Extensive archaeological investigations on Rapa Nui were initiated by the Norwegian
Expedition to the island in 1955-1956. An evaluation of the evidence for early settlement and
discussion of the origin of the initial population are presented. The earliest settlement activity
on the island was subsequently found at Anakena cove during the Kon-Tiki Museum
expedition in 1987. A reanalysis of the material remains and a new osteological analysis of
the fish remains from the early Anakena site are presented. This, together with analyses of …

RAPA NUl, THE SMALL REMOTE ISLAND that constitutes the easternmost corner of the
Polynesian triangle, was found and populated long before the Europeans" discovered" this
part ofthe world in 1722. The long-standing questions concerning this remarkable island are:
who were the first to populate the island, at what time was it populated, and did the Rapa Nui
population and development on the island result from a single voyage? Over the years there
has been much discussion, speculation, and new scientific results concerning these …