Wasn t there a war between two factions on the island, with one of those factions totally wiped out?
A. Probably as a result of over-population, resource-depletion, and the fact that the Rapanui couldn t escape from their island, some form of island-wide conflict occurred, which contributed at least in part to the toppling of the island s statues (moai). Legend refers to two distinct groups (the Hanau Eepe and Hanau Momoko not the Long Ears and Short Ears ; these latter terms are erroneous translations) who engaged in a fierce battle on the Poike peninsula, culminating in the death of all but one of the Hanau Eepe. But there s no evidence to support the specific details of the legend. So, yes, there was most likely a war, and quite possibly between two factions, where factions might be clans or merely clan rivalry. (Hanau Eepe means corpulent and Hanau Momoko means thin , so it s possible these terms describe aspects of different social strata on the island and, subsequently, the basis of some discontent that gave rise to internecine conflict; e.g., between the Haves and the Have-Nots
