Talk:Easter Island

Illustrations
The very same picture is attributed to Roggeveen 1722 (left side) and to La Pérouse 1786 (right side). According to Heyerdahl it is La Pérouse. On the left side, the hat-thief has been removed. Best regards Steen Thomsen.

Sweet potatoes
The sweet potato is an american plant, this article leans to the theory that it spread to Polynesia in a natural way. The article about sweet potato has another view: Transported home by polynesians visiting South America. Read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_potato#Dispersal Best regards Steen Thomsen.

Correcting a typo
Under the subtopic "European contact" of the history section, the text states that James Cook visited Easter Island in 1774, four years after Chilean priest Juan Ignacio Molina. However, Juan Ignacio Molina first visited Easter Island in the year 1776. Referencing the linked source, it's unclear what year James Cook's voyage took place, but if the source referencing Juan Ignacio Molina's voyage is accurate, then the sentence should be updated to indicate James Cook visited Easter Island in 1780. Ronniepfeffer (talk) 20:05, 14 February 2024 (UTC)

Rename to Rapa Nui
The BBC is now using Rapa Nui as canonical, with Easter Island as an 'also called'. Example link. This appears to be relatively recent, with the reverse being true in 2021. Please give your !vote to rename or keep. Of course, this would go vise versa with the current redirect from Rapa Nui. Chumpih t 15:47, 23 February 2024 (UTC)


 * The official governmental name of the island is "Isla de Pascua" but the local language is also official (with Spanish) on the island, so "Rapa Nui" seems to be just as legitimate. Pascalulu88 (talk) 17:05, 28 February 2024 (UTC)

Update: Change of governor in 2021
Laura Tarita Alarcón Rapu resigned in 2021. The new governor is René De la Puente Hey. Reference is our own article on Isla de Pascua Province. Pascalulu88 (talk) 17:02, 28 February 2024 (UTC)

South American contact
Recent plant DNA research indicates pre-Columbian contact with South America: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/obsidian-blades-with-food-traces-reveal-1st-settlers-of-rapa-nui-had-regular-contact-with-south-americans-1000-years-ago. this should probably be added. 2605:A601:F300:700:0:0:0:1349 (talk) 22:57, 20 March 2024 (UTC)