The Famed Moai

1/1/17

Ahu Tongariki, Te Pito Kura & Anakena Beach

YAY!!! Today is Moai day!!!

Time to learn about over 900 discovered gigantic monoliths in various stages of completion at the quarry in Ahu Vaihu and various ahus (sacred sites where they stand). Then to the impressive collection of 15 restored moai, carved from the quarries of nearby Rano Raraku Volcano, at Ahu Tongariki. LA RAHA!!!!! (and I'm not talking butt crack here) AWESOME! OVER THE TOP! BREATHTAKING! Not enough adjectives in the dictionary to describe it!

OK, now for the nitty-gritty...

The moai were carved during a relatively short time, possibly during the megalithic era (ranging from 400 CE to 1500-1700 CE)
Almost 95% of the inventoried 887 moais were carved out of distinctive, compressed, easily-worked volcanic ash or tuff found at the extinct volcano Rano Raraku.
Only stone hand chisels, mainly of basalt toki, were used for carving.
A single moai would take a team of 5-6 men approximately one year to complete.
Each statue represents a deceased long-ear chief or important person whose body is interred within the ahu or coastal platform the moai stand upon.
Only 1/4 of the moai were installed, while nearly 1/2 remain at the quarry.
Anywhere from 180-250 men were required to move the moai from the quarry or volcano to the ahu.
Those not installed remained scattered on the island - not making it to their designated resting places due to lack of workers, shortage of money for the transportation or ADD/ADHD (just kidding, but these statues had to be moved without semis and vehicles - more on those theories later...)
When questioned about how the moai moved from the volcano or quarry, and according to the Rapa Nui tradition, the answer is that they walked. Mythical as this sounds, one theory is that they were constructed with a slightly curved base so that they could be rocked back and forth alternately (as if you were moving your refrigerator in or out of its space). With this movement they did indeed appear to be walking.
The majority of moai are a standard design and badly eroded and broken.
The moai had eyes made of white coral and black obsidian, but the eyes are only added after the statue completes its journey and is installed on its designated ahu.
Some moai had a Pukao - a hat or topknot (or man-bun in today's lingo). More on those later...

Thor Heyerdahl's 1958 expedition to the island imitated the method of using a miro manga erua, a y-shaped sledge with cross pieces, pulled with ropes made of the tough bark of the hau-hau tree and tied tightly around the statue's neck to re-erect a moai on Anakena beach.

First stop...Akahanga

Souvenirs greet us at the entrance.

One of the caves for warmth and wind protection.

A very large moai knocked off its ahu. Most fall face down because they are erected with their backs to the sea, so they can watch over their people.

High winds and seas and tsunamis are responsible for their toppling.

A very large pukao (hat or topknot). They are added after the statues reach their intended ahu and most of these are merely resting upon the flat heads of the moai,

so balance is of the utmost importance.

A great shot of a moai head with the face visible.

Note that the white coral eyes are not installed yet, and it has a bright blue mole

(of course that probably appeared much later).

A moai is looking over my shoulder.

Next stop...Ahu Vaihu (the Quarry)

where we find moai is various stages of completion...

A very different moai - with a rounded head and more detailed features.

And the culmination of the moai viewing...Tongariki

15 restored moai, carved from the quarries of nearby Rano Rataku Volcano, were knocked from their ahu during a tsunami resulting from the May 22, 1960 9.5-Richter scale earthquake at Valdivia. Work to restore them to their original standing positions was finally completed in 1996 through a joint effort from Chilean and Japanese archaeologists and the people of Easter Island.