| The Moai are the stone statues from molded volcanic ashes on Easter Island. All Moai are monolithic, i.e. are cut-out from single pieces and are not pasted together or fastened. Sometimes their weight reaches more than 20 tons and height - more than 6 meters. An incomplete sculpture with a height of about 20 m and weighing 270 tons was found. In total, 997 Moai were found on the Easter Island. All Moai, contrary to popular belief, face towards the Island and not towards Ocean.
A little less than one fifth of the Moai were moved into the island for ceremonies and are established with a red color stone top hat on the head (pukao). About 95% are cut-out from the molded volcanic ashes of Rano Raraku, where 394 Moai have to be restored. Rano Raraku was unexpectedly abandoned and many unfinished Moai remained there. Practically all the finished Moai were moved from Rano Raraku onto ceremonial platforms.
Recently, it was possible to prove that the deep apertures for the eyes were never filled with corals and some of which are being restored now.
The most widespread theory is that the Moai were erected by settlers from the Polynesian Islands in 1000—1100. The Maoi could represent deceased ancestors or lend force to living leaders and also could be symbols of clans.
Representatives of various professional groups, which were part of the highest hierarchy of masters, made these moai. The making and installation of the moai demanded a huge expenditure of means and labor. Till now, it could not be established how the moai were transported; for transporting moai, human resources, ropes, wooden decks or rollers were required. Czech researcher Pavel Pavel and his followers have put forward the theory, that the moai “walked” by stopping at various places. In 1986, it was experimentally shown how a group of 17 persons with ropes can move statues quickly. In the middle of the 19th century, all moai on the outskirts of Rano Raraku and many in stone quarries were overturned. At present, approximately 50 moai are restored on the ceremonial platforms.
The legends of the Island speak about the dominant clan of Hotu Matu'a, which left the house in search of new land and discovered Easter Island. When he died, the Island was divided between his six sons, and then — between grandsons and great-grandsons. Inhabitants of the Island believe that the supernatural force of the ancestors of this clan (mana) resides in these statues. The concentration of mana results in good harvests, rains and prosperity. These legends vary constantly and passed on in fragments, which makes it extremely difficult to retrieve the precise history.
|
The famous moai statues from Rapa Nui (Easter Island) did not always look like they do now. When created, they had coral eyes in their eye-sockets and the special hats (pukao) on their heads. The fragments of the coral eyes and hats were discovered next to the statues by archaeologists.
