A brief history of easter islands incredible moai statues. Over the centuries, about 150 of the statues have become partially buried as dirt washed down from the hills above them. Of all the interesting easter island facts, the transportation of the islands statues moai is considered remarkable given that they were moved 18km 11mi across the island without the use of wheels, cranes or large animals. Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. Unraveling the mystery of easter island hunt, terry, lipo, carl on. Generally, the anatomical features of the backs are not detailed, but sometimes bear a ring and girdle motif on the buttocks and lower back. The walking megalithic statues moai of easter island. The statues of easter island magic in famous mysteries.
In this lesson, well check out the statues of this remote polynesian island and explore the. Although their appearance is fairly uniform, the moai range in height from 6 foot tall to an impressive 65 feet tall. Easter island, known as rapa nui to the people living there, is a small island in the pacific ocean, 3,700km 2,300 miles west of chile. Sep 07, 2011 easter island, accidentally discovered by europeans on easter sunday in 1722, is the most remote island in the world. A tourist visiting easter island can view the moai.
Many scientists, he says, get a date, tell a story, invest a lot in it, and then dont want to give it up. Ancient rapanui carvers worked at the behest of the elite ruling class to carve nearly 1,000 moai because they, and the community. The ancient polynesians of easter island carved nearly massive statues moai from volcanic hyalotuff bedrock and transported about 500 along roads traversing a rugged landscape to monumental sites around the island, some as far as 1618 km distance. Easter island is believed to have been settled between 700 to 1200 ce, around the same time that settlers first arrived in hawaii.
Although easter island is famous for the large monumental moai statues which adorn easter island, often called the easter island heads, rapa nui is also home to highly sophisticated rock art carvings and paintings with unique motifs. The island stands in isolation 1,200 miles 1,900 kilometres east of pitcairn island and 2,200 miles west of chile. The first easter island settlement is said to have been at anakena, the landing point on the island that provides the most protection from rough maritime weather. Easter island facts easter island statues dk find out. The mystery of easter island travel smithsonian magazine. Easter island facts and the history of moai statues. The island is planted with monstrous great statues, the work of i dont know. Easter island is a special territory of chile annexed in 1888. Aug 07, 2018 easter islands indigenous people have asked chiles government to help them recover a unique moai statue removed 150 years ago and now kept in the british museum in london. Easter island people want british museum to return moai. Easter island facts all about rapa nui and the moai statues. Easter island seeks return of stolen moai statue from. In his book collapse, jared diamond refers to the rapanuis.
Easter island, or rapa nui, its original name, is the polynesian island found in the south east pacific ocean. Authors have also written books about the island without actually visiting, neglecting to do their homework. The statues of easter island travel smithsonian magazine. With each year, more theories arise concerning the island, the statues, and the rapa nui people who once lived there. We visited easter island in sept 2017 and have compiled this list of best easter island books for the curious traveler. Easter island, chile if you were to visit easter island without knowing what was on the 163 square kilometre island, it is likely that you would be more than a little intrigued if not somewhat taken aback by the 887 moai statues that inhabit the land. Buy from unearth the secrets of the mysterious giant stone statues on this tiny remote pacific island. The mysterious stone statues carved and erected by the rapa nui people have enthralled people since their discovery. Easter island covers roughly 64 square miles in the south pacific ocean, and is located some 2,300 miles from chiles west coast and 2,500 miles east of.
Easter island, also known as rapa nui, is remotely located 2,000 miles off the coast of tahiti. The islands current population is roughly 6,000 consists of rapa nui descendants and chileans. Migrations and settlements, the evolution of a culture, wars between tribes, and ultimate decimation of a whole population define the course of easter island history. The rano raraku tuff is a sedimentary rock made from layers of airlain, partially fused and partially cemented volcanic ash, fairly easy to carve but very heavy to transport. According to diamond and heyerdahls version of the islands history, the huri mo aistatuetopplingcontinued into the 1830s as a part of fierce internal wars.
The moai are some of the worlds most fascinating and widelyrecognised monolithic statues. Moai figure, small wooden statue of uncertain religious significance, carved on easter island. The easter island civilization collapsed centuries ago, but their legacy lives on through the countless statues that make it clear how powerful it once was. Now, experts warn that easter island and its enigmatic history, shrouded in countless mysteries, may soon disappear. Centuries later the islands statues were famous throughout the world. The original settlers of the island were polynesians who migrated to the faroff land between 400 and 600 bc. Easter island history the new age draw new agers are enthralled by places like easter island, the pyramids, and stonehenge. The island is in the shape of an isosceles triangle with an inactive volcano at each corner.
No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. This is partly because of the disproportionate size of most moai heads, and partly because many of the iconic images for the island showing upright moai are the statues on the slopes of rano raraku, many of which are buried to their shoulders. This book presents a comprehensive history of easter island told by a writer who is. The mysterious statues moai of easter island traveling. Scholars believe the island was inhabited from 300 to 400 ad onward. Unesco warns easter island statues could be lost to sea. Easter islands indigenous community want the british museum to return a unique moai statue that was taken from them 150 years ago and given to queen victoria as a gift. Except for one kneeling moai, the statues do not have clearly visible legs. Easter island is a polynesian island located in the southeastern pacific ocean. Researchers with the easter island statue project have spent most of the past two years excavating, or digging up, two of the partially buried statues. The statues are the obvious hook to get kids involved in the history of the island, but the material is presented chronologically. The island was christened easter island by dutch explorer in honor of the day they arrived in the island in 1722.
Their existence is a marvel of human ingenuity and their meaning a source of some mystery. The mysterious moai statues of easter island class. The 887 giant moai statues on easter island have turned one of the most isolated islands in the world into one of the most well knownand most mysterious. What happened along the way that caused the island ecosystem to collapse. Easter island is home to some of the most famous, and yet most mysterious, statues in the world.
Aug 08, 2018 easter islands indigenous community want the british museum to return a unique moai statue that was taken from them 150 years ago and given to queen victoria as a gift. The easter island statue project eisp has a 20 year history of archaeological survey on easter island rapa nui, the objective of which is the creation of a full and complete, island wide monolithic and portable statue inventory and the compilation of an historical image record for each statue. Nov 24, 2019 the main bodies of most of the moai statues at easter island were sculpted out of the volcanic tuff from the rano raraku quarry, the remains of an extinct volcano. Nearly half of easter islands statues remain near this area. Named easter island by the dutch explorer jacob roggeveen, who first spied it on. Easter island statues have full bodies and contain ancient. Easter islandand its iconic moai statues are disappearing. Mar 28, 2000 easter island, an isolated plot of land in a remote part of the pacific ocean, is best known for the huge stone statues that dot the landscape. A guide to easter island, chile national geographic. The island is incredibly green, but its also very small. The huge stone figures of easter island have beguiled explorers, researchers and the wider world for centuries, but now experts say they have cracked one of the biggest mysteries. The island received its current name, easter island, from the dutch sea captain jacob roggeveen who was the first european to visit on easter sunday, april 5, 1722.
It is estimated that there are 900 statues and more than 300 ahu ceremonial platforms on the island. Easter island moai statues and rock art of rapa nui. About half of the moai are at the main quarry at rano raraku. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search.
The figures, thought to be representations of ancestors who live on in the form of skeletons, are of two types, moai kavakava male and moai paepae female. Yes, the same ones who built the pyramids in egypt stopped in at easter island and made all those statues. This book, part of the new york times bestselling series, is enhanced by eighty. The people who live on easter island call the island rapa nui it has over nine hundred giant stone statues.
Though moai are wholebody statues, they are often referred to as easter island heads in some popular literature. Easter island seeks return of stolen moai statue from the. Jan, 2010 a 0 year exploration of easter island history. The easter islanders, according to heyerdahl, insisted that the moai statues. Famous for its giant stone figures, called moai, the island is thought to have been named easter island because the first european visitor arrived on easter sunday, 1722. Picture of giant monolithic stone moai statues on easter island. Rapa nui or easter island, as it is commonly known is home to the enigmatic moai, stone monoliths that have stood watch over the island landscape for hundreds of years. According to diamond and heyerdahls version of the islands history, the huri moaistatuetopplingcontinued into the 1830s as a part of fierce internal wars. The dig has brought researchers closer to solving the statues mystery. If you are a fan of garden statues that look like easter island moai heads then you probably already know how hard it is to find things like this for sale. Much research has been carried out on these famous statues and many of the damaged and fallen statues have since been restored around the island. At some point in the island s history, when both the art and the population were increasing, the island s resources were overtaxed. Who wouldnt want the chance to visit one of the worlds most remote islands and take selfies with those ancient, stoic stone faces. Easter island, also known as rapa nui, is located in the pacific ocean, about 4100km 2550 miles away from tahiti and 3800km 2360 miles from chile.
Easter in the big apple from december 12, 2001, through august 4, 2002, the art of easter island will be on display in new yorks metropolitan museum of art. Vic stefanu amazing world videos recommended for you 9. This book avoids being another cliched entry on easter island replete with the overdramatizations of the mysteries of the islands infamous giant stone statues. Oct 16, 2012 rapa nui, also known as easter island a name given to it by europeans, is located in the southeast pacific and is famous for its approximately 1,000 carvings of moai, humanfaced statues. Apr 06, 2016 all the facts about easter island rapa nui facts easter island facts easter island roughly covers around sixtyfour square miles in the south pacific ocean and is located about 2500 miles east of tahiti and 2300 miles from the chiles west coast. The book describes the 19551956 norwegian archaeological expeditions investigations of polynesian history and culture at easter island. Though moai are wholebody statues, they are erroneously referred to as easter island heads in some popular literature. Like all the other ahu, the tongariki was devastated during the time in which the clans that fought against each other rejected the worship to the ancestors. It is the easternmost outpost of the polynesian island world.
Easter islands indigenous people have asked chiles government to help them recover a unique moai statue removed 150 years ago and now kept in the british museum in london. Located on the remote chilean territory of easter island, they tell a mysterious story of the islands early people and their obsession with rock carvings. Now known as rapa nui, this tiny speck in the pacific ocean is famous for its. Mar 18, 2018 easter island, the remote volcanic island home of nearly 900 ancient monumental statues, is at risk of disappearing into the sea, according to the latest report from unesco. Located on the remote chilean territory of easter island, they tell a mysterious story of the island s early people and their obsession with rock carvings. Easter island, accidentally discovered by europeans on easter sunday in 1722, is the most remote island in the world. Settlement traditions, easter island, journal of pacific history, 29 1994, pp. Moai statues are massive megaliths at easter island, and these are what this island is famous for. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books every 1, 2, or 3 months new customers receive 15% off your. The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine. Easter island, the remote volcanic island home of nearly 900 ancient monumental statues, is at risk of disappearing into the sea, according to the latest report from unesco. For hundreds of years, the stone heads of easter island have sat perched on their platforms, gazing mystically out over land and sea.
The moai are monolithic human figures which were carved between 1250 a. Ancient hand paintings inside a cave on the island the moai statues. This is a misconception from having seen photos of statues in the volcano rano raraku partitially covered up with soil. Art of easter island will feature more than 50 works dating from the th century to the late 19th century. Maybe your ideas of easter island prior to reading this article were as limited as mine, maybe not. Secrets of the stone statues scholastic news online. Rapa nui, also known as easter island a name given to it by europeans, is located in the southeast pacific and is famous for its approximately 1,000 carvings of moai, humanfaced statues. While it used to be a fun theory to speculate whether the easter island statues were a product of some alien civilization, the new scientific evidence just goes to show that real history is far.
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