AMNH Hall of Pacific Peoples: Polynesia
EASTER ISLAND--MOAI STATUES
The small island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the southeastern Pacific Ocean is world-famous for its towering statues known as moai, like the one you see here. Residents of the island constructed them hundreds of years ago to honor ancestors.
Rapa Nui society was largely isolated until the arrival of Dutch explorers in 1722. During the late 1800s, some moai statues and other cultural objects were taken to museums around the world. The moai you see here is a model of a statue that is still on the island today.
No Mystery Here!
Outsiders sometimes speak of the "mysteries of Easter Island", suggesting that no one knows who made the moai statues. Not true! As the Rapanui people have long known and archaeologists have confirmed, the makers were the creative, adaptable residents of the Island. Worshippers likely saw the moai as providers of sacred power (mana).
Moai Ancestor Figures
More that 880 moai were made by the people of Rapa Nui to honor their ancestors. They were placed on platforms where ceremonies were performed in front of them to honor ancestors and chiefs.
Who made them? Carvers on the island of Rapa Nui
When? Between 1200 and 1830 CE
How? Moai were carved out of stone. Then, teams of Rapanui people moved them to platforms near the sea using a variety of methods depending on the terrain. One method may have been to hover the moai upright, then pull on ropes to rock them from side to side to "walk" the statues along.
How heavy? Nearly 14 tons on average (2.5 metric tonnes)
How tall? 13 feet (4 meters) on average
What are they made of? Typically a volcanic rock known as tuff
Museum Moai
This moai figure is based on a plaster cast of a small statue found on the inner slope of the volcanic crater Rano Raraku.
Who made it? Toshio Asaeda, artist on the Museum's Templeton Crocker Pacific Expedition
When? 1935
How heavy? Less than 1 ton (900 kilograms)
What is it made of? Varnished plaster
AMNH Hall of Pacific Peoples: Polynesia
EASTER ISLAND--MOAI STATUES
The small island of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) in the southeastern Pacific Ocean is world-famous for its towering statues known as moai, like the one you see here. Residents of the island constructed them hundreds of years ago to honor ancestors.
Rapa Nui society was largely isolated until the arrival of Dutch explorers in 1722. During the late 1800s, some moai statues and other cultural objects were taken to museums around the world. The moai you see here is a model of a statue that is still on the island today.
No Mystery Here!
Outsiders sometimes speak of the "mysteries of Easter Island", suggesting that no one knows who made the moai statues. Not true! As the Rapanui people have long known and archaeologists have confirmed, the makers were the creative, adaptable residents of the Island. Worshippers likely saw the moai as providers of sacred power (mana).
Moai Ancestor Figures
More that 880 moai were made by the people of Rapa Nui to honor their ancestors. They were placed on platforms where ceremonies were performed in front of them to honor ancestors and chiefs.
Who made them? Carvers on the island of Rapa Nui
When? Between 1200 and 1830 CE
How? Moai were carved out of stone. Then, teams of Rapanui people moved them to platforms near the sea using a variety of methods depending on the terrain. One method may have been to hover the moai upright, then pull on ropes to rock them from side to side to "walk" the statues along.
How heavy? Nearly 14 tons on average (2.5 metric tonnes)
How tall? 13 feet (4 meters) on average
What are they made of? Typically a volcanic rock known as tuff
Museum Moai
This moai figure is based on a plaster cast of a small statue found on the inner slope of the volcanic crater Rano Raraku.
Who made it? Toshio Asaeda, artist on the Museum's Templeton Crocker Pacific Expedition
When? 1935
How heavy? Less than 1 ton (900 kilograms)
What is it made of? Varnished plaster