Kings of Easter Island - First Paramount Chief

First Paramount Chief

The legendary first Paramount Chief of Easter Island is said to have been Hotu Matu‘a, who supposedly arrived around 800 to 900 AD. 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, but today it is believed that the ancestral land of the Easter Islanders would have been located in the Pitcairn Mangareva intercultural zone. 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 tidal wave, 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, Rapa Nui.