|
|
 |
|
|
| Moai and Rano Raraku volcano quarry |
Rapi Nui (Easter
Island) is a remote South Pacific island that is not easy to get to. It is located about 2600
miles east of Tahiti and approximately 2300 miles west of Chile.
Anthropologists believe the island's Polynesian ancestors arrived
around 400 AD. They found a lush forested home with fresh water. For about 1200 years they farmed and fished and
thrived as a self contained culture. During these
years they developed the incredible engineering process that makes this island so fascinating. The Moai (mow-eye)
are religious statues carved from volcanic stone and weigh up to 100 tons. The Moai was developed to channel God,
through the tribal leaders they represented, to the island people.
Unfortunately
they were not environmentalists and the years of deforestation caused the downfall of the Rapi Nui people.
By the time a Dutch ship landed on Easter Sunday of 1722, the population was decimated by over a hundred years of civil war.
The population declined from 7,000 down to less then 3,000. They could not build
ships without trees so the local waters were soon fished out. Land that was not already over farmed became a premium.
The great civilization became a barbaric cave dwelling group of warring tribes. There are even indications of cannibalism.
The tribes blamed each other and the old Gods. They stopped making the Moai statues and toppled many along the shores.
The islanders were left alone for a while because there was no gold or natural resource to pillage. But
soon the slave traders arrived. Over the next 100 years the population was infected by disease, raped and
enslaved to the point of extinction.
|
|
The water around the island is very rough most of the time. Some cruise ships
can not even land their "tender" boats. Since this was the main reason for the cruise, we were more then happy to brave
the rough ride to shore.
|
|
| ahu-tongariki-moaiandbirdman |
When
the civilization toppled and the "blame God" started, a new religion was born. It was called the "Bird Man" religion.
Seeing the hawk and the Moai together reminded me of both ancient beliefs.
The
Moai figures were carved from volcanic rock and then slid down the side of the volcano into a hole to stand it up.
The back of the statue was completed and then the downhill side of the hole was removed. The standing Moai was then
moved (no one has a sure way of doing this) to its permanent place on the shore. There are many Moai seen frozen
in various stages of this process.
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Moai statues were moved in a standing position from the quarry to the shore.
The eyes were added once they reached the permanent location. The Moai's were postioned facing inland so the Gods could
watch over the people. I kind of look like a Moai with shades.
Almost
all Moai were toppled during the civil wars and remained face down until archeologists began to re-erect the statues.
The largest restoration was financed by the Japanese at a place called Ahu Tongariki.
| rano_raraku_volcano_unfinished_moai |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
