What makes Easter island unique is its isolation and with it, the singular ways of worship that haven't been altered by outside influences. In Europe, a community of Easter Island's size would have built a church, and maybe a castle - but there are churches and castles all over Europe, so their feat wouldn't have been all that special. But no other community built moai to show veneration for their ancestors (although there are statues in some Polynesian cultures that look similar, but represent the god Tiki, once again confirming the Polynesian origin of the Rapa Nui). By the way, Rapa Nui is the native name for Easter Island, its inhabitants, and their language.
So today, I joined a tour to learn more about the moai. All the moai have been erected on platforms called ahu, close to villages, and facing their village. So what did the moai symbolize?
Initially I thought of the moai as protectors from the dangers of the sea - something I read seemed to imply this meaning. But then it doesn't make sense that they should face away from the coast, towards villages. Luckily, our guide solved the mystery for me. Apparently, the Rapa Nui believed in mana, a spiritual quality associated with influence and authority. The moai were erected to represent specific ancestors who had possessed lots of mana. Through the moai, and more specifically their eyes, this power was believed to be transferred to the villagers.
With this interpretation, the toppling of the moai also makes sense: in the 17th century, clans started fighting each other, probably because of overpopulation and the resulting scarcity of resources. Clan members would then sneak into an enemy's village and secretly topple the moai, thereby severely damaging the other clan's mana. Within less than 100 years, there wasn't a single moai left standing on the entire island. Nowadays, there are efforts to restore many moai back to standing status. In the village Akahanga (or more precisely its ruins), the moai were purposely left lying down:
I found the toppled moai almost more impressive than the re-erected ones - a vivid proof of what humans are capable of, both in building and in destroying them.
In Akahanga, the remains of the village itself can also be seen. The shape of the houses was the same as in Orongo, but here only the foundations remain. Walls and roof were made of vegetal material that has long since decayed.
You can also see the patio of rounded stones in front of the house. Since the houses were only used for sleeping, this was where most of village life took place.
The second site we visited was Ahu Tongariki, with 15 moai the largest restored site on the island.
One of the fifteen has a red stone on the head, called pukao. This symbolizes hair pulled into a topknot. According to the old beliefs, mana accumulated in the hair. Therefore, people didn't cut their hair and often wore it as a topknot (to have it out of the way, I presume). They also dyed their hair using red clay, thus the red color of the pukao. A moai with a pukao therefore represents an especially potent moai. Several more of the moai at Ahu Tongariki had pukao, but since the archeologists couldn't figure out which pukao belonged on which moai, they didn't restore them to their former positions.
Our next stop was Rano Raraku, the moai quarry and factory. Here, the moai were cut out of volcanic stone and then carved with their individual faces. Many also had carved decorations on their backs, almost all of which are no longer visible today.
There are hundreds of unfinished moai at Rano Raraku. Unfinished moai are easily recognizable because the eyes were only finalized once the moai was in place at its final destination. The eyes were made from coral and gave the moai a rather stern look. However, the eyes have only been restored on one single moai: at Tahai, which I visited two days ago.
New moai were ordered by a village when an important person died. They were paid for with chickens, being a symbol of power and wealth, and other foods. The carvers worked on a moai as long as food was coming - and this may have been a major reason why there are so many unfinished moai in the quarry. The entire carving and transportation process may have taken well over a year.
Today, many of the moai in the quarry are half buried. This way, the decorations on their backs have been protected from erosion, something archeologists are very happy about.
The quarry is located on the slopes of a volcanic crater. Although not as spectacular as Rano Kau, the crater is much more accessible. The crater lake is one of only three lakes on the island. Since there are no streams, it is one of only three sources of fresh water for animals! Therefore it is only logical that herds of wild horses are roaming around the lake's shore:
Our final stop for the day was Ahu Nau Nau, whose moai are the best preserved ones on the island.
Why are they so well-preserved? Because after having been toppled, they had been covered by the fine sands of Anakena beach, protecting them from wind and salt spray.
So today, I joined a tour to learn more about the moai. All the moai have been erected on platforms called ahu, close to villages, and facing their village. So what did the moai symbolize?
Initially I thought of the moai as protectors from the dangers of the sea - something I read seemed to imply this meaning. But then it doesn't make sense that they should face away from the coast, towards villages. Luckily, our guide solved the mystery for me. Apparently, the Rapa Nui believed in mana, a spiritual quality associated with influence and authority. The moai were erected to represent specific ancestors who had possessed lots of mana. Through the moai, and more specifically their eyes, this power was believed to be transferred to the villagers.
With this interpretation, the toppling of the moai also makes sense: in the 17th century, clans started fighting each other, probably because of overpopulation and the resulting scarcity of resources. Clan members would then sneak into an enemy's village and secretly topple the moai, thereby severely damaging the other clan's mana. Within less than 100 years, there wasn't a single moai left standing on the entire island. Nowadays, there are efforts to restore many moai back to standing status. In the village Akahanga (or more precisely its ruins), the moai were purposely left lying down:
I found the toppled moai almost more impressive than the re-erected ones - a vivid proof of what humans are capable of, both in building and in destroying them.
In Akahanga, the remains of the village itself can also be seen. The shape of the houses was the same as in Orongo, but here only the foundations remain. Walls and roof were made of vegetal material that has long since decayed.
You can also see the patio of rounded stones in front of the house. Since the houses were only used for sleeping, this was where most of village life took place.
The second site we visited was Ahu Tongariki, with 15 moai the largest restored site on the island.
One of the fifteen has a red stone on the head, called pukao. This symbolizes hair pulled into a topknot. According to the old beliefs, mana accumulated in the hair. Therefore, people didn't cut their hair and often wore it as a topknot (to have it out of the way, I presume). They also dyed their hair using red clay, thus the red color of the pukao. A moai with a pukao therefore represents an especially potent moai. Several more of the moai at Ahu Tongariki had pukao, but since the archeologists couldn't figure out which pukao belonged on which moai, they didn't restore them to their former positions.
Our next stop was Rano Raraku, the moai quarry and factory. Here, the moai were cut out of volcanic stone and then carved with their individual faces. Many also had carved decorations on their backs, almost all of which are no longer visible today.
There are hundreds of unfinished moai at Rano Raraku. Unfinished moai are easily recognizable because the eyes were only finalized once the moai was in place at its final destination. The eyes were made from coral and gave the moai a rather stern look. However, the eyes have only been restored on one single moai: at Tahai, which I visited two days ago.
New moai were ordered by a village when an important person died. They were paid for with chickens, being a symbol of power and wealth, and other foods. The carvers worked on a moai as long as food was coming - and this may have been a major reason why there are so many unfinished moai in the quarry. The entire carving and transportation process may have taken well over a year.
Today, many of the moai in the quarry are half buried. This way, the decorations on their backs have been protected from erosion, something archeologists are very happy about.
The quarry is located on the slopes of a volcanic crater. Although not as spectacular as Rano Kau, the crater is much more accessible. The crater lake is one of only three lakes on the island. Since there are no streams, it is one of only three sources of fresh water for animals! Therefore it is only logical that herds of wild horses are roaming around the lake's shore:
Our final stop for the day was Ahu Nau Nau, whose moai are the best preserved ones on the island.
Why are they so well-preserved? Because after having been toppled, they had been covered by the fine sands of Anakena beach, protecting them from wind and salt spray.
