Moai of Rapa Nui
The moai embody the knowledge and social organisation of the Rapanui and remain meaningful to their descendants. Simple narratives of self-inflicted collapse fail to do justice to a complex history that includes colonial disruption and slave-raiding.
Photo: Ian Sewell · CC BY 2.5 · Wikimedia Commons
Facts
- Place
- Rano Raraku, Rapa Nui, Chile
- Civilisation / patron
- Rapanui, Polynesian society
- Built
- c. 1250 – 1500
- Status
- Ruins
- UNESCO World Heritage since
- 1995
- UNESCO World Heritage
History
The people of Rapa Nui carved monumental ancestral figures, mostly from the volcanic tuff of Rano Raraku. Many statues were brought to ceremonial platforms, while unfinished examples remained in the quarry. The moai were connected with ancestry, ritual and local communities; their transport methods are studied archaeologically. Many statues were later toppled and some have been re-erected, while erosion and fire threaten the heritage.
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Sources: Wikipedia — Moai van Rapa Nui