| [00:00.695] |
Before long, each clan was trying to carve larger,grander figures |
| [00:04.941] |
than those of their neighbours - competition that was to be their undoing. |
| [00:15.317] |
Vast quantities of wood were used to transport the stone statues, |
| [00:20.289] |
and slowly but surely, |
| [00:21.618] |
the Rapa Nui used up their island's precious resources. |
| [00:26.355] |
Eventually, |
| [00:27.307] |
their civilisation descended into chaos and warfare. |
| [00:31.260] |
Clan fought against clan, |
| [00:33.392] |
with disastrous consequences. |
| [00:55.145] |
By the time of their ultimate collapse, |
| [00:57.353] |
the Rapa Nui had changed their island beyond recognition. |
| [01:08.045] |
These are the hills where the giant palm forest once stood. |
| [01:12.708] |
And these are the cliffs that once rang to the sound of those huge seabird colonies, |
| [01:17.664] |
all hunted to extinction by the Rapa Nui. |
| [01:24.177] |
Today, the giant stone statues are a poignant reminder of the precarious nature of life on remote islands. |