For decades, the history of Easter Island (Rapa Nui) has been wrongly told as a cautionary tale: Islanders felled their trees and destroyed their resources, causing society to collapse amidst war and tumbling statues. Archaeologist Mike Pitts, author of Island at the Edge of the World, challenges the myth of ecological collapse on Easter Island.

Drawing on early records and recent archaeology, he reveals the Islanders’ resilience and reinterprets the iconic statues, surveying a unified culture shaped by powerful beliefs, rituals, and creativity. He refutes the long-held narrative of self-destruction and offers a deeper understanding of the island’s spiritual and cultural legacy that is rooted in Polynesian mythology and Pacific traditions.

Island at the Edge of the World: The Forgotten History of Easter Island (Mariner Books) is available for sale.

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• Purchase your copy of Island at the Edge of the World: The Forgotten History of Easter Island by Mike Pitts here.
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