So named due to the landing of Europeans on the island on Easter in 1722, the island is better known as Rapa Nui to the locals. No one is 100% sure as to where or when the first people arrived on the island. DNA tests have shown Polynesian descent- not as previously thought that locals came from the South American mainland- as per the famous Norwegian Kon Tiki sailing.
Some words that you should understand:
Moai: the statues that the island is well known for
Ahu: the platforms upon which the statues stand. The name proceeding âAhuâ is the name of the statue/ congregation of statues.
Pukao: the top knot/ head piece that some statues have.
Something to note is that the Rapa Nui language is not a written language and thus there is no written record of all the âhows and whysâ- information has been passed down verbally from generation to generation.
The question that most people have is why the Moai were put up in the first place. They were carved and erected after the passing of someone important in a given tribe. It is said that the person who died âthe ancestorâs mana (spirit/ nearly like a good karma) would then stay and watch over the tribe. All Moai are facing inland-facing the area of land where the tribe lives- to protect their tribesâŚall bar one. Ahu Akivi faces west- towards to ocean. It is assumed that it actually faces the island from which the original settlers were thought to have come from (Marquesas); and thereby protects that tribe.
Moai protection was relevant as long as you could see the Moai from any part of the land that it protected- lets refer to it as the area of influence.
The Moai are nearly all made of volcanic ash- found in one area of the island- Rano Raraku- or the quarry. Very few statues were made of basalt. There are hundreds of statues that remain here in various phases of carving and transport. All tribes on the island carved their Moai at the quarry and made certain to use the limited material that they had wisely. You can thus find Moai carved left/ right/ upside down/ diagonally etc.
The Moai were âwalkedâ from Rano Raraku âthe quarry- to their location. The latest theory is that long ropes were thrown around the statues and they were inched / wobbled from side to side and âwalkedâ to their final Ahu- or platform. The base of the Moai is a D-shape which allowed for this; but also made them susceptible to toppling over. Once a Moai toppled then it was left in place as it was believed that the mana was gone.
One can tell whether a Moai made it to its Ahu/platform and toppled over once there or toppled before arriving to his platform. The reason behind this is that the eyes are only finished once the Moai is in place on top of the Ahu. Â What that means is that the eyes are carved out V shape at the quarry, then once atop the Ahu, they got carved out to be concave and finished off by adding white coral to be the white of the eye and black obsidian to be the pupil of the eye.
The top knots are mined from the red scoria quarry- Puna Pau. They were transported separately and the largest is 2m high!! Â (it belongs to the largest transported Moai- at 12m high and 80t in weight!!) The name of this Moai is Ahu Te Pito Kura. For a theory of how the Pukao were placed on top of the heads of the Moai see this link.
The statues that are standing on the island have all been restored- all statues had been pulled down by the Rapa Nui people when they stopped believing in their powers. When exactly this happened it is not known. When Europeans came to the island in late 1700s their records showed that they helped the locals pull down the last standing Moai. On trips dating from 1722 through 1804 the number of standing Moai reduced at each encounter.
Orongo- which is in the very south of the island is dominated by the Rano Kau crater- is the place known for the Birdman competition. The competition included the strongest men in the island competing by climbing down a sheer 300m cliff face, swimming around an islet, climbing up cliffs to get to the top and getting the first laid egg of the tern that nests here. They could of course wait a few weeks for them to first get there! Then the winner needs to swim back from the island and climb back up the cliff without breaking the egg. The winner gets the palest virgin as a prize and to rule for a year-until the next competition. The ritual ended when Christianity was introduced to the island. It is worthwhile noting that Red Bull came to the island a few years ago to determine whether to have a modern day competition and said that it was far too dangerous and they wouldnât!!!
3 replies on “Easter Island”
Thanks Jo really enjoying all this you must enjoy and keep safe!!!
Bardzo ciekawe historie poparte pieknymi zdjeciami. Dziekuje
tata
The story of the Easter Island fascinated me for a long time, but after reading through all your comprehensive information I realized that I had many misconceptions related to it. Thanks for very interesting information and wonderful photos. It had to be quite and unforgettable experience.