Origins:

The origins of Easter Islanders is one of the debated theories of the civilization. The most widely believed theory is that Easter Island was settled by Polynesians in about 400 AD. However, Thor Heyerdahl's theory contradicts this possibility arguing that people from a pre-Incan society sailed from Peru and settled Easter Island. There is yet another theory that states that extra-terrestrials may have influenced the island; this theory, however, is only believed by very few people.

Thor Hyerdahl's theory that a pre-Incan society traveled to Easter Island from Peru is based on the presence of the sweet potato on Easter Island and the stonework of Easter Islanders. Botanists have proven that the sweet potato came from South America which would support Hyerdahl's theory. Also, Hyerdahl mentioned the style of stone walls built on Easter Island. These walls distinctly resemble Incan stonework. He believed that the people who sailed from Peru were aided by the course of the winds and landed on Easter Island. Hyerdahl even showed, in 1947, that it was possible for a pre-Incan society to sail all the way to Easter Island. He used a balsa raft and drifted 4,300 nautical miles and landed on a Polynesian Island. Though his theory explains the craftsmanship of Easter Island and the presence of the sweet potato, it is still possible that these things could have shown up in other ways.

The theory that is most widely supported states that Easter Island was inhabited by Polynesians. Because of the isolation of Easter Island's the inhabitants of Easter Island must have been adept at navigating the open seas. It is known that the East Polynesians had started navigating the seas and trading in obsidian. They moved westward settling different islands and ultimately reached Easter Island around 400 AD. According to the Easter Island legend, a Polynesian chief named Hotu Matu'a sailed to the island with his family possibly looking for new land ore fleeing a land full of warfare. Hotu Matu'a landed on Easter Island at Anakena Beach and called it "Te-Pito-te-Henua" or "end of the land."

Other evidence which shows that Easter Island was inhabited by the Polynesians is the reports given by Europeans who first explored the Pacific. They noticed similar customs and similarities in appearance between the inhabitants of Easter Island and people of various other islands. Also, the Europeans noticed a similarity in language. These similarities did not change even if the islands were far away from Easter Island. This further supports the theory that Easter Island was originally inhabited by the Polynesians and no other civilization.