The First King

The legendary first king of Easter Island

Easter Island

Easter Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...

 is said to have been Hotu Matu‘a

Hotu Matu'a

Hotu Matu'a was the legendary first settler and ariki mau of Easter Island. Hotu Matu'a and his two canoe colonising party were Polynesians from the now unknown land of Hiva...

, who supposedly arrived around 500 to 600. Legend insists that this man was the chief of a tribe that lived on Marae Renga. The Marae Renga is said to have existed in a place known as the "Hiva region". Some books suggest that the Hiva region was an area in the Marquesas Islands

Marquesas Islands

The Marquesas Islands enana and Te Fenua `Enata , both meaning "The Land of Men") are a group of volcanic islands in French Polynesia, an overseas collectivity of France in the southern Pacific Ocean. The Marquesas are located at 9° 00S, 139° 30W...

, but it has now sunk beneath the sea.
Some versions of the story claim that internal conflicts drove Hotu Matu‘a to sail with his tribe for new land, while others say a natural disaster, possibly a volcano, caused the tribe to flee.

Despite these differences, the stories do agree on the next part: A priest named Haumaka appeared to Hotu Matu‘a in his dreams one night. The priest flew out to sea and discovered an island which he called Te Pito ‘o te Kāinga, which means "the center of the earth". Sending seven scouts, Hotu Matu‘a embraced his dream and awaited the return of his scouts. After eating, planting yams, and resting, the seven scouts returned home to tell of the good news. Hotu Matu‘a took a large crew along with his family and everything they needed to survive in the new land. They then rowed a single huge double-hulled canoe to "the center of the earth". and landed at Anakena

Anakena

Anakena is a white coral sand beach in Rapa Nui National Park on Rapa Nui , a Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. Anakena has two ahus, one with a single moai and the other with six...

, Rapa Nui

Tu‘u ko Iho

According to Steven Roger Fischer's "Island at the End of the World", a certain individual named Tu‘u ko Iho co-founded the settlement on the island. He not only did this, but as Fischer's book claims, a legend says he 'brought the statues to the island and caused them to walk'.

Children of Hotu Matu‘a

Shortly before the death of Hotu Matu‘a, the island was given to his children, who formed eight main clans. In addition, four smaller and less important clans were formed.

1. Tu‘u Maheke: the firstborn son of Hotu. He received the lands between Anakena

Anakena

Anakena is a white coral sand beach in Rapa Nui National Park on Rapa Nui , a Chilean island in the Pacific Ocean. Anakena has two ahus, one with a single moai and the other with six...

 and Maunga Tea-Tea.

2. Miru: received the lands between Anakena and Hanga Roa

Hanga Roa

Hanga Roa is the main town, harbour and capital of the Chilean province of Easter Island. It is located in the southern part of the island's west coast, in the lowlands between the extinct volcanoes of Terevaka and Rano Kau....

3. Marama: received the lands between Anakena and Rano Raraku

Rano Raraku

Rano Raraku is a volcanic crater formed of consolidated volcanic ash, or tuff, and located on the lower slopes of Terevaka in the Rapa Nui National Park on Easter Island. It was a quarry for about 500 years until the early eighteenth century, and supplied the stone from which about 95% of the...

. Having access to the Rano Raraku quarry proved extremely useful for those living in Marama's lands. The quarry soon became the island's main source of Tuff

Tuff

Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...

 used in the construction of the Moai

Moai

Moai , or mo‘ai, are monolithic human figures carved from rock on the Chilean Polynesian island of Easter Island between the years 1250 and 1500. Nearly half are still at Rano Raraku, the main moai quarry, but hundreds were transported from there and set on stone platforms called ahu around the...

 (large stone statues). In fact, 95% of the moai were made in Rano Raraku.

4. Raa settled to the northwest of Maunga Tea-Tea

5. Koro Orongo made a settlement between Akahanga and Rano Raraku

6. Hotu Iti was given the whole eastern part of the island.

7 and 8. Tupahotu and Ngaure were left with the remaining parts of the island.

Royal Patterns throughout Easter Island

Over the years, the clans slowly grouped together into two territories. The Ko Tu‘u Aro were composed of clans in the northwest, while the Hotu Iti were mainly living in the southeast part of the island. The Miru are very commonly seen as the true royal heirs, who ruled the Ko Tu‘u Aro clans.
Since then, leaders of Easter Island have been hereditary rulers who claimed divine origin and separated themselves from the rest of the islanders with taboos. These "ariki" not only controlled religious functions in the clan, but also ran everything else, from managing food supplies to waging war.

Conclusion

Ever since Easter Island was divided into two super-clans, the rulers of Easter Island followed a predictable pattern. The people of Rapa Nui were especially competitive during those times. They usually competed to build a bigger moai than their neighbors, but when this failed to resolve the conflict the tribes often turned to war and throwing down each other's statues.

With the arrival of the Europeans, the system was destroyed, because many chiefs and religious leaders were taken away to serve as slaves in Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

. In 1863, this was allegedly the fate of the son of Nga‘ara, called Kai Mako‘i ‘Iti, who was Easter Island's ariki mau at the time, and of his son Mau Rata. The kingship, however, remained even until after the annexation by Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

, having ceased to be claimed since the late 1800s or early 1900s. It is not known who is the current heir.

Lists of the monarchs of Easter island

• 1 Hotu (A Matua), son of Matua (c. 400)
• 2 Vakai, his wife
• 3 Tuu ma Heke
• 4 Nuku (Inukura?)
• 5 Miru a Tumaheke
• 6 Hata a Miru
• 7 Miru o Hata
• 8 Hiuariru (Hiu a Miru?)
• 9 Aturaugi. The first obsidian
  Obsidian
  Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed as an extrusive igneous rock.It is produced when felsic lava extruded from a volcano cools rapidly with minimum crystal growth...
  
   spearhead
  Spearhead
  A spearhead is the sharpened tip of a spear.Spearhead may also refer to:-Armed conflict:* Armoured spearhead, a tactical formation* Spearhead, nickname of the U.S. 3rd Armored Division in the U.S...
  
  s were used.
• 10 Raa
• 11 Atahega a Miru (descendant of Miru?), around 600
• ......Hakapuna?
• 17 Ihu a Aturanga (Oihu?)
• ......Ruhoi?
• 20 Tuu Ka(u)nga te Mamaru
• 21 Takahita
• 22 Ouaraa, around 800
• 23 Koroharua
• 24 Mahuta Ariiki (The first stone images were made in his son's time.)
• 25 Atua Ure Rangi
• 26 Atuamata
• 27 Uremata
• 28 Te Riri Tuu Kura
• 29 Korua Rongo
• 30 Tiki Te Hatu
• 31 Tiki Tena
• 32 Uru Kenu, around 1000
• 33 Te Rurua Tiki Te Hatu
• 34 Nau Ta Mahiki
• 35 Te Rika Tea
• 36 Te Teratera
• 37 Te Ria Kautahito (Hirakau-Tehito?)
• 38 Ko Te Pu I Te Toki
• 39 Kuratahogo
• 40 Ko Te Hiti Rua Nea
• 41 Te Uruaki Kena
• 42 Tu Te Rei Manana, around 1200
• 43 Ko Te Kura Tahonga
• 44 Taoraha Kaihahanga
• 45 Tukuma(kuma)
• 46 Te Kahui Tuhunga
• 47 Te Tuhunga Hanui
• 48 Te Tuhunga Haroa
• 49 Te Tuhunga "Mare Kapeau"
• 50 Toati Rangi Hahe
• 51 Tangaroa Tatarara (Maybe Tangaiia of Mangaia Island ?)
• 52 Havini(vini) Koro (or Hariui Koro), about 1400
• 53 Puna Hako
• 54 Puna Ate Tuu
• 55 Puna Kai Te Vana
• 56 Te Riri Katea (? - 1485)
• 57 -
• 58 -
• 59 HAUMOANA, TARATAKI and TUPA ARIKI (from Peru
  Peru
  Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
  
  ), from 1485
• 60 Mahaki Tapu Vae Iti (Mahiki Tapuakiti)
• 61 Ngau-ka Te Mahaki or Tuu Koiho (Ko-Tuu-ihu?)
• 62 Anakena
• 63 Hanga Rau
• 64 Marama Ariki, around 1600
• 65 Riu Tupa Hotu (Nui Tupa Hotu?)
• 66 Toko Te Rangi (Perhaps the "God" Rongo of Mangaia Island?)
• 67 Kao Aroaro (Re Kauu?)
• 68 Mataivi
• 69 Kao Hoto
• 70 Te Ravarava (Terava Rara)
• 71 Tehitehuke
• 72 Te Rahai or Terahai

(The alternative rulers after Terahai: Koroharua, Riki-ka-atea, whose son was Hotu Matua, then Kaimakoi, Tehetu-tara-Kura, Huero, Kaimakoi (or Raimokaky), finally Gaara who is Ngaara on the main list below.)

• 73 Te Huke
• 74 Tuu, from Mata Nui (Ko Tuu?), around 1770
• 75 Hotu Iti (born from Mata Iti). War around 1773.
• 76 Honga
• 77 Te Kena
• 78 Te Tite Anga Henua
• 79 Nga'ara
  King Nga'ara
  Nga‘araThe name Nga‘ara has been variously spelled Gnaara, Gaara, Ngaara, Nga-Ara, Gahara, and Gobara. The letter g is a common convention in the Pacific for the ng-sound , and Roussel, the one who transcribed the name as Gahara, frequently used h for glottal stop...
  
   (c. 1835 - just before 1860), son of King Kai Mako'i
• 80 Maurata (1859 – 1862)
• 81 Kai Mako'i 'Iti (= Small Kaimakoi) (- 1863), son of Nga'ara, devastation of island by Peruvian slaver
  Slaver
  Slaver has several meanings:*One who deals in slaves - see slave trade*A slave ship*Saliva, i.e. either the result or act of drooling as opposed to normal salivation....
  
  s in the great Peruvian slaving raid of 1862, died as a slave (in 1863?)
• 82 Tepito
• 83 Atamu Tekena (1883 - 9 September 1888), signs Treaty of Annexation, Easter Island is annexed, died August 1892
• 83 Gregorio or Simeon = Riro Rokoroko He Tau (- 1892), assassinated in Chile in 1899
• 84 Rukunga