{"id":2163,"date":"2020-12-01T16:29:41","date_gmt":"2020-12-01T16:29:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=2163"},"modified":"2021-03-18T10:54:08","modified_gmt":"2021-03-18T10:54:08","slug":"rapa-nui-the-birthplace-of-the-moai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/rapa-nui-the-birthplace-of-the-moai\/","title":{"rendered":"Rapa Nui: the birthplace of the moai"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Rano Raraku<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Because the moai<\/em> of Rapa Nui represent real people, each has a different expression<\/span><\/strong>, something that becomes obvious the more you study them. But they were all \u2018born\u2019 of the same place, carved from the rock of the volcano, Rano Raraku. Its compressed volcanic ash, tuft, is soft and easy to carve \u2013 essential, as the natives had no metal to carve with, only stone tools.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But to call Rano Raraku the moai<\/em> quarry, as many do, is in some ways misleading as it was more than that, serving as both quarry and workshop. The moai<\/em> were not only carved out of the rock here; most of the more detailed work was also done in situ. When the moai<\/em> culture came to an end, all work ceased and nearly 400 in varying states of completeness were abandoned here. Today they litter the slopes, many partly buried in the surrounding soil, like a sort of Rapa Nui Marie Celeste.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The carvers would carve out the basic shape of the statue, horizontally in the rock, then sculpt the face. They then chiselled around and beneath until the statue could be separated from the rock, before levering it into a pit lined with wood and bark (for protection). This enabled them to reach and carve the back of the head. Finer details, such as the eye sockets, were completed once the moai<\/em> were placed on their ahu<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once carved the moai<\/em> had to be transported to the various ceremonial sites around the island. These could be many kilometres away, possibly because it was believed that it was only when the moai had eyes that their power was activated. As with most aspects of this culture, various theories have been mooted as to how this was done. Early scientific thinking was that they were moved on giant tree trunk rollers while lying on their backs. Most though now agree that it is more likely that they were transported in a vertical position, possibly on wooden sledges lying on rollers.<\/p>\n\n\n