Rapa Nui Twoey

The film Rapa Nui gives us an interesting account of the sort of society that existed on Easter Island. In Timothy K. Earle's How Chiefs Come To Power we are treated to the evolution of human cultures and how political power in chiefdoms is institutionalized. Earle argues that despite differences due to the diversity of human nature, there are common themes and processes of social life: "one such arena of common action [is] the institutionalization of political domination and resistance to it" (2).

The action of the film occurs on Easter Island where inhabitants languish under a fairly senile king, Ariki-mau. Ariki-mau is the king of the Long Ears, the dominant class in society. Under Long Ear domination the Short Ear inferior class is enslaved and made to build dozen of giant stone faces. The king wants these stone faces built so he can attract the great White Canoe that he thinks will take him to heaven. No face can be too big or will there ever be enough of them. "Build another one, then take the rest of the day off" he tells the slaves in one instance.

Make is a member of the Short Ears. He resembles a Marxist-atheist in that he is opposed to the enforced labor of the masses by those who own the means of production (albeit simple means in this case). Further, he feels similar to Marx in that the religion touted by the Long Ears is like an opiate of the Short Ears. This is because believing in the Long Ears religion keeps the Short

Originally the bird, fish and food sources on the island were plentiful. This caused rapid population growth which would eventually cause the society to exceed the bearing capacity of the environment. Forests were stripped for fuel, housing, canoes, and as rollers to transport the huge stone statues. The insatiable need of the king to keep building stone statues depleted them much quicker than the environment's ability to replenish itself. This caused rich ground cover to erode, springs to dry up, and wildlife to abandon the area. No longer was the religion of the Long Ears able to integrate society when it could not provide for the needs of inhabitants effectively. Nutritional needs could not be met as no canoes were available for fishing, wildlife and plant sources of food became scarce, and crops yielded little in the wake of soil erosion. When those in power could no longer feed the inhabitants of the island nor the chiefs, bureaucrats, and priests who kept society integrated, chaos ensued. Rival clans began toppling each other's stone statues and the population eventually dwindled to a shadow of its former numbers. In this way we see how the forces that integrate society deteriorate over time. In this particular ca

Category: Film - R