Printed on 100% cotton watercolour textured paper, art prints would be at home in any gallery. Myths and legends of the moai on rapa nuithe easter island. Its the mysterious demise of a clever civilization that once flourished on the tiny island that has generated prizewinning books, films, and competing scientific investigations. Located over 2700 miles off the coast of chile, the isolated easter island boasts the worlds largest collection of megaliths.
Nova online secrets of easter island stone giants pbs. Love between the representatives of two warring tribes changes the balance of power on the whole remote island. I can still see the tall cliffs of poike peninsula looming through the mist, the rounded mass of the volcanoes, and the black, twisted reef bristling with sharp ridges and needles on which the waves are torn to pieces. Find highquality stock photos that you wont find anywhere else. About 300 people attended the official opening to hear speeches from dr nick merriman, director of.
Moai, the giant stone monolithic figures representing ancestors and powerful chieftains, are synonymous with rapa nui, as easter island is now. The sevenfoottall statue is considered a sacred object by the local people. 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. For the polynesian population of rapa nui they represented contact with the afterlife and the gods.
This plaster cast was made from a mold secured during a 19341935 museum expedition to rapa nui, 2,000 miles west of the chilean coast. Was the first highest rank leader of easter island, he is believed to have brought his people on 2 boats more than 1. Our dynamic academics and administrators are dedicated to providing high quality teaching and research supervision and are committed to ensuring that your experience at maynooth university will be stimulating, rewarding and enjoyable. Style of easter island statues, polished figurine cedarclosetcache. Easter island is an island and special territory of chile in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the polynesian triangle in oceania. The easternmost polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of easter island make up about 60% of the current easter island population and have a significant portion of their population residing in mainland chile. Rapa nui islanders survived by building strong communities around limited resources, contrary to jared diamonds proclamations an annotated version of jared diamonds 1995 article easters end. Rapa nui world heritage site pictures, info and travel. Rapa nui easter island answer all of the questions.
But is this story about the decline and fall of easter islands culture really. Rapa nui, or easter island, is well known for its moai. The small, isolated rapa nui islandor, easter islandbegan its history of humanhabitation with difficulty. All of the statues face westward and their significance is still a subject of debate. The stone blocks, carved into headandtorso figures, average feet 4 meters.
Buck, vikings of the pacific, university of chicago press, 1938. While many go to see these incredible stone statues that tower over the landscape, few are introduced to the rich culture they represent. This beautiful replica will make an artistic and captivating addition to your landscape or garden. She reported, a total of 887 monolithic statues has been located by the. Rapa nui easter island monument locations explained by. Giant stone statues tell of a rich and tragic past. All had been toppled by the time the europeans came to study them in the 1850s, but about half a dozen groups have been reerected, and here we show a selection of the more spectacular ones. Aug 08, 2018 art world the british museum has kept an easter island statue for 150 years. How easter islands mysterious statues got their 12ton hats archaeologists describe a technique that the ancient rapa nui may have used to leverage the hats on the islands giant stone statues. How a lush island became a wasteland denuded of its trees, bereft of most of its population, and finally ended up primarily as a home for gigantic stone statues, is a mystery that has intrigued. The illustrated history of firearms depicts this development over time using color plates and descriptive text for over 1500 firearms from the nra national firearms museum in fairfax, va. Settlement traditions, easter island, journal of pacific history, 29 1994, pp. The national university of ireland nui is a federal university comprising the largest element of the irish university system.
Search from 60 top moai statue rapa nui pictures and royaltyfree images from istock. Shop our best selection of religious garden statues to reflect your style and inspire your outdoor space. The book starts with the ancient history of the island including population by polynesians to the civil unrest and eventual decline of the rapa nui society and subsequent contact with the europeans before moving to modern eras covering annexation and colonization by chile and the rapa nui fight for civil rights in recent history. The goal of the project has been to survey, map, excavate, and ultimately save and preserve the statues, with an eye toward better preserving rapa nui culture. Interesting facts about the moai statues just fun facts. 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. Durable resin construction withstands weather conditions, wont crack or rust. Easter island, or rapa nui, its original name, is the polynesian island found in the south east pacific ocean. Easter island is famous for its stone statues of human figures, known as moai meaning statue. High quality rapa nui inspired art prints by independent artists and designers from around the world. The moai statues of rapa nui one of the worlds most famous yet least visited archaeological sites, easter island is a small, hilly, now treeless island of volcanic origin. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Museum home tattoo history tribal tattoos easter island easter island 1772 on easter sunday, 1722, the dutch navigator jacob roggeveen was in the south pacific and sighted a small volcanic island in the distance which was easter island that had developed in complete isolation for centuries. Rapa nui easter island is famous for its rows of moai, towering figures of deified ancestors that were carved from volcanic tuff rock in quarries, then moved to a platform on the waters edge.
It includes a map of island and various historical newspaper articles as they have appeared through. The anthropological easter island museum the only museum on the island, is named after the priest sebastian englert, a german priest who came to the island in 1935 and spent the last 34 years of his life studying and disseminating the language, traditions and archaeological heritage of rapa nui. Jun, 2018 rapa nuis mysterious moai statues stand in silence but speak volumes about the achievements of their creators. The modern world only established contact with rapa nui in the late 1700s and since then, unfortunately the local culture has suffered tremendously because of the tribal fights, the diseases and forceful cultural influence brought. According to diamond and heyerdahls version of the islands history, the huri. Although the popularized story of rapa nui is one of selfinflicted population. Our small group traveled to rapa nui national park sites in historical order. The moai statues of rapa nui rapa nui aras art and news. There are few monuments more recognisable than the heads of easter island. When do archaeologists believe the rapa nui statues were constructed. The department of history at maynooth university is among irelands leading centres for the teaching and research of history.
The figures created have multiple design styles each with its own history, use and distinct look, each figure would have representing a supernatural being or an ancestor. Easter island or rapa nui, with its massive stone carvings moai, has long been a place of fascination. Excellent color pictures and concise descriptions make this volume an excellent addition to any firearm enthusiasts library. Not only was there no solid evidence that the statue cult had come to an end by the time of european discovery in 1722 in fact, the statue cult was still in practise during much of the 18th century. Traditionally nuian culture is organised in three family circles tekaubaonga, tekaunimala and tekaunibiti families. The british museum holds two basalt statues, both of which are of central and very great significance to furthering our understanding of rapa nui history. Moai statues near the town of hanga roa, rapa nuis capital city. They speak both the traditional rapa nui language and.
Main page culture, history on this forgotten triangular pacific island a unique culture has developed. The legend of mata nui, also known as the legend of the bionicle, was a story told by the turaga to the matoran on mata nui. Carl lipo, terry hunt and their colleagues continue to identify possible descriptions to the mysteries of easter islands culture and statues ars technica. Easter island lies in the middle of the pacific, 2000 miles from the nearest mainland in chile, and is the most remote of all the islands to be settled in the first. These giant statues range in height from 10 33 feet and were constructed over 18 centuries ago. Questions abound surrounding the origins of the people and their culture, the moai statues, the tangata manu birdman cult and the history of the islands racial extermination, ecological and natural disasters. A distinguishing characteristic of rapa nui statues is the use of shell or coral inlaid with obsidian to represent eyes. Moai statues are massive megaliths on easter island. A look at the making of rapa nui, which speculates on the native inhabitants of easter island, who built strange giant statues before the dutch arrived in 1722. Ancient origins articles related to rapa nui in the sections of history, archaeology, human origins, unexplained, artifacts, ancient places and myths and legends.
The decline and fall of easter island and its alleged selfdestruction has become the poster child of a new environmentalist historiography, a school of thought that goes handinhand with predictions of environmental disaster. Patricia, ivan, and claudio en route to easter island, i met up with claudio cristino and patty vargas 2009. Easter island is a special territory of chile annexed in 1888. The rapa nui people, comprising 36 clans, are engaged in a collective effort to rebuild its government and regain control of their ancestral lands and sacred and burial sites. Nicole dwarfed by the massive moai statues at rano raraku.
The island was christened easter island by dutch explorer in honor of the day they arrived in the island in 1722. This is the story of that culture and the people working to preserve it. Easter island animals imagina easter island rapa nui. Information about the nui national university of ireland. The 212th cavalry tent city and nui ba ra in january 1970 by bert schreibstein. They told the matoran this tale so that they would understand the threat of the makuta without knowing their true history and origins in metru nui, which they had forgotten due to exposure in the matoran spheres. The mysterious statues moai of easter island traveling.
One of those places to visit was the polynesian cultural center located on the island of oahu about 32 miles from honolulu. The rapa nui have historically made feather headdresses, bark cloth, wood carvings, and stone carvings. Emsco easter island head statue sandstone resin unique theme for a sophisticated and mysterious look. Eisp archive drawings of head siwdc002 and moai siwdc001, both originally from ahu opepe, are currently in the collection of the smithsonian institution. It is subtitled a concise guide to the history culture and individual archaeological sites of rapa nui and it is i think selfpublished, but it is available on the english amazon and also on the island. For one, many of the statues on rapa nui are much larger than the replica they used, and the roads are hilly and rough, making it unlikely that larger statues could have been moved that way, some. Where did the statues come from and how did they get here. The island became a special territory of chile in 1888. The moai statues are also known as moai, easter island heads and easter island statues, are monolithic human figures carved by the rapa nui people between the years 1250 and 1500 ce the moai statues are located on easter island, or rapa nui as the indigenous call it, a polynesian island in the pacific ocean. Moai statues are known to be made within 1250 and 1400 ad. Theres a nice conclusion in a guide book we picked up, the companion guide to. The secrets of easter island history smithsonian magazine.
The book is about the history of the island and statues on it. How will you display this information in your exhibit. A few years ago i did a travel post, hawaii the 50 th state, which discussed the history of hawaii and offered travel suggestions and points of interest to see when planning a trip. 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. In this paper, we explore what we refer to as the myth of a. Images from the 2012 excavation of easter islands iconic statues reveal the renowned heads are not only connected to giant bodies, but the bodies are covered in mysterious designs and symbols, which researchers have likened to tattoos. Theories abound on the origin of the famous moai statues of easter island. The extraordinary statues have enchanted people in the west since the islands discovery on easter day 1722 by dutchman jacob roggereen. They caused a seismic shift in island history by their excavations at the. Carved from soft volcanic tufa, the statues are from 10 to 40 ft 312 m high, some weighing over 50 tons.
List of books and articles about easter island online research. These pages record the recent roundtheworld trip i made in march 2011 with my wife, wendy. In 1995, unesco named easter island a world heritage site, with much of the island protected within rapa nui national park. The moai statues the great glory of easter island are of course the statutes, or moai, as they are called, all standing on their platforms or ahu. Easter island also known by its native name rapa nui is most famously known for the many large statues that reside on the island.
The island is planted with monstrous great statues, the work of i dont know what. Main page culture, history history of rapa nui hotu matua. Anakena is unusual for easter island because its one of only two sandy beaches in an otherwise rocky coastline. Easter island or rather rapa nui as the islanders themselves tend to call it, is home to some of the strangest and most remarkable monuments to be found anywhere in the world. With or without the fact however, these statues speak in silence. Easter island appeared to us one rainy day during the southern winter, at the end of july 1934.
Parque nacional rapa nui is a national park and unesco world heritage site located on easter island, chile. Although there has been a lot of studies about the statues and the rapa nui culture, the exact story behind of these magnificent statues are still not clear. Moai statue rapa nui vector images, illustrations, and clip art browse 296 moai statue rapa nui stock illustrations and vector graphics available royaltyfree, or start a new search to explore more great stock images and vector art. After reading several books and countless websites, i signed up for an allday tour, journey of legends. This explanation was by far the most compelling reconstruction of the history and end of rapa nui s statues. Almost a year after it was first mooted and after six months hard work making monuments on rapa nui the statues from easter island opened with a private view on tuesday evening. Ahu nau nau is the most elaborate and bestpreserved platform of the three that were built in anakena. 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. The mysterious stone statues carved and erected by the rapa nui people have enthralled people since their discovery. Where is easter island geography flora wildlife history rapa nui culture moai statues pukao religion and beliefs myths and legends tangata manu easter island symbols rongo rongo rapa nui language music and dances traditional clothing tattoo tapati rapa nui rapa nui national park. Rapa nui legends say the moai walked with the help of a chief or priest who.
Tattoo history easter island rapa nui tattoos history. Armed savage delta troop 19th delta troop 19th, 1st cavalry division. Moai are monolithic human figures carved by the rapa nui people on the chilean polynesian island of easter island between the years 1250 and 1500 ce. Birdman figures the birdman figures are representations of the deity makemake, who in the rapa nui mythology of easter island, is the creator of humanity. Moai statues, easter island from genocide to ecocide, the rape of rapa nui benny peiser, liverpool john moores university, faculty of science. As a unique and historical focal point in irish higher education, nui serves the interests of the member institutions, by providing services to them and to their graduates. The rapa nui are the aboriginal polynesian inhabitants of easter island in the pacific ocean. Nui is an atoll and one of nine districts of the pacific ocean state of tuvalu. During one of his later rapa nui expeditions, norwegian explorer thor heyerdahl investigates how the easter island moai statues were transported. Archaeology of rapa nui easter island oxford handbooks. Easter island moai statues and rock art of rapa nui. Unfortunately, there is no written record and the oral history is scant to help tell the story of.
Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui people. National university of ireland, 49 merrion square, dublin 2, d02 v583 tel. The story of rapa nui better known as easter island, consisting of 63 square miles located 2,300 miles west of chile, is one of enduring interest. The moai may also hold a sacred role in the life of the rapa nui, acting as. Jo ann van tilburg founded the easter island statue project eisp in 1982 and has been its codirector since 2000, along with a rapa nui colleague, cristian arevalo pakarati. Easter island classic statue, rapa nui, kon tiki, solid resin, free. The indispensable guidebook to the islands is a short book a companion to easter island by scottish enthusiast james grant peterkin. The moais were built in 1400 1650 ad by the natives of this island also known as the rapa nui. Hence, rapa nui is also famous as an example of ecological suicide. Pictures of moai statues, easter island, rapa nui, chile. Rapa nui native demonstrates how easter island moai. Shop our best selection of kids garden statues to reflect your style and inspire your outdoor space. When the statues were knocked down during the clashes between the various clans of the island, they were left buried in the sand on the beach, which allowed them to be more protected from erosion than the others.
A companion to easter island guide to rapa nui by james grant peterkin paperback. Its a volcanic island, with still two large craters. This richly illustrated book of the history, culture, and art of easter island is the first. Located in the pacific ocean at 27 degrees south of the equator and some 2200 miles 3600 kilometers off the coast of chile, it is considered to be the worlds most. Mysterious, statueladen rapa nui, dubbed easter island by european colonizers, is not an easy place to thrive.
The enigmatic moai that brood over easter island rapa nui in the south pacific are. List of books and articles about easter island online. Centuries ago, the ancient civilization on rapa nui, the traditional name of easter island, was thriving. The islands current population is roughly 6,000 consists of rapa nui descendants and chileans. Rapa nui exhibit at the polynesian cultural center the. My name is andrew selkirk, and i am the editorinchief of the magazines current archaeology and current world archaeology.
The moai statues of rapa nui 3d model available on turbo squid, the worlds leading provider of digital 3d models for visualization, films, television, and games. The island is located in the southeastern pacific ocean, at the southeastern extremity of the polynesian triangle. 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. Pitt river museum, the mystery of easter island, published 1919. Photos reveal giant easter island moai statues are covered. Easter island has long been famous for its hieroglyphs and for hundreds of remarkable monolithic stone heads moais whose origin and meaning have been widely debated. The prevailing account of its prehistory, offered by jared diamond among others, has been that the islands first inhabitants wiped themselves out, committing ecocide by cutting down all the islands trees, spending precious time and resources carving and transporting moai, and fighting wars among themselves. Rapa nui, commonly known in english as easter island, is a volcanic island in the south eastern pacific ocean, and one of the most isolated inhabited islands on earth. Representatives of easter islands indigenous rapa nui community met with officials from the british museum this week to make an impassioned plea for the return of hoa hakananaia, a sculpted. It was first settled by polynesians some time between 300 and 1200 ce, who in their geographic isolation developed a unique variant of polynesian culture. A guide to easter island, chile national geographic.
The statues, known as moai, were carved by the islands indigenous rapa nui people to embody the spirit of a prominent ancestor, with each considered to be the persons living incarnation. Rapa nui national park and its stone sculptures are testimony to an isolated cultural evolution. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. Adzes, blunt round stones, were used to complete stone images and wood carvings. In addition, the clans want to reclaim their selfgovernment rights so they can curb unsustainable immigration and development on the island. Its so easy to get confused in all the speculation, history, and mystery of rapa nui. Discover myths and legends of the moai on rapa nuithe easter island. Emsco easter island sandstone resin head statue23081 the. Ahu nau nau the moai statues on anakena beach easter island. They called the island and its inhabitants rapa nui. The hidden underground bodies of the easter island head.
Lz thomas on top of nui ba ra, january 1970 by bert schreibstein. Rapa nui offers a world of inquiry that have remained unanswered for centuries. The most characteristic cultural feature of rapa nui are the huge moai, found all over the island. The rapa nui, people indigenous to easter island, have asked the british government to return one of the british museums most viewed and treasured objects the iconic stone moai statue called hoa hakananaia.
How easter islands mysterious statues got their 12ton. History, traditions, texts by steven roger fischer. Moai statue rapa nui vector images, illustrations, and clip art. Easter island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early rapa nui. Religious wood carving statues phillipines carving art. With jason scott lee, esai morales, sandrine holt, eru potaka dewes. Rapa nui representatives visit british museum to discuss.