of the Universe, etc. Thor and his team came to the island primarily to do archaeological excavations, but it would be impossible to do only business when you are surrounded by such interesting locals, interacting with them Thor learned even more than he had planned. Almost all of the islanders knew the art of stone carving, but thanks to their natural deceit, every time they tried to pass off their wares as antiquities, they tried to age them by hand and sell them at a higher price. They believed that they should sell their handicrafts only in shabby clothes, then the proceeds will definitely be more. The islanders were also notable for theft, dragging everything that was bad, and Thur and his crew even had to put guards near their camp so that the locals did not fence off the tents. We were amused by the story of the island's governor, who said that there's a prison on the island where they put the worst thieves (mostly caught stealing sheep), but the prisoners have to be released home so they can eat, and if you feed them in prison, everyone will immediately become criminals, so they can eat for free. Tricksters))
In the olden days the islanders lived in caves, they were long abandoned, but Thur was lucky enough to be friends with some Easterlings and they kindly took him on a tour. Some of the caves were so narrow that you had to empty your pockets completely or even take off your clothes completely to squeeze through and didn't always manage to do it the first time. The finds in the caves were not particularly pleasing to experienced explorers: wasp nests, families of scorpions, human bones, Thor was looking for something more prominent. The air itself was saturated with mystery, walks on long-extinct volcanoes stirred the mind, stone-carved giant humanoid figures with eyeless faces silently surveyed the island, in such an amazing place was bound to be hidden treasures, you just have to try to find them.
The results of the excavations of the research team and assistants from the locals lifted one of the mysteries, but even more surprising to Tour was how the locals coped with the seemingly impossible task, shrouded in mysticism. In front of him, 12 islanders carved the sculpture from stone in 18 days, hauled it to the right place and installed it on a pedestal in the old days. One of the main mysteries was solved, there was no magic in it, as people had previously claimed. The right approach and a decent reward did the trick.
Earning the trust of the locals, Thor made several friends on the island, in an attempt to thank him for his generous gifts and good attitude, they brought him ancient stone crafts that belonged to their ancestors, stored in secret ancestral caves. Some of the caves were in dangerous places where it was an adventure to get to, sometimes risking one's life. Thor and his friends visited several of them. The caves were sheltered from the view of men, were often only visited at night, their entrance could be a steep rock up to 100 meters high, and one could fall and break on stones when attempting to reach it, while the entrance itself was sometimes too narrow and awkwardly placed to easily reach it the first time. To reach these caves, one had to be physically strong, talented in acrobatics and have a lot of courage. But it was worth it! Such treasures were not to be bought out of hand!
Very vividly described in the book are the pagan rituals with songs and dances of the paschals. The locals believe that they are the ones who bring good luck in any work, to each intended action there is a different tune.
And who are the Aku-aku? You can find out about that in the book, not before getting to the middle. Enjoy reading))
The book is amazing, mesmerizing, and kind! It is interesting and informative to read, not large in length, but action-packed. Made me want to read other books by the author.
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