Also, they brought taro, yam, a gourd, banana, sugar cane, ti, and turmerie. The trees introduced were the paper mulberry, tapa, soapberry, Oceania rosewood, and sandalwood. There is very little of these plants that are still available (Hunt).
When the first inhabitants arrived, Rapa Nui was most likely covered with many bushes, grasslands, and wooded forests. Many areas had palms, trees, ferns, lichens, and mosses. One important tree was the Rapa Nui endemic palm tree that was similar to the Chilean Palm. With the presence of small trees and bushes, there were also insects, mollusks, and sea animals. The animal population was limited to migrating seabirds. There is not much activity left on island dues to the hunting interfering with their breeding grounds (Charola, Martinsson-Wallin).
It is said in the legend that Hotu Matuʻa divided the island, which he called Te Te Pito 'o te Henua. This was the center or end of the earth that was split into two parts: the Kote Mata Nui to the north and west, and the Kote Mata 'Iti to the east and south. Various clans named Miru or mata, which then became the Tuʻuaro, occupied the north and west. Each clan leader was Hotu Matuʻa son or grandson (Charola, …show more content…
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