{"id":3203,"date":"2021-01-15T16:50:50","date_gmt":"2021-01-15T16:50:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/?p=3203"},"modified":"2021-02-05T17:29:02","modified_gmt":"2021-02-05T17:29:02","slug":"the-birdmen-of-rapa-nui","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/toonsarah-travels.blog\/staging\/the-birdmen-of-rapa-nui\/","title":{"rendered":"The Birdmen of Rapa Nui"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After the deforestation of Rapa Nui, and the destruction of the moai<\/em>, probably as a result in part at least of war between the tribes, the people needed to believe in something; if their ancestors could no longer protect them, who would? The answer was, one of their own.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he had to be the best choice, one of whom the god Make Make would approve. In order to select the \u2018right man for the job\u2019, the people organised a competition to collect the first sooty tern egg of the season from the rocky islet of Motu Nui, which lies off the south-western tip of the island near the ceremonial village of Orongo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Rocky
Motu Nui and other islets<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"Rocky<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Each potential Birdman, typically the leader of a family group or clan, would nominate the strongest young warrior of their group as Hopu Manu. He was to compete in a race to swim out to the islet, collect the first egg, swim back and climb the 250m cliff face to present the egg intact to their clan elder. But it was not the successful competitor himself who became the Birdman or Tangata Manu<\/em> for the year, but he who had nominated him, the elder of his clan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Birdman he was regarded as the fount of all wisdom for the year of his reign; he would make all the major decisions for the island. But the \u2018job\u2019 was not without its privations, as he had to live in seclusion for the whole year. He shaved his head and grew his finger nails; the traditional wood-carvings of the island show birdmen with very elongated fingers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Orongo<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The village of Orongo was inhabited only in the days before the Birdman ceremony, during the month of September. This is springtime in this part of the world, when the sooty terns lay their eggs. The participants (clan chiefs, competitors and family members) stayed in specially built houses in three groups, facing the sea. They are constructed from the volcanic basalt of Rano Kau, the volcano on whose rim the village is perched, on a narrow strip between the edge of the crater and the sea cliff. The roofs are covered with grass and there is only one opening. Both door and house are very low and it is impossible to stand up inside. But as the houses were used only for sleeping that wouldn\u2019t have been a problem. The design is ideal to withstand the strong winds that blow across the cliffs in winter.<\/p>\n\n\n