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Rapa Nui National Park
NHK World Heritage 100 Series
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The Moais: Megalithic statues on a Remote Island/Rapa Nui
This island, known as “Rapa Nui” in the local language, is otherwise known as “Easter Island”
Remote in the Pacific Ocean, it is famous for its Moais statues. There are around 900 of them. Each one has different characteristics. They measure between 8 and 11 metres in height. Moai statues were created by the Island’s native inhabitants who originated from Polynesia. The tradition of statue carving began in the 7th Century and continued for around 1,000 years. It is widely believed that all moai statues face towards the ocean. But that’s a misconception. The moai statues used to stand facing human settlements. There used to be more than 50 villages on the island and they were watched over and guarded by numerous moais. They usually stand on a base known as “ahu”, a sacred shrine. Beneath the ahu is a cemetery, where the village leaders were buried. Moais were modelled after their past leaders. In other words, the statues symbolize the guardian ancestors of the village. The moais were carved out of soft volcanic rock from Ranu Raraku mountain. Over 300 unfinished statues lie abandoned in the mountain area.
The explorer Captain James Cook visited the island in the 18th century.
He wrote in his journal that….
all the statues had been toppled over and broken on the east coast of the island Hardly any of the statues were left in their original form. Some of the statues have only been stood upright and restored only recently. The damage was caused by tribal conflict. Moais, which symbolized the power of the tribe, became a target of attack and were largely destroyed. War continued and tribes diminished one after another. It was believed that the statues’ eyes possessed spiritual power so they were toppled face down. The main cause of fighting was food shortages. As the population grew, people cut down increasing numbers of palm trees to create farming land and make fishing boats. The island once forested with palm trees eventually became bare, and the nutrient topsoil eroded and was washed away into the sea. The surrounding sea water also became contaminated. After 1,000 years of history, the Moais witnessed the megalithic statue culture come to an abrupt end. Hopefully we can all learn something from this island’s tragic history.