Easter Island

The Heritage and its Conservation Galapagos Islands

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ANTARCTICA WORLD MONUMENTS FUND

Based in New York City, the World Monuments Fund is the only private, non-profit organization that sponsors worldwide preservation activities. Its goal is to bring together public and pri­ vate support to assure the survival of the world's most outstanding artistic and architectural treasures. This work focuses on the restoration of monuments and works of art that are in danger of loss or destruction. Through funding from its membership and philanthropic sponsors, WMF contributes technical and financial support to help save these works. WMF also supports research, training and advocacy activities as they relate to the restoration and safeguarding of monuments and sites. WMF's Easter Island program was initially supported by the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation and is now sustained by the Willard and Ruth Somerville Bequest.

World Monuments Fund 174 East 80th Street New York, N.Y. 10021 Easter Island

The Heritage and its Conservation

A. Elena Charola

Future of the Past • I

Published by World Monuments Fund with support from the Willard and Ruth Somerville Bequest ISBN 0-9627931-4-0 ©Copyright 1994 World Monuments Fund All Rights Reserved Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 4

Foreword 5

Introduction 9

The World Monuments Fund 11 on Easter Island

Historical Overview 15

The Monuments of Easter Island 33

The Preservation of Easter Island's 43 Monuments

Appendix I: The Archaeological 58 Elements of Easter Island

Appendix II: Glossary 65

Appendix III: Bibliography 66

Easter Island's Key Sites 68 Acknowledgments

Many friends and colleagues have con­ tributed directly or indirectly to the completion of this book.

To be mentioned first is Gonzalo Figueroa, to whom I am indebted for devoting so much of his valuable time to revisions and corrections of this text.

I owe quite as much to Georgia Lee for her enthusiastic support and willingness to read the manuscript in all its versions as well as for answering my innumerable questions at all points.

The critical comments and worthwhile information supplied by José Miguel Ramirez, Carlos Weber, Angel Cabeza and Javier Labra of CONAF, Chile, are gratefully acknowledged. Also to be mentioned are the helpful suggestions by Monica Bahamondez of the Centro Nacional de Conservación y Restau­ ración, Santiago de Chile.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my husband, Ruben V. Gianzone, for his discriminating review of the work and his untiring patience and encourage­ ment.

A. Elena Charola New York City Foreword

"Austerosperfiles de cráter labrado, ...rostros de dura miel silenciosas campanas cuyo sonido se fue hacia el mar para no regresar."

Pablo Neruda "La Rosa Separada" (1973) Poem XII, La isla

Easter Island's location in the midst of state, as well as a society that appeared the South Pacific is so remote that the primitive and disorganized. This gave almost miraculous arrival of the first rise to all kinds of speculation and more discoverers must have been accidental. or less fantastic interpretations, which For those navigators in their frail canoes dissociated the great works found there the island represented salvation; later it from the human reality present at the became homeland and lifelong prison. time. It is astonishing that this small human group, in such an insignificant territory Ethnographic information gathered lost in the great ocean, should develop since the end of the last century, and one of the most extraordinary cultures extensive archaeological excavations car­ on the planet. ried out during the middle of the present century, have shed some light on this It is generally believed that man's great­ enigma: the people seen by the first est creations have occurred in geo­ Europeans in the 18th century were inti­ graphic areas of large population, with mately connected to those extraordi­ the merging of the ideas and inventions nary creations, but they were suffering a of many people. Nonetheless, on Easter decadence of sorts. As a consequence of Island spectacular advances were made, internal wars stemming from the impov­ such as the development of a written lan­ erishment of the environment caused by guage that has no parallel in the rest of inadequate or excessive exploitation of the world, and the creation of innumera­ the natural resources, the grandiose ble sculpted and architectural stone work of the natives' ancestors had been works of great size and quality. interrupted and was beginning to be destroyed. Investigations also indicate The ruins and monuments of this culture that once the original group of immi­ have such importance that they turn the grants arrived, undoubtedly from East­ whole island into an open-air museum - ern Polynesia, the island was probably perhaps the richest in proportion to its never again visited by new groups, from size - with its great sanctuaries (ahu) and that area or any other. It is still not possi­ its colossal statues (moai), which stand ble to be precise about the origin and on the a.hu or on the slopes of the vol­ arrival date of the first Polynesians, but cano that served as quarry. it is probable that they came from the Marquesas Islands, or perhaps from the Society Islands, and that their arrival The European explorers who rediscov­ occurred toward the middle of the first ered this island, some 13 centuries after millennium of our era. the ancient Polynesians, found these statues and other structures in a ruined

5

FOREWORD

'Severe profiles from the carved crater, ...faces of hardened honey, silent bells whose sound went out to sea and never returned. "

Pablo Neruda "La Rosa Separada" (1973) Opposite: Bas-relief carving on the back of the Poem XII, La Isla moai at Ahu Naunau. translated by William O'Daly

Therefore, until the 18th century, their solving the serious conservation prob­ singular culture was developed only from lems presented by most of these works of the ideas and elements the original group art and structures in stone. The moai, in brought with them. The fundamental particular, constitute the most critical mystery regarding the exceptional cre­ case due to the destructive force of atmo­ ativity of these people in extreme isola­ spheric and biologic factors acting on the tion from outside influence remains volcanic tuff out of which they are unanswered. The enigma has important carved. But the most challenging conser­ theoretical implications in relation to the vation effort regards the preservation of conditions that are considered determi­ all this heritage within its natural context. nants for human creativity and for the development of cultures in general. The text presented here by Dr. A. Elena Charola, internationally recognized for In spite of all the advances made through her work in conservation, provides an ex­ research, no one had seriously contem­ cellent synthesis of the current knowl­ plated the conservation of the monu­ edge on this heritage, its characteristics mental heritage of Easter Island until and history within its natural and cultur­ some three decades ago. The notion al context. The text is the product of was originally considered by the dis­ years of labor and study, and it offers the tinguished American archaeologist interested reader a vision of a specialist William Mulloy, who devoted to the on the subject. It is hoped that it will con­ island the best efforts of his life. The tribute to creating a worldwide con­ excavations and restorations of several sciousness of the urgency of establishing ceremonial centers that he carried out a general and permanent conservation in the '60s and '70s raised the general program in which both institutions and awareness of both the islanders and highly qualified experts will participate. the rest of the world in regard to the It is the duty of all of us to safeguard this appearance of these magnificent monu­ important heritage for future humanity. ments, which had been destroyed during the internal wars of the ancient island society. Gonzalo Figueroa G.-H. Santiago de Chile The restorations carried out by Profes­ sor Mulloy, and those carried out subse­ quently, provide a sufficient illustration of the appearance and original character­ istics of these constructions. Now the moment has come to concentrate on

7 •*v i

ft.

w . < Introduction

Opposite: Motu Tautara, on the west coast of the island, as seen from the Ana Kekenga cave, usually referred to as the "two windows cave."

In the middle of the South Pacific, several establishment of man on the island, his thousand kilometers west of the coast sociocultural development and his inter­ of Chile, is the most isolated inhabited action with a relatively poor environment piece of land on earth: Easter Island. It over more than a millennium. was given this name by the Dutch com­ mander Jacob Roggeveen, who first During that time the culture became sighted it on Easter Sunday, 1722. In the sophisticated enough to create the mega- 19th century natives from other Polyne­ lithic monuments, simultaneously sian islands called it Rapa Nui, the big bringing about a serious ecological crisis. Rapa, by comparison with the smaller This led to intertribal wars and an over­ Rapa island. Although local tradition has turning of the social system, in which it that the island was never given a proper the original cult of the ancestors was name, a common legend tells that when replaced by the birdman cult. The strug­ settlers arrived on the island, King Hotu gle for survival continued for nearly two Matu'a called it Te Pito 'o te Henua, the centuries during which the environment navel of the earth. This example of con­ remained impoverished. The discovery tradictory information serves to illustrate of the island by Europeans had a tremen­ the complexity that is typical of the dous influence over the settlers and their Rapanui culture. surroundings.

The island is famous for its huge statues Today there is an increasing awareness and the mystery that surrounds them, worldwide of the need to safeguard the a mystery that originated largely with the heritage of this unique culture. The pres­ first reports of the European explorers ervation of the monuments, symbols who discovered and visited it in the 18th of the Rapanui heritage, can be achieved century. It was incomprehensible successfully only if they remain in their to them how these enormous sculptures original context. This is essential for the and monuments could have been fash­ relatively small island, in which monu­ ioned by an apparently primitive people. ments and environment arc so much a part of each other. Only thus can the To reach a better understanding of the magic of Easter Island be maintained. mysteries of the island, one must review the history of its culture, which devel­ oped without contact with the outside world. This begins, of course, with the geological formation of the island and the evolution of flora and fauna. The history continues with the arrival and 10 The World Monuments Fund on Easter Island

Opposite: Head of a moat on temporary exhibition at the Seagram Building in New York City. (photo: WMF Archive)

Colonel James A. Gray, founder of the Patrick McCoy. The latter was also Building in New York. (A friend told World Monuments Fund (originally assigned to begin the complete archaeo­ me, some 20 years later, that he remem­ called International Fund for Monu­ logical survey of the island. bered the exhibition well and that, in his ments), visited Easter Island in the early opinion, "The Seagram Building never 1970s. He traveled there at the invitation This work was interrupted when Mulloy looked better!") The operation bore of United States Ambassador Edward fell ill and died of cancer in 1978. He fruit some 25 years later, when a wealthy Korry, whom he had met shortly before remains, even today, the towering figure doctor from New Jersey, who had in Ethiopia, where the newly established of Easter Island archaeology. No one has become interested in Easter Island after WMF was carrying out its first field contributed so much to our knowledge seeing the installation in New York, left project, the conservation of the rock- of the island and its culture. Mulloy was a bequest of nearly half a million dollars hewn Coptic churches at Lalibela. also a proselytizer. He wanted to com­ to WMF to support conservation work Ambassador Korry had been the U.S. municate his interest and passion for the on the island. diplomatic representative in Ethiopia special quality of the island's culture prior to his reassignment to Chile. From to as many people as possible. His field Before he died, Mulloy recommended Chile, he contacted the Colonel and report of April 1973, for example, sug­ that no further reconstructions should invited him to come and see the coun­ gests restoring a ceremonial site near the be carried out, as the destruction of these try's extraordinary monuments. village and airport so that visitors, many sites during internecine warfare is part of whom stayed for only a few hours of the island's history. In planning a pro­ During his visit, Colonel Gray learned during layovers to and from Tahiti, gram to succeed Mulloy's research and that an American archaeologist at the could better appreciate the culture. interpretative work, WMF has decided University of Wyoming, Dr. William to focus its efforts on conserving existing Mulloy, had recently completed a de­ During his visit to the island, the Colo­ conditions rather than re-erecting more tailed report at the request of UNESCO nel also concluded that the culture ceremonial sites. on the conservation of the island's heri­ needed more public exposure. He felt tage, and had already restored an ahu that the only way to interest people in For the last 10 years, with the means complex. He contacted Professor the lessons of this astonishing culture provided by the Willard and Ruth Som- Mulloy, and a bond was forged between was for them to see its sculpture first­ erville bequest, WMF has sponsored a the two of them. WMF's Vice Chairman hand. In order to accomplish this, Gray program of on-site conservation re­ H. Peter Stern visited the island at that and Mulloy began planning for an exhi­ search and training, in cooperation with time and developed a special interest in bition of one of the Easter Island colos­ several Chilean and international institu­ its culture. He arranged for support sal sculptures in the United States. They tions. In 1986, WMF collaborated with from the Ralph E. Ogden Foundation to selected the head of a moai for interna­ ICCROM and CONAF, the Chilean park permit Dr. Mulloy to work on the island tional exhibition and, assisted by the service, in sponsoring a training course for six months out of every year. For United States Airforce, arranged to have on the island for its park rangers, led by five years beginning in 1973, three major it flown to the U.S. During 1968, the park managment expert Carlos Weber, projects were carried out by Mulloy, his head of the moai was erected for tempo­ stone conservation scientist A. Elena collaborator Gonzalo Figueroa, and his rary exhibition before the Pan American Charola and site conservator Nicholas graduate students William Ayres and Union in Washington and at the Seagram Stanley Price. In 1987, an interdiscipli-

11 12 WMF ON EASTER ISLAND

1. Dr. William Mulloy ivith moat head at Tongariki. (photo: George Holton) 2. North wing of Ahu Ko Te Riku after Mulloy's restoration, (photo: William Mulloy) 3. The moai head during its travels. (photo: WMF Archive)

nary international meeting was orga­ This is due in part to the Chilean gov­ dents received basic human and consti­ nized in Santiago de Chile in collabo­ ernment's complex situation on Easter tutional rights only in 1965. Until then, ration with ICCROM, CONAF and Island due to the overlapping jurisdic­ the island was viewed as a resource to DIBAM, the Chilean organization tion of different ministries. Bizarre activ­ exploit in any way possible. It is in a responsible for museums, to establish ities, including a motorcycle gymkhana, way fortunate that the island's monu­ priorities in the conservation of the heri­ occur with a regularity that confounds mental heritage is so large and numer­ tage of Easter Island. Since then, Charola and frustrates the worldwide friends of ous; otherwise, it would be totally has directed WMF's collaborative activi­ the island's culture. These events are rel­ dispersed around the world today as ties with the Centro de Restauración in atively innocuous, however, compared is the rest of the island's archaeological Santiago to monitor conditions in the to the narrowly averted threat, a few patrimony! As it is, we must weigh care­ Ana Kai Tangata cave and to capture and years ago, that a major hotel complex fully the decisions we make, which will computerize unpublished research; and might be built on Easter Island's only significantly affect the health of the with the Chilean Park Service to develop beach (and adjacent to one of the island's island and its culture as it enters this an archaeological management plan, most important sites). Even the visits new era of increased communication and publish a guide, and prepare a training of tourists, which provide most of the contact with the outside world. manual for site workers and guides. And island's income, pose a threat unless presently, WMF is collaborating with the island is better equipped to maintain The present volume is a fascinating over­ the Easter Island Foundation in the and guard its sites to prevent uninten­ view of the island's heritage and the chal­ republication of Mulloy's field reports, tional damage. lenges to be faced in maintaining it. which remain key documents for all We hope it will enhance the appreciation researchers on the island. As of this writing, Easter Island has and enjoyment of every visitor who uses no permanent conservator or the facili­ it as a guide and resource, as well as In 1988, WMF organized an international ties required for a constant monitoring every reader who hopes someday to see scientific competition for papers on the of the sculptures. A chronic shortage this remarkable place firsthand. I am conservation of volcanic tufts, following of park rangers makes it impossible to sure that every reader will be grateful to the recommendations of the 1987 meet­ oversee all the activities that affect its Dr. Charola for her unflagging and zeal­ ing. This concluded in a specialized archaeological heritage. In spite of ous crusade to make Easter Island work­ meeting on the island which convened repeated recommendations by experts able as a protected but vital human international stone experts to comment and extensive preliminary work by the environment. on the problems faced by its heritage government, Chile has not yet placed today. From this meeting came the rec­ Easter Island on the World Heritage ommendation that a master plan be List, which would afford some protec­ Bonnie Burnham established and implemented over 10 tion and further prestige. Executive Director years to bring the sensitive conservation problems of the island into a state of And yet, one must keep in mind the fact balance. Sadly, some four years later, that Easter Island's recognition as one there has been little progress toward the of the world's greatest cultural treasures realization of this scheme. is of very recent vintage. Rapa Nui resi­

13 14 Historical Overview

1. The cliffs of the Poike peninsula, seen from beyond Tongariki. PACIFIC OCEAN 2. Rainbow over Anakena. J. The sea-eroded cliffs on the east side of the Rano Raraku volcano. 4. Cliffs near the southwest coast of the island. Karikari

The Origin of the Island in the collapse of the central cone and originated from lava tubes, in which the the formation of a caldera, which holds a outer layer of a lava flow hardens while Easter Island, at 27°09'S and 109°26'W fresh-water lake. the liquid interior drains away, leaving in the South Pacific, lies some 4,000 kilo­ an empty tunnel. Caves in the cliffs and meters west of Santiago, Chile, and The island's characteristic rolling land­ around the seashore may also have been about the same distance from Tahiti, in scape was created by many other subsid­ formed by waves eroding the softer lava French Polynesia, the two endpoints of iary volcanoes. Among these are Rano strata from between denser strata. the air route that serves the island. The Raraku, whose south slope served as the closest land is the small, uninhabited quarry for most of the statues on the The porous nature of the lava, as well island of Sala y Gomez, 415 kilometers island; Puna Pau, the source for the red as the island's many caves, prevents the to the east; the closest inhabited land scoria used to carve the topknots for the formation of creeks or watercourses, is Pitcairn Island, 2,200 kilometers to the statues; and Maunga Orito, which pro­ since rainwater is immediately absorbed northwest. vided much of the obsidian used in tools by the ground; a few springs, however, and arms. Obsidian was also quarried at are found near the north coast. There are With a surface of about 166 square kilo­ Motu 'Iti, one of three islets off the only three lakes where rainwater accu­ meters, the island is the summit of an southwest tip of the island. mulates: the craters of Rano Kau, Rano underwater volcanic complex that was Raraku and Rano Aroi. formed primarily through the eruption The high cliffs that frame most of Easter of three volcanoes - Terevaka, Poike and Island speak of the intensity of the wave Rano Kau - which determined its trian­ action that has eroded them. On the Climate gular shape. The longest coast runs for south side of the Rano Kau volcano, about 24 kilometers from the east point, marine erosion has reached the edge of Easter Island's oceanic subtropical where the Poike volcano is located, to the crater itself; this thin edge, called climate has moderate temperature varia­ the southwest point, where the Rano Karikari, is over 200 meters high. The tions, with a yearly average of about Kau volcano is found. same phenomenon formed the cliffs of 20°C and a minimum and maximum the southeast side of the Rano Raraku average of 15.5°C and 27.3°C, respective­ Mount Terevaka, at the north corner of volcano, which stood by the sea until a ly. Winds are everpresent. During spring, the island, is its highest point, rising 500 lava flow from Terevaka filled the area summer and autumn (September to meters above sea level. It is the youngest around it. Though several bays and May) the southeast tradewinds (ESE) are of the three main volcanoes, with its last coves are found between the cliffs, only dominant, while in winter (June to major activity dating to approximately two small beaches, Anakena and Ovahe, August) they blow from the north- 10,000 years ago and its most recent lava formed on the north coast. northwest. The annual rainfall is 1,130 flows to 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. Most millimeters at Hangaroa, but it can vary of the island was formed from the lava The soil, which is still covered in most significantly - about 30 percent - from flows of this volcano. Poike is the oldest places by lava debris, was formed by the year to year and from area to area on the volcano, dating from approximately decomposition of the various volcanic island. The rain tends to fall mainly in three million years ago; and Rano Kau rocks. Caves and caverns can be found showers rather than storms, and most had a complex eruption history ending throughout the island. Many of these frequently in May and June.

15 16 1. Totora reed (Scirpus californicus), locally known as ngaatu, growing in the crater lake of the Rano Raraku volcano. 2. The flower of the tanoa (Ipomoea pes-caprae), the indigenous morning glory-like creeper growing on the Tonganki site J. Partial view of the Rano Raraku volcano lake from the edge of the crater, showing the eastern cliffs. 4. General view of the rolling landscape of the island. In the distance (center) is the restored Ahu Akivi.

The Original Landscape But extremely few specimens of these herons, two types of rails, two types of indigenous plants remain on the island: parrots, and barn owls. The two lizard The gently sloping grasslands and occa­ six hauhau trees, three poporo bushes, species now on the island, moko uruuru sional wooded areas of the present-day a few ngaoho and pua nakonako shrubs kahu (Lepidodactylus lugubris) and island are the result of centuries of inter­ and only two small toromiro trees, both moko uriuri (Ablepharus boutonii), are action between man and the environ­ of them cultivated abroad and reintro­ widely found throughout the Pacific ment. Many studies have been carried duced to the island. The ngaatu, or islands; they may have arrived indepen­ out to provide an accurate picture of what totora reed (Scirpus californicus), and the dently or with the first men. the island looked like at the time the first tavari (Polygonum acuminatum), a type inhabitants arrived: covered with bushes of bistort that grows in the crater lakes, and grasslands, it also had some wooded are indigenous plants that have survived The Arrival of Man areas with palms and other trees; ferns, the influence of man. Another such lichens and mosses were found in shady plant, the tanoa (Ipomoea pes-caprae), Current scholarship holds that the first areas. a morning glory-like creeper with white and only settlers of Easter Island came to violet flowers, is still found along the from the Marquesas Islands, approxi­ Of the flora indigenous to the island, the seashore. (It was especially visible at mately 3,400 kilometers to the north­ endemic palm tree niu (Paschalococos Tonganki before the reconstruction of west. The archaeological, linguistic and disperta), now extinct, is thought to have the ahu, or ceremonial structure, began botanical evidence seems to corroborate been similar to the Chilean palm (Jubaea at this site.) Nonetheless, most of the the oral tradition that tells how the leg­ chilensis). The presence of several now- vegetation around the island's coasts and endary king Hotu Matu'a, on leaving his extinct small trees and bushes (of the cliffs has not changed significantly since home island of Hiva, sailed toward the Coprosma species) and daisy trees (Com- it is still mainly composed of the indige­ rising sun. The Polynesians had remark­ positae) has also been identified from nous grass (Paspalum forsterianum) and able navigational skills, colonizing the pollen analysis. Other indigenous plants the coastal fern Asplenium obtusatum. islands by making long, single voyages include the endemic toromiro (Sophora carrying people, food, plants and ani­ toromiro), a mimosa-like tree that grows The fauna, like its flora, was poor in mals in catamaran-style vessels - two up to three meters high; and the hauhau species in comparison with that of other thin canoes joined by a wide platform, (Triumfetta semitriloba), a small tree Pacific islands. Apart from insects, mol- with triangular sails. whose bark was used to provide fiber for lusks and sea animals like turtles, octo­ ropes and fishing nets. Among the main puses, lobsters and dolphins, the animal Based on the available archaeological bushes are the ngaoho (Caesalpinia population was mainly limited to mi­ data, the most probable hypothesis is major), a prickly shrub that has fragrant grating seabirds - like the albatross, the that there was only one colonization yellow flowers; the poporo (Solarium for- frigate bird and several species of petrels of Easter Island and that this occurred, steri), a small, hairy shrub that produces and terns - which no longer go there due judging from radio-carbon datings, edible berries; and the pua nakonako to man's hunting and interference with around the fourth or fifth century A.D. (Lycium carolinianum), which also pro­ their breeding grounds. Recent archaeo­ According to legend, between 100 and duces edible bright red berries. logical studies have found evidence that 400 settlers arrived at the island with there were at least six land-bird species: Hotu Matu'a, landing at Anakena beach.

17 IS /. Anakena beach, where Hotu MatH 'a is said to have landed. 2. and 3. The Te Pahu cave, formed by a lava tunnel. Some parts of the roof tunnel broke down, leaving open pits that were used as "natural" manavai for planting.

The settlers brought with them seeds, used for carving; and naunau, a sandal­ ritory was occupied by clans which later tubers, plants and animals. Chickens, wood that no longer grows on the island. formed the Hotu'iti group. Each clan pigs and dogs were usually taken along originated from a son or grandson of on such voyages, but apparently neither Except for the cultivated plants kumara, Hotu Matu'a and was made up of a pigs nor dogs survived the trip. The taro, maika and toa, few specimens, if number of ure, which are lineages in chickens, being the only surviving any, remain of these introduced plants. anthropological terms but which the domestic animal, played an important Only two uhi plants, as well as some ti Rapanui identify as tribes. Each ure, role in the island's economy. Also, plants, are known to be growing in pri­ composed of a group of extended fami­ whether intentionally or not, the settlers vate gardens, though some specimens lies (ivi), had its own ceremonial center. brought with them the Polynesian rat, of the latter plant still grow in the wild. kio'e (Rattus concolor). Kaha plants grow only in cultivation. The social structure was based on a reli­ ~Nopua plant has been found in the last gious aristocracy. The king (ariki mau Among the plants introduced by the 80 years, and only a few non-fruiting or ariki henua), thought to be of direct settlers were kumara, a sweet potato specimens of marikuru have been seen. descent from the gods, was of the Miru (Ipomoea batata) with 25 varieties; taro Most of the large mako'i trees have been clan. He had mana, supernatural powers, (Colocasia escalenta), which provided cut down to use the wood for carvings and thus had influence over life and an edible root; uhi (Dioscorea sp.), a sold to tourists. Though mahute is still death and the fertility of plants and ani­ yam, which, judging from the many fairly common, it is cut so that it looks mals. Only he could perform the impor­ varietal names, was widely available; like a shrub. tant ceremonies, and he was separated kaha, a gourd (Lagenaria aceraría); from the rest of the population through maika, banana (Musa sapientum); toa, strict laws of tapu, the forbidden. All sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum); ti Social Development this gave him the authority and prestige (Cordyline terminalis), an agave whose necessary to maintain such a highly reg­ sweet rhizome could be eaten cooked Legend has it that Hotu Matu'a divided ulated system. and whose leaves provided a colored the island, which he called Te Pito 'o te substance for tattooing; and pua, tur­ Henua (the navel, center or end of the The royal family (arikipaka) and the meric (Curcuma longa), which also pro­ earth) into two parts: the Kote Mata Nui priests (ivi 'atua) constituted the nobil­ vided a dye. to the north and west, and the Kote Mata ity. The warriors (matato'a) followed in 'Iti to the east and south. Some bound­ importance, and then the crafts experts The trees introduced were mahute, ary markers (pipi horeko) can still be (maori), the heads of lineages (tangata paper mulberry (Broussonetia papy- found today. The north and west terri­ hónui), the common people (hurumanu) rifera), from whose bark a textile, tapa, tory was occupied by various clans and the servants or slaves (kio). could be fashioned; marikuru, soapberry named Miru (mata), which eventually tree (Sapindus saponaria), whose fruit formed the Tu'uaro group of clans. The could be used as an equivalent to soap word mata can also be translated as "ter­ Ceremonial and Living Centers because it contains saponins; mako'i ritory": in Polynesia no distinction is (Thespesia populnea), also known as made between the social group and the The heart of each group's ceremonial Oceanian rosewood, whose wood was land it occupies. The south and east ter­ center was the megalithic altar, or ahu,

19 20 1. Ahu Ko te Riku at the Tahai site features a good example of a "classical" moai. The pukao is a modern replica. There is no archaeological evidence that the statue had eyes; they were installed by the local com­ munity for the benefit of tourists. 2. Hare paenga at the Tahai site. The rectangular basalt stones that served as foundations (paenga,) had holes carved into them to hold the branches that formed the mainframe of the structure. 3. The ceremonial complex at Tahai includes three ahu: Ahu Vai Uri, with five moai (left); Ahu Tahai, with one moai (center); and Ahu Ko te Riku, with one moai with pukao (right).

which was dedicated to the cult of the served mainly for sleeping or as shelter Fishing was indirectly affected by this ancestors of each related group of fami­ from the rain. The only household goods deterioration, since the loss of trees cur­ lies. Often the ahu, a raised platform, were mats and blankets plaited from tailed the manufacture of boats for deep- held more than one statue, or moai, vegetable fibers, stone pillows (ngarua) sea fishing, which seems to have been representing the ancestors. Meetings or and gourds that were used to hold food practiced mainly on the north coast. ceremonies of any consequence - such and water. The disproportionate number of fish­ as initiation ceremonies, assemblies and hooks found along that coast confirms the great feasts to distribute harvests The houses of commoners were even the tradition that the Miru tribe had the and food - were held before the ahu and more simple, in most cases without rights to deep-sea fishing. The archaeo­ in front of the statues. During funerary foundation stones. Also used as dwell­ logical records of fish-hook types also rites, the dead body, wrapped in tapa ings were the caves and rock overhangs demonstrate a change from deep-sea cloth, was put on the ahu; it remained that abound on the island. The islanders fishing to shore fishing. A great variety there until it had decomposed, when the formed small settlements of two or of fish-hooks have been found that were bones were carefully washed and buried three houses by the fields in cultivation. used mainly for shore fishing. In shallow within the ahu structure in a stone- Each house was complemented by a water, such as that on the south coast, lined cavity (avanga). stone-lined earth oven (umupae). Other nets were also used to catch fish. features included garden enclosures The houses of the nobility were located (manavai) that protected plants from near the ahu, most of which were along water loss and wind exposure, and forti­ The Evolution of the Culture the shore, while those of the commoners fied structures that seem to have served were more inland. The houses (hare as chicken houses (bare moa), an indica­ Approximately three centuries passed paenga) were simple structures whose tion of the important role these animals before the construction of the first elliptical outlines, created by rectangular played in the local economy. important ceremonial centers, still to be basalt blocks, looked like upturned found on the island today: the centers boats. Rounded holes carved into the Houses with other types of floor plans at Tahai and Vinapu, which have been surface of the basalt blocks served to - square, rectangular or even circular - dated to around 700 A.D. hold the branches that formed the main­ are found mostly in the interior of the frame of the hut, which was then lined island, and from archaeological data we Like most of the moai on the island, the with banana leaves, palm leaves, or can conclude that they were used for statues on these ahu were carved on site thatch made from dried sugar-cane seasonal occupations related to particu­ at the Rano Raraku quarry. The job was leaves or tall grasses. The structure had lar tasks such as woodcutting. carried out by carving experts, tangata one narrow, low entrance and no win­ maori anga moai maea, who used mainly dows and sometimes had a semicircular Fields were cultivated intensively, and basalt picks or chisels (toki) for the pur­ front pavement of rounded cobbles archaeological data supports the theory pose. Almost all the details of the statues (poro). The houses measured, on average, that the burn-and-slash method was were carved with the stone still in the 10 to 15 meters in length and about two used to clear them, promoting ground quarry; the back side was finished at the meters in width, although some were as erosion and thereby diminishing the foot of the quarry, once the statue had long as 40 meters. These dwellings land available for cultivation. been released from its "bed."

21 11 Ahu Te Pito te Kura

RANO VQ RARAKU

1. Because the statues were lowered into pits, which over the centuries have filled with an accumulation of earth, only the heads remain above ground today. 2. View from the south of the Rano Raraku volcano, the location of the quarry from which most of the statues were carved. 3. A keel on the back of a moai keeps the statue attached to the bedrock in the Rano Raraku quarry.

According to island legend, the moai a topknot (pukao) on their head. The eventually led to a dwindling of the then walked from the quarry to the ahu pukao were carved from the red scoria island's natural resources, especially the of their destination. Although there is of the Puna Pau volcano and could scarce trees, which were required for the no record of how the moai were actually weigh as much as ten tons. It is assumed transport of the statues and for building moved, several different methods have that they represented the islanders' fishing boats, curtailing deep-sea fishing. been suggested, all of which may have hairdo, in which the hair was dyed with been used in different terrains or at dif­ red earth (kiea) and bunched on top of The palm tree became extinct; it was ferent times. William Mulloy suggested the head. over-harvested and, because its nuts that the statue, prone on its protruding were eaten by both humans and the front, was partly suspended from a verti­ A few of the statues were fitted with Polynesian rat, was not reseeded. The cal bipod, which served as a fulcrum for eyes as a finishing touch. Manufactured replacement of scrub forest by grass­ advancing the statue by rocking. Czech in white coral with red scoria or black lands and the slash-and-burn method engineer Pavel Pavel demonstrated that obsidian pupils, the eyes gave the statue of agriculture brought about the loss of a standing statue may have been moved its mana. fertile soils, which in turn caused a by tilting and swiveling by means of shortage in the food supply. ropes fastened around its head and base, The design of the statues evolved over requiring some 16 people to move it; time, eventually becoming more styl­ All of these developments combined to and Charles Love proved that when the ized, and the "classical" moai, like the bring about a crisis, which peaked in the statue was placed on two logs carved to one at Ahu Ko te Riku at Tahai, date 17th century. Food shortages provoked fit its base, and acting as sled runners from the 12th century. Over the years, intertribal wars, in which warriors over small wooden rollers such as palm- the statues became larger and larger, the acquired power by their control over tree trunks, the same number of people result of a highly competitive society in different tribes, breaking up the estab­ with only two ropes could move it far which the statue's size represented the lished order. The moai of the vanquished more quickly and efficiently. It has also power of the particular tribe. During tribes were toppled, the people taken been postulated that the statues were the period of intense moai carving, from prisoner. The ahu came to be used main­ mounted on rafts and floated along the the 11th to the 17th century, the ever- ly for burying purposes, and with this coast to their ahu. increasing manpower required to main­ change in function came a change in the tain the practice drained the natural ahu's shape; the semipyramidal ahu and The average statue measures four meters resources to such an extent that they the boat-shaped ahu (ahu poe-poe) origi­ and weighs an estimated 50 tons. The were no longer sufficient to sustain the nated at this time. largest statue set on an ahu is the Moai economic system. Paro at Ahu Te Pito te Kura, which is about 10 meters high and weighs an The Birdman Cult estimated 80 tons. The largest statue The Decline and Crisis left in the quarry measures close to 22 During the time of intertribal wars the meters, and calculations estimate its During the heyday of Easter Island cul­ ancient cult of the ancestors was over­ weight at about 250 tons. After being ture, the population increased to an esti­ shadowed by the ascendancy of the stood on their ahu, some statues received mated 7,000 to 10,000 inhabitants. This creator god Makemake and the cult of

23 24

i RANO \> R A R A K U

1. The south edge of the Rano Kau crater, called Karikari, which separates the interior lake from the sea. (photo: R.V. Gianzone) 2. View of the three motttfrom Orongo. 3. In the foreground of this view of the Orongo vil­ Orongo lage, part of the sacred precinct of Mata Ngarau can Motu Kaokao Mom 'Iti / Karikari he seen, (photo: R.V. Gianzone) Motu Nui Mata Ngarau

the birdman, Tangata Manu, who repre­ sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) and the gray- The Arrival of Europeans sented Makemake on earth. This new backed tern (Sterna lunata). Each candi­ cult was centered around the annual date had a servant (bopu), who swam to The first recorded European contact election of a birdman, held in early the islets, waited there until the birds laid with Easter Island was in 1722, when spring, with the arrival of the seabirds their eggs, took one and swam back. The Jacob Roggeveen, commander of the migrating to their nesting sites on the first hopu to present his master with an Dutch ship Afrikaansche Galei, sighted islets of Motu Nui, Motu Kaokao and egg determined the winner. The new the island and gave it its present name. Motu 'Iti, at the southwest corner of birdman then had his head shaved and Later in the 18th century, three other the island. The ceremony took place at painted white. For the next year the European expeditions touched the Orongo, on the edge of the Rano Kau birdman lived in a cave or a house, either island. The first was headed by the Span­ volcano. The priests, candidates and by Rano Raraku or by Anakena, depen­ ish captain Gonzalez y Haedo in 1770; members of the dominant clans lived in ding on which clan he belonged to. the second, four years later, by Captain a ceremonial village of stone houses built He was under a strict tapu, segregated Cook; and the last by Comte de La near the sacred precinct of Mata Ngarau, from his family, and his election gave his Perouse in 1786. The reports from these where stones are richly decorated with clan power and special privileges. These expeditions agree on the island's poor petroglyphs of birdmen, Makemake rep­ were often abused, however, leading vegetation and its lack of large trees; they resentations and vulva images (komari), to continuing intertribal fights. also describe the toromiro, mahute, important fertility symbols. The other marikuru and other smaller plants. participants gathered at the foot of the Orongo had been a sacred site ever since volcano by Mataveri. King Hotu Matu'a went there when he felt his death was near and, standing Slave Raids The houses that constitute what is now on Karikari, called to his family spirits called the Orongo village date from the (akuaku). The site is also thought to The year 1805 marked the beginning of mid-16th century. Looking toward the have been used for solstice-oriented a disastrous period for the Rapanui peo­ sea, they are roughly oval in shape and activities and other rituals many years ple and their culture. The New England are built with slabs of local stone (kebo), before the competitions of the birdman whaler The Nancy arrived that year and with roofs made of successive layers cult. kidnapped 22 islanders to settle them of large slabs cantilevered to produce an on Más Afuera island, of the Juan Fer­ arch. The arches are covered with dirt, Another site associated with the Orongo nandez archipelago, for seal hunting. and grass grows on them. Inside, some ceremonies was Ana Kai Tangata, which Several other kidnappings changed the of the houses are decorated with rock can be translated as "the cave where men relatively friendly approach the islanders art: paintings on the vertical wall slabs eat" or "the cave where men are eaten," had had toward Europeans, making it or the ceiling, or incised petroglyphs. a reference to the cannibalism that sup­ impossible for other expeditions to land posedly took place during the crisis at the island or forcing them to leave The arrival of the seabirds could be seen years. The cave was apparently used for soon after landing. Whaling ships occa­ from Orongo. The election of the bird- ceremonial feasts, and the ceiling is deco­ sionally arrived at the island; it is man was based on the retrieval of the rated with rock paintings depicting the believed that sailors aboard these ships first eggs laid by the manu tara, the manu tara. introduced syphilis to the Rapanui.

25 26 (¿\ Hangaroa

Ana Kai % Tangata Vaihu

Mataveri /. Rock painting o/manu tara at Ana Kai Tangata. ,¿=3^ RANO (photo: R.V. Gianzone) 2. The cave on the right is Ana Kai Tangata, located Karikari to the south of Hangaroa.

The slave raids escalated, culminating in they were surprised at the natives' lack tations in Tahiti belonging to John the raid of December 1862, when in a of interest in and knowledge of their Brander, an associate of Dutrou-Bornier. single incursion some 500 islanders were own history and lore. Only 175 islanders were left behind. taken away. Among them were the king, his son and most of the learned men, Eugene Eyraud, a layman of the Congre­ While flying the French flag, Dutrou- those with the knowledge to read and gation of the Sacred Heart, was the first Bornier established a Polynesian monar­ interpret the rongorongo, the Rapanui's European to settle on the island. He chy on the island and miserably original script, which was usually done arrived at the beginning of 1864 with exploited the remaining natives. Their on wooden tablets (kohou rongorongo) some islanders rescued from a Peruvian number had decreased to 111 by 1877, and is believed to have served as a mne­ ship. After a stay of less than a year, the year Dutrou-Bornier was murdered monic device for recitation of sacred during which he was stripped of all his as a result of his excesses. He was lore. The captives were sold as house­ goods by the Rapanui, he was rescued replaced by another associate of Brander, hold slaves or sent as workers for guano from his ordeal by passing missionaries. Alexander Salmon, who was more sym­ exploitation on the islands off the coast He returned with Father Hippolyte pathetic to native ways and introduced of Peru. Roussel in 1866, the same year that two many changes, including the raising of other priests arrived. From that date cattle and sheep. By 1886, when William It is estimated that between 1,000 and on, the conversion of the islanders pro­ Thomson of the USS Mohican carried 2,000 men, women and children were ceeded slowly but steadily. By 1868, out a survey of the island and its monu­ captured during these slave raids. Offi­ when Eyraud died, all the islanders had ments, the sheep numbered close to cial requests by the French and British been baptized. At about this time the last 20,000. governments to Peru resulted in the known birdman ceremony was held. liberation of the 100 surviving islanders. In spite of requests by the natives for Only 15 of those shipped back to the The work of the missionaries was inter­ protection under its sovereignty, France island arrived there, the rest having died rupted by the activities of Jean-Baptiste showed little interest in the island, and before the end of the journey from Dutrou-Bormer, a French adventurer. it was annexed by Chile in 1888. In a tuberculosis, smallpox or sheer exhaus­ When he arrived at the island he bought first attempt at colonization, three fami­ tion. a parcel of the best land at Mataveri from lies moved from the mainland to settle the natives and settled there. A group of on the island, but they could not survive The arrival of the returning slaves un­ islanders came to live with him, and his the local conditions. The situation was leashed a smallpox epidemic on the opposition to the work of the missionar­ further complicated by the 1891 revolu­ island, which reduced the population, ies led to war between his native allies tion in Chile, and during the last years estimated at around 4,000 at the begin­ and those settled with the missionaries at of the 19th century the government ning of the century, to about 1,000 by Hangaroa and Vaihu. In 1871, after three leased most of the island to H. Merlet 1866. This was the final blow for the years of skirmishes, the missionaries left of Valparaiso, Chile, who obtained the native culture, which by this time had by order of their superior. Several hun­ interests held on the island by the repre­ suffered the great loss of the learned dred Rapanui accompanied them to sentatives of Brander, Dutrou-Bornier people who guarded the traditions. Mangareva, one of the Gambier Islands. and Salmon. Only the village of Hanga­ When the missionaries arrived that year, Others were recruited to work on plan­ roa and its environs, approximately 21

27 28 1. The statue on Ahu Ature Huki in Anakena was re- erected by the local people at Heyerdahl's prompting in 1956. 2. View of Hangaroa and a ship in the bay. Because there is no harbor, ships are unloaded by smaller craft that pull into the wharf at Hangaroa.

square kilometers, remained the prop­ was given a new lease, this time for the out of their allotted land. Permits were erty of the Rapanui. Merlet sold his whole island, and with different terms. It required to leave the island, but few were interests to the Compañía Explotadora established, among other clauses, that given, partly due to fear of leprosy de Isla de Pascua (CEDIP). CEDIP was to prevent any further loss of transmission. Under naval rule the dis­ statues or other artifacts, to provide 30 ease began to be treated systematically. square kilometers around Hangaroa to The 20th Century be divided among the Rapanui and Thor Heyerdahl's well-known Norwe­ to provide a leprosarium to treat those gian Archaeological Expedition to the At the beginning of the 20th century the infected with leprosy, which had been island took place in 1955-56. Along with island was completely devoted to raising introduced to the island by a native important archaeological excavations, sheep. The practice of selective burning returning from Tahiti in the late 19th the expedition group restored Ahu to improve the pastoral value of the century. Ature Huki in Anakena, re-erecting the land, combined with the stripping of first moai on its ahu. Archaeologist bark from trees and bushes by the sheep, In 1933 the land surface of the island was William Mulloy, who participated in the managed to destroy the meager tree registered as state property and was offi­ Norwegian expedition, returned to and shrub cover. Thus did the toromiro cially placed under military jurisdiction, direct several investigations and site res­ become extinct; and only a few speci­ and in 1935 the island was designated torations in the 1960s and the mid-1970s. mens of the original trees, or those intro­ both a national park and a historic mon­ Also to be mentioned is the Canadian duced by the settlers, survived in the few ument. That same year, Father Sebastian Medical Expedition, which in the sum­ areas inaccessible to sheep. Englert arrived at the island, beginning mer of 1964-65 conducted a thorough a 33-year residence, during which he medical and scientific examination of the native population under the aegis of the According to press information at the contributed much toward recording World Health Organization. time, CEDIP managed its land along feu­ and documenting the cultural heritage dal lines, and natives were not allowed to of the Rapanui. The year before, a leave their assigned territory for fear that Franco-Belgian expedition had brought Meanwhile, the Rapanui were increas­ they would steal sheep and cattle. Their Alfred Métraux and Henri Lavachery to ingly dissatisfied with their treatment deteriorated living conditions led the the island; while Métraux gathered eth­ and began to demand their civil rights. Rapanui to a revolt in 1914, which nographic information, Lavachery docu­ Their unrest resulted in a public out­ increased public attention to their plight mented the petroglyphs found around break in 1964-65, which brought about and resulted in the temporary revocation the island. the designation of Easter Island as a of the lease to CEDIP in 1916. At the department within the province of Val­ time of the revolt, Katherine Routledge The lease to CEDIP was revoked in paraiso, the inauguration of a municipal was on the island documenting and col- 1953 and Chilean naval authorities took government system in Hangaroa and a \ecting information on native language over administrative control. The island­ revocation oí the ban on rvapanui leaving and legends. ers, who numbered about 1,000, were the island. still confined to Hangaroa; the navy In 1917 the island was included in the followed the same rule established by In 1965 an airfield was constructed at maritime territory of Valparaiso. CEDIP CEDIP forbidding the Rapanui to move Mataveri, and regular commercial flights

29 30 /. Moai at Plaza Hotu Matu 'a, at the end of Te Pito te Henua Street, set on a pedestal by Govenor Tejeda in 1938. Note that the moai is looking out to sea, instead of inland. 2. Fish market on Policarpo Toro Street. 3. Houses and fishing boats near the wharf at Hangaroa. (photo: R.V. Gianzone)

were landing there by 1967. That same year a NASA station was established on the island to track artificial earth satel­ lites; the U.S. military contingent associ­ ated with the station left the island in 1971. In 1986 the airport runway was extended to serve as an alternate landing for the U.S. space shuttle.

The original settlement at Hangaroa has grown into a small town of about 3,000 residents. Conditions have improved significantly over the last 30 years: in 1967 piped water supply was provided for the first time; in the early 1970s the village was fully electrified; and in late 1992 the paving of the main street, Te Pito te Henua, was completed. However, other problems, such as garbage disposal and increased vehicular traffic, have come along with the improvements. Pri­ marily because utilities would be too expensive to provide in more remote areas, Hangaroa remains the only urban center on the island. 32 The Monuments of Easter Island

Ahu Akahanga

Opposite: The moai at Ahu Huri a Urenga, which • Ahu Vinapu Orongo • Mulloy restored in 1972, has four hands.

Easter Island's most visible archaeologi­ decorated with petroglyphs or were wall appears to have been put into a pit cal heritage is its monuments: the ahu crudely painted. that was dug specifically for the statue. with moai, the moai still left in the Rano Raraku quarry, the pukao quarry, the One of the most interesting sites is Ahu Vinapu II, which is located beyond Orongo village and its richly decorated Akahanga, known for its connection Vinapu I, is older and is also astronomi­ ceremonial precinct, and the many with the Hotu Matu'a legend. The ahu, cally oriented. A headless red scoria petroglyphs found at various sites located toward the middle of the south statue, re-erected by Mulloy, stands in around the island. The ahu with their coast, is also called the King's Platform, front of the ahu. This supposedly female moai, some of them partially destroyed and the grave of Hotu Matu'a is said to figure originally had two heads, which during the islanders' internal wars and be nearby. The ahu clearly shows the are believed to have served as one end later abandoned for many years, are the various phases of its construction: it has of a device used to hold the wooden rods only remains of the many ceremonial four platforms, twelve moai of different that supported bodies of the deceased, centers that dotted this island centuries sizes and eight pukao. A boat ramp rises which were wrapped in tapa cloth and ago. from the adjacent bay. Inland from the left until they decomposed. It has also ahu the foundations of boat houses and been suggested that it was used as a col­ William Mulloy emphasized the impor­ earth ovens can be seen. umn for human sacrifices. tance of conserving this heritage as early as 1966, when he proposed the idea of Ahu Vinapu, on the west end of the Of the third ahu, which is found to the developing the island as an open-air south coast, includes three separate left of the path and is perhaps the earliest museum and undertook the restoration ahu. Vinapu I, the first ahu a visitor one, only a pile of stones remains. The of some of the ahu for that purpose. To will encounter to the right of the path, area around them was greatly disturbed appreciate the work involved in a resto­ is remarkable for its beautifully fitted by the installation of airport fuel tanks in ration we need to look at the ahu and stone wall, whose construction tech­ 1968-69. their toppled moai, left essentially as nique has been compared to that used they were when abandoned. Although in the stone walls at Cuzco and Machu Ahu Te Peu, midway along the west the ahu may have been left untouched Pichu in Peru. (The comparison is only coast, consists of two ahu. The northern for many years, the landscape around the superficial, since the wall is made not of ahu has a back wall of enormous blocks sites has changed. solid square blocks like the Peruvian one that are also well fitted, though the but of large slabs which hold the stone workmanship is not as good as that of fill forming the main body of the plat­ Ahu Vinapu. Part of this wall collapsed The Unrestored Ahu form.) The ahu is astronomically ori­ due to excavations carried out during the ented to the winter-solstice sunrise. Norwegian Archaeological Expedition There are about 300 ahu on the island, in 1955-56. Four moai lie toppled in half of which held one or more moai. Six statues originally stood on the plat­ front of the platform, which houses a The dimensions of these ahu can vary form, but they now lie fallen on the land tomb holding several bones, including, significantly, as well as the technique of side. From the observations of Métraux until a few years ago, a skull. Beyond the their construction and the number and we know that these were once colored plaza are the foundation stones of one of size of the statues. Some ahu were also red. A half-buried moai near the back the island's largest boat houses, which is

33 34 Ahu Ature Huki

1. Detail of the back wall of Ahu Te Pen. (photo: R.V. Gianzone) 2. Tomb by Ahu Te Peu. 3. Ahu Te Pito te Kura, which holds the island's largest statue, called Moai Paro, measuring close to 10 meters in length; the pukao is estimated to weigh 11J tons. In the foreground is the cobbled ramp. 4. The red scoria statue in front of Ahu Vinapu 11 is said to represent a female. It had two heads, which served as a device to hold bodies of the deceased. y The stone known as Te Pito 'o te Henua, or "the navel of the earth, " by Ahu Te Pito te Kura.

further distinguished by having two originally described in the late ¡9th cen­ Vai Uri with five moai, Ahu Tahai entrances rather than the usual one. tury by William Thomson in his report proper with one moai and Ahu Ko te Other features found around Ahu Te Peu to the National Museum. Riku with one moai that may have been are garden enclosures and, farther away, adorned with a pukao - and surrounding several caves and lava tubes that were boat houses, earth ovens, chicken used for habitation. The cave closest to The Restored Ahu houses, a garden enclosure, upaina circle the ahu, Ana Te Pora, has an earth oven (used in certain ceremonies), stone under an overhang by its entrance. Ahu Akivi was the first ahu to be houses, a wharf and boat ramp, and restored after the statue at Ahu Ature caves. Ahu Heki'i, located on the north coast by Huki was re-erected at the prompting of La Perouse Bay, has two platforms, both Thor Heyerdahl in 1956. The restoration The complex was restored from 1968 to of which are astronomically oriented. was carried out by William Mulloy and 1970. The archaeological excavations and The larger one, which supported six stat­ Gonzalo Figueroa in 1960. The seven the restorations involved were done ues, has an enormous back wall set to face moai on this ahu, according to recent under the direction of Mulloy, Figueroa the rising sun at the winter solstice. The folklore, represent the seven young men and William Ayres. The restoration smaller one is skewed to face the rising who were the first detachment to pros­ began with the raising of the moai of sun at the summer solstice. On the large pect the island before Hotu Matu'a Ahu Ko te Riku. In a project carried out plaza in front of the smaller platform lie arrived. The platform is oriented to face for the benefit of Paris-Match magazine, the statues and their original pukao. the rising equinoctial sun. The original a replica pukao was set on top of the structure of this ahu has been dated to moai, with the intention of removing the At Ahu Te Pito te Kura, on the north around 1500. Behind the ahu are the topknot after the photographic coverage coast but farther to the west than Ahu remains of other structures such as cre­ for an article about the island was com­ Heki'i, is the largest statue that ever stood matoria and funerary cists. An interest­ pleted. But the local inhabitants objec­ on an ahu, measuring about ten meters in ing detail of the restoration is that not all ted, requesting that the pukao be left on height and weighing an estimated 80 tons. of the small pebbles used between the the statue, where it remains. Islander The pukao is also enormous, with an esti­ rounded cobbles of the ramp to the ahu informers to the archaeological team mated weight of 11.5 tons. This statue, are originally from the island. Some may claimed that a pukao that had been on called Moai Paro, is believed to have been have been ballast on a ship that sunk the site had been cut up to use as build­ the last one toppled, which is known to near the coast and were later recovered ing material; the pukao could presum­ have occurred sometime after 1838. by divers. The nearby Ahu Vai Teka was ably have been from this statue. In 1990 restored at the same time as Ahu Akivi. a pair of eyes was installed by the island­ Near that ahu, by the edge of the water, is It is a small ahu, with only one incom­ ers for the benefit of tourists, although a round stone called Te Pito 'o te Henua, plete statue (the head of the moai was there is no archaeological evidence that "the navel of the earth," which legend never found). the statue ever had eyes. says was brought to the island by Hotu Matu'a. As with other items said to have The Tahai Complex, near the Hangaroa Later phases of the project were the been introduced by this legendary king, village, provides the best example of a restoration of Ahu Vai Uri, including the the stone is of local origin. The stone was ceremonial center. It has three ahu - Ahu wharf and boat ramp and the stone

35 36 Ahu Ature Huki Ahu Naunau

/. The two ahu at Hanga Kio'e, restored by William Ahu Tautira • /¿\ Hangaroa Mulloy in 1972. The ahu in the foreground has a • Ahu O Kava complete moai, while the other has only a fragment. Ahu Huri a Urenga (photo: R.V. Gianzone) 2. Ahu Naunau at Anakena was restored between 1978 and 1980. In the background Ahu Ature Huki can be seen. 3. The seven moai of Ahu Akivi.

houses. The wall that forms this struc­ the east and O Kava to the west, and the During the excavations at this site, an ture closes some natural caves. It is skewed platform faces the rising winter eye in white coral with a red scoria pupil unknown whether this was used as sun. was found. (It is now on exhibition at dwellings or as a large tupa. The purpose the Anthropological Museum on the of these towerlike structures is not In 1976 Mulloy started the first phase of island.) After the eye was excavated, rep­ known but it is presumed they were the restoration of Ahu O Kava, which licas were made and installed, on occa­ used for astronomical observation. In has only one moai and is also on private sion, in the four moai with pukao. Due some instances evidence has been found property close to Ahu Huri a Urenga. to the archaeological community's criti­ that they were used as dwellings. Not far This project was not completed by cism, this practice was discontinued. from the Tahai complex is a small monu­ Mulloy due to his illness, and the resto­ ment marking the tomb of William ration was finished in a second phase Ahu Tongariki, close to the Hotu'iti bay Mulloy, who died in 1978. (1978) by Figueroa with the assistance of (hanga Hotu'iti) by the Poike peninsula, Sergio Rapu, who had worked closely is the largest ahu. There is evidence that In 1972 the restorations of two ahu at with Mulloy on other projects. it held as many as 30 statues through its Kio'e bay (hanga Kio'e), north of Tahai long history. The sea wall is 215 meters along the west coast, were also con­ Ahu Tautira, located at the sea edge of long and is oriented to face the rising sun ducted by Mulloy. The first ahu has a the village, in front of the soccer field, at the summer solstice. When Katherine complete moai and is usually called Ahu was restored in 1979-80 by Rapu, Routledge saw the ahu in 1914-15, 15 Hanga Kio'e, while only a fragment of a Charles Love and Andrea Seelenfreund. statues lay toppled in front of it. In 1960 moai stands on the second ahu. To the The ahu, which had been much larger the ahu was completely destroyed by a north of the second ahu are the ruins of and had consisted of three or more tidal wave. The statues, boulders and Ahu Akapu, which formed part of this structures with four moai, was cannibal­ large stone slabs used in the construction ceremonial complex. A restored chicken ized extensively in the 19th century. of the ahu were strewn over an area of house is located on the landside edge of Now only one moai remains in the cen­ more than 1.4 hectares (3.5 acres). The the plaza. Ahu Hanga Kio'e is perhaps ter of the platform. The remnants of ahu is now under reconstruction by the one of the last ahu-moai to have been another moai - a torso and a head - Institute of Easter Island Studies (IEIPA) built on the island (ca. 17th century). stand nearby. of the University of Chile.

That same year, 1972, Mulloy also Between 1978 and 1980 Ahu Naunau at Inland from this ahu, beyond the plaza restored Ahu Huri a Urenga, set on pri­ Anakena beach was restored by Rapu. and near to where the foundations of the vate property in the vicinity of the vil­ This is a complex site with many con­ dwellings are found, is an important lage of Hangaroa. Its single moai is struction levels, as can be seen from the petroglyph site. These have been carved distinguished by the fact that it has four ahu's seaside wall. There are five com­ into the papa (lava flows) that surface hands. This ahu has a sophisticated plete moai, four of which have pukao, there. Figures of tunafish and turtles, alignment and orientation: it is aligned and two broken moai re-erected on the faces representing the god Makemake, with two nearby hills, Maunga Mata- ahu. The back of the moai and some of birdmen in bas-relief and even a rongo- engo and Maunga Tararaina, as well as the stones in the back wall of the ahu are rongo figure are all present. Also carved with two other small ahu, Ko Te Pei to decorated with petroglyphs. into the stone are a taheta, a small basin

37 38 1. The quarry side of Rano Raraku. 2. A smaller moai was carved from the top fart of a statue that may have cracked while it was being lowered from the Rano Raraku quarry. 3. Moai Tuturi or Tukuturi, the kneeling moai. RANO 4. Some of the statues released from the quarry were Orongo , K A U half buried by the accumulation of earth over the Motu Kaokao Motu 'Iti centuries. Motu Nui

that probably served to collect rainwater, The many statues concentrated in this The Orongo Site and many cupules, cup-shaped indenta­ spot make the variations between them tions that have been used as counting more noticeable. Probably the most out­ The approximately triangular Orongo devices. Since the papa have a rough sur­ standing and best known is Moai Tuturi, site is located on the southwest corner of face, with cracks running across them, the kneeling or squatting moai. This is the Rano Kau volcano, between the edge the petroglyphs are difficult to see; they a corruption of its original name, Tuku­ of the crater and the cliff leading to the are most easily viewed by raking light, in turi, which means "to squat on the sea. The sea-cliff rises close to 300 meters the early morning or late afternoon. heels," while Tuturi means "to kneel." and provides a good view of the islets The statue has a rounded head and is Motu Nui, Motu 'Iti and Motu Kaokao. squatting with its arms along the body The 50-odd houses of this "village" are The Rano Raraku Quarry and thighs. It is considered an "early" laid out roughly in two offset rows, one type of moai and has been dated to the higher than the other, all facing the sea. Most of the island's moai were carved 10th century. Nonetheless, this is still a The lower row, which begins slightly from a quarry of coarse yellowish volca­ controversial point for some archaeolo­ before the upper one ends, extends to the nic tuff found on both the outer and gists. sacred precinct, Mata Ngarau. inner slopes of the south side of Rano Raraku. The quarry is probably one of Another moai is distinguished by a The stone houses are elliptical in shape Easter Island's most awe-inspiring sites. three-mast ship with square sails carved and about two meters wide, eight meters As Heyerdahl wrote in Aku-Aku: "Rano on its chest. The vertical line from the long and 1.5 meters high. The exterior Raraku remains one of the greatest and ship appears to have a turtle at the end walls, which consist of two layers of most curious monuments of mankind, a rather than an anchor. The torso of this stone with dirt between them, are about monument to the great lost unknown statue, which had been buried nearly up two meters thick. A small square behind us, a warning of the transience of to its shoulders, was uncovered by the entrance, which one can pass through man and civilization." archaeological team of the Norwegian only by crawling, provides the struc­ Archaeological Expedition, revealing the ture's single opening, facing the sea. Close to 400 moai, in various stages of petroglyph. completion, have been recorded on this The site was first described in 1870 by site. Some moai, like many of the heads As would be expected, some statues J. L. Palmer, who was surgeon aboard that dot the lower part of the slopes, are cracked or broke when they were low­ HMS Topaze when it stopped at the complete statues that were lowered from ered from the quarry. One statue with a island for a visit two years earlier. Dur­ the quarry and set vertically in specially deep crack across its chest was obviously ing this visit the only moai ever found at prepared pits where the carving of the reused, with the sound top part - the Orongo was removed and taken to backs would be carried out. These stat­ head and shoulders - being recarved into England; it remains on view at the Brit­ ues got further buried by earth piled up a smaller moai. ish Museum (Museum of Mankind) in over the course of centuries. Others are London. Called Hoa Haka Nana la in different stages of quarrying, from ("wave-breaker") or Hoa Hakananai'a those ready to be let down to those that ("friend that has been stolen"), the statue are barely outlined. is carved out of basalt and is decorated

39 40 1. A bouse left unrestored at the Orongo village shows the condition of some of the structures before restoration. 2. One of the restored houses has been left half open to show its structure: a double stone wall filled with earth. The roof was made of cantilevered slabs covered with earth. 3. Motu Kaokao, Motu Tti and Motu Nui as seen from Orongo on the southwest side of the Rano Kau Orongo • IK volcano. The sacred precinct Mata Ngarau is in the Motu Kaokao #S^-=: Motu 'Iti / foreground. Motu Nui Mata Ngarau

with many petroglyphs and bas-reliefs The first restoration attempt at this site of each house, form a semicircle over­ on its back. Some of the motifs used for was undertaken by Father Sebastian looking a terrace of carved boulders at these carvings are unique for a moai - Englert in 1947. Of the 46 houses sur­ the edge of the cliff. Large rocks, also tangata manu (birdmen), ao (dance pad­ veyed, only the 20 or so in most need of covered with petroglyphs, separate this dles) and komari (vulva forms) - and repair were restored. The first archaeo­ terrace from the east and the west. Tradi­ indicate that the statue was a transitional logical excavations on the site were car­ tion has it that only special priests with element between the ancestor cult and ried out by Edwin N. Ferdon, a member the power to chant the rongorongo tab­ the birdman cult. It also had residues of of the 1955-56 Norwegian expedition, lets could stay in the precinct, where red and white paint, which were lost in and his descriptions served as a basis for they would chant endlessly throughout the process of transporting the statue to understanding the construction tech­ the birdman ceremony. the Topaze. nique of these houses. Between 1974 and 1976 a major investigation and restora­ The viewer cannot help but be over­ The moai, 2.5 meters high, had been tion of the site was carried out under the whelmed by the spectacular site. The found buried up to its shoulders within direction of William Mulloy. In 1983 description of the island by Katherine one of the houses, which suffered exten­ Hans Niemeyer and Luis Arrau studied Routledge, in The Mystery of Easter sive damage in the process of extricating some of the previously restored houses Island, applies equally well to this site, the statue. Other stone houses that form that were threatening to collapse and which seems to embody the essence of the village were also partially dismantled reconstructed a partially destroyed one. Easter Island: "Everywhere is the wind during early archaeological probings by of heaven; around and about all are expeditions such as the one arriving on The Mata Ngarau precinct, the heart of boundless sea and sky, infinite space and the German sloop Hydne in 1882, when the birdman cult, is the most richly dec­ a great silence. The dweller there is ever drawings were made of the rock paint­ orated area on the island: every boulder listening for he knows not what, feeling ings and sculptures found within the is carved with petroglyphs, in some unconsciously that he is in the ante­ houses. Most of the images in the rock instances superimposed on previous chamber to something yet more vast paintings are of dance paddles, sailing carvings. In Polynesia stone was consid­ which is just beyond his ken." vessels, bird motifs and faces, while the ered the most permanent medium that sculptures consist of stone heads and could contain mana; adding sacred sym­ small statues. bols to rocks enhanced their divine power. Of the 1,785 petroglyphs on this Four years later William Thomson site the most common carved motif is spent two days surveying the site and the birdman, sometimes holding an egg pulled apart several houses looking for in his hand. Also frequent is the manu painted slabs, several of which were then piri (two birdmen facing each other and taken back to Washington and stored joined by hands and feet), Makemake by the Smithsonian Institution. Some of masks, frigate birds and komari. these have recently been returned to the island, where they are kept in the The precinct is formed by seven narrow Anthropological Museum at Hangaroa. houses whose doorways, at the long end

41 42 The Preservation of Easter Island's Monuments

Opposite: Weathered moai at the slope of the Orongo Rano Raraku quarry.

As defined in the 1976 UNESCO recom­ The question that arises in relation to today than could have been obtained in mendation, historic monuments "repre­ the Easter Island monuments, especially the 19th century, yet it is still less than sent the living presence of the past which the ahu, is whether they should be kept what will be retrievable in the future. formed them." They are, therefore, of in their (destroyed and) abandoned state vital importance to the people, serving as or restored to their previous state. The But regardless of whether the ahu should both an "expression of their way of life meaning of "previous state" is problem­ be restored, they must be preserved. and one of the corner-stones of their atic, since monuments go through vari­ To preserve means both "to make last­ identity." With the increasing conscious­ ous stages over time. On Easter Island ing," i.e., to keep in existence, and "to ness of the unity of human values, the monuments are usually restored to the maintain," i.e., to keep up. Both mean­ "common responsibility to safeguard last stage before their destruction. In ings apply to the preservation of Easter this heritage for future generations" the case of Ahu Tongariki, where both Island's monumental heritage. The vari­ becomes paramount, as emphasized in the platform and the statues were ous factors that threaten this particular the 1964 ICOMOS Venice Charter, the thrown about by a tidal wave, the resto­ heritage have to be taken into account credo of heritage conservation. ration must be considered a reconstruc­ when devising appropriate preservation tion, even if it is a faithful re-creation methods. Those factors may be natural Safeguarding the monumental heritage based on existing documentation. But in or anthropogenic and may act both on of Easter Island is a complex task, made the case of the ahu, their destruction was the material of the monuments and on more difficult by the unique setting that a significant phase in their history; the the sites around them. frames the statues and petroglyphs. The toppled moai represent more than just imposing character of these monuments an abandonment. This point was would be lost if they were placed in a strongly emphasized by William Mulloy Natural Deterioration Factors museum or even if the landscape around and Gonzalo Figueroa in their recom­ Acting on Stone them were changed. Any preservation mendations about the preservation of attempt must take into account the mon­ monuments to UNESCO in 1966 . Most of the island's monuments are uments' natural context. carved out of or into stone and are thus The restoration of archaeological sites, subject to weathering. Though stone is There are two main reasons for under­ particularly those involving excavation, generally considered a resistant material, taking the restoration of an archaeologi­ brings about irreversible changes. The it does break down over time, depending cal monument. First, a monument in information latent in the ruin is lost for­ on the type of rock and its environment. ruins is generally not respected and is ever as the monument is rebuilt, and it In developing protection measures, the therefore subject to vandalism by the is therefore advisable to leave some sites nature of the stone, the age of the object local population, which may lead to its or parts of sites untouched for future and the various agents acting on it all total loss. Second, restoration makes the investigation. The amount of informa­ have to be examined. monument comprehensible for the aver­ tion that can be retrieved from any age visitor and serves as an incentive archaeological site increases over time as The main types of stone used in the for tourism, which is an important reve­ new scientific technologies are devel­ monuments were Rano Raraku tuff for nue source. oped. Far more information can be gath­ the moai; red scoria, from the Puna Pau ered from an archaeological excavation quarry, for the pukao; and basaltic lava

43 44 • Ahu A Kivi R A R A K U

Ahu Akahanga

1. Ahu Vaihu on the south coast. 2. Detail of weathering on the back of a moai at Ahu Ahu Vaihu Vaihu. Erosion of the softer strata of the stone leaves the harder portions exposed, indicating the amount of material that has been lost due to deterioration. 3. Lichen growth on a moai at Ahu Akivi.

for the construction of platforms and The mechanical effect of the rain is com­ The effect of these biological agents can houses, as well as for the carving of petro- pounded by the chemical dissolution of be observed best on Ahu Akivi, where glyphs. Volcanic tuff, formed through the the glassy matrix of the stone in water. algae have produced a dark patina on the consolidation of volcanic ash, has a glassy The slow corrosion process occurs when statues and lichen growth is noticeable matrix that includes small crystals and the stone is wet; the dissolved material is on the front of the statues. Particularly rock fragments, such as basalt, of varying eventually deposited on or near the sur­ responsive to their micro-environment, size, some several centimeters in length. face of the stone when it dries. These lichens often colonize certain areas while Clay is usually present as a result of surface deposits of silica are visible in only inches away they do not flourish. weathering. Red scoria, in essence the protected areas such as under the arms of Petroglyphs are especially susceptible to solidified "froth" of the volcano's lava, is horizontal statues or under the chins of such damage: because the carving is only a highly porous material and even more standing statues, where they cannot be a few centimeters deep, it can be totally susceptible to weathering than the tuff. removed by the rain's mechanical ero­ obscured by the growth of lichens, and Basalt, a fine-grained, sometimes glassy sion. any loss of the stone surface is far more rock formed from rapidly cooled lava, is destructive since proportionately more the most resistant of the three types of The climate of Easter Island, with fre­ detail is lost. stone. quent showers, promotes yet another type of alteration. When the stone is wet, Deterioration of the stone is caused by Of the various factors that contribute to the clays present in it absorb moisture other factors as well, including salt from the weathering of the tuff and the scoria, and expand; as the stone dries, they con­ sea spray, wind action and temperature rain is probably the most important. tract. The internal stress of these changes. Of these, the most pronounced Heavy showers combined with strong repeated expansions and contractions effect is caused by the combination of winds erode the stone mechanically, an results in microfissures within the stone, sea spray and wind action, which pro­ effect that is very visible in the eight top­ which serve as channels for water migra­ duces the weathering pattern known as pled moai at Ahu Vaihu, located on the tion and its corrosive effects. alveolar deterioration. This occurs only south coast. The difference in hardness in localized areas close to the shore - for between the tuff and the basalt fragments Another factor contributing to the dete­ example, on stones in the back wall of it includes results in the eventual protru­ rioration of the stone is the growth of Ahu Akahanga. The usual damage is sion of the basalt as the softer tuff is algae and lichens on its surface. These magnified in these lava blocks, which eroded. This same mechanism also organisms can have a dual action on the sometimes have a harder outer crust that emphasizes the differences in rock strati­ stone: they selectively leach out ions, was formed during the cooling of the fication and quarrying orientation since thus weakening the stone matrix, and/or lava, trapping gas bubbles below it. the Rano Raraku tuff is not a uniform induce mechanical stress by retaining Basalt boulders may also have an outer material, and variations in hardness from moisture and contributing to the wet/ skin with an empty space below created one stratum to the next can be seen dry cycles of the stone. In the case of by the contraction of the cooling lava. within the quarry itself. Even the colora­ lichens, the penetration of rhizines or Because it has two exposed sides, this tion of the rock has a wide range, as is hyphae causes a mechanical stress that surface crust is more susceptible to demonstrated by the last two statues on contributes significantly to the detach­ weathering: moisture condenses behind the left (east) side of Ahu Vaihu. ment of flakes from the stone surface. it, micro-organisms grow on either side,

45 46 Ahu Ñauñau

1. Moai at Hanga Kio'e covered with a protective na Kekenga tent during conservation treatment in the RANO \W summer of 1986-87. RAR A K U 2. Stone walls, constructed during the island's sheep- Ahu Hanga Kio'e farming period in the 19th century, incorporated Hanga Piko stones from hare paenga, hare moa or even ahu. 3. Hanga Kio'e moai after conservation treatment. 4. New "petroglyph " carved into a stone by Ana Kekenga. 5. Cattle, like these in the Tahai complex, can dis­ lodge boulders and erode the petroglyph-covered papa as they pass over them. Motu Nu

and eventually fissures develop. The ración) with the assistance and support restored ahu, wear away petroglyphs petroglyphs on boulders at Orongo of Wacker Chemie, GmbH. The treat­ carved on the lava outcrops and endan­ show several stages of deterioration due ment has so far proved successful and ger the structural stability of the village to this phenomenon. offers hope for extending the life of houses at Orongo as they ramble over other moai. them.

Conservation Treatments for Stone Natural Deterioration Factors Anthropogenic Deterioration Factors Two types of conservation treatments Acting on the Sites have been developed to reduce the rate The destructive effects of man on this of the stone's weathering: consolidation, It is not just the monuments but also the heritage, both the stone and the site, can which hardens the material and makes it sites around them that are deteriorated be manifold. Numerous examples of more resistant to erosion; and hydro- by natural agents. Wind and rain can vandalism can be cited, one of the latest phobization, which makes the surface erode the soil, especially in hilly areas, and most serious instances being the water-repellent, preventing or reducing which can endanger the site itself, as is defacing of the rock painting in a cave on the penetration of liquid water into the the case with the dome over the Ana Kai Motu Nui in 1991. In general, vandalism stone. Tangata cave. As the topsoil is washed is limited to graffiti added on to rock art, away, boulders and larger blocks are which occurs most frequently near Han- There are many different consolidation loosened and dislodged, threatening the garoa, at sites like Hanga Piko or Ana and hydrophobization products devel­ eventual collapse of the dome itself. This Kai Tangata. At this last site, a 20 percent oped for different types of stone and for erosion also causes problems for visitors increase in graffiti coverage was re­ different environmental problems. These when trails on slopes are gouged out corded during the two-year period from products should not be applied indis­ during downpours, as is the case at sites 1988 to 1990. Recently, a new petro­ criminately. They require laboratory like the Ana Kai Tangata cave or the glyph has been carved by the entrance to tests to determine which product is most Rano Raraku quarry. one of the caves (Ana Kekenga). The appropriate for the particular stone, and large majority of the culprits have been in situ testing to confirm that the chosen The unchecked spread of unwanted veg­ local residents. product will resist the object's environ­ etation can overgrow a site completely. ment. Such is the case with the guava bushes Pilfering, often to obtain artifacts to sell (Psidium guajava) that propagate easily to tourists, prompts a variety of actions, During the summer of 1986-87, a first and grow almost anywhere, as well as ranging from unauthorized excavations test application was carried out on the the grass (Melinis minutiflora) that was to cutting down one of the main trunks moai at Hanga Kio'e. This intervention, introduced for fodder some years ago of the only large mako'i tree on the which consisted of both consolidation and now threatens to cover all sites. island to get wood for carving. Some and hydrophobization, was undertaken tourists are avid souvenir hunters and by the National Conservation and Res­ Finally, there is the damage caused by will take any small obsidian or basalt toration Center of Santiago (Centro free-ranging livestock. Cattle and horses tools they find, regardless of the prohibi­ Nacional de Conservación y Restau- can dislodge cobbles from the ramps of tion on removing archaeological objects

47 48 1. Fires on the island sometimes reach the Rano Rar- aku quarry, where the thermal shock causes fissures in the stones, greatly increasing their deterioration. 2. There is no archaeological evidence that Moai Ko te Riku at Tahai ever had eyes. The red scoria pukao is a modern replica. 3. Front view of Ahu Naunau with the "blind" moai.

from the island. Tourists have even been foundation stones were included in the Grassland fires are yet another cause of known to throw stones to dislodge the construction, even though plenty of deterioration. These are generally started decorated slabs in the Ana Kai Tangata other stones were available. Damage has by local inhabitants to burn off the long cave. also been done to the spaces underneath dry grass and provide fresh shoots for some of the toppled moai, which were the cattle. The thermal shock that such Another type of problem within the used, and continue to be used, as tempo­ fires produce in stones causes fissures commercial context is illustrated by the rary shelters. and eventual shattering. following instance. During the excava­ tions and restoration of Ahu Naunau an The construction of roads and buildings The demands of the tourist trade and eye in white coral with a red scoria pupil may destroy valuable sites. An example ignorance of the frailty of this heritage was found. Copies of this eye were made is provided by the destruction of what can also be damaging. Local residents, and put into the restored statues, an was called the "calendar stone," a rock acting as tour guides and proud to show action that was strongly criticized by the almost as large as a two-story house. off their heritage, will outline petro- archaeological community. The eyes According to meteorologist Karl Schanz, glyphs to make them more visible and were removed from the statues, but lines engraved on the rock indicated the easier for tourists to photograph. In the many photographs had been taken and direction of the sun descending into the best case, they will use chalk to highlight widely publicized. Tourists coming to ocean on the shortest and the longest the carvings, but often they rescore or the island expected to see the statues day of the year, and other lines served to add details to them. Unfortunately, the with eyes and were disappointed to find divide the year into 30 equal sectors. current Chilean legislation includes them "blind." Local inhabitants immedi­ Lines on a smaller rock nearby formed no restrictions or licensing system for ately responded by establishing a system two compass roses indicating winds, these self-appointed guides. of setting in the eyes temporarily - at a with each quadrant divided into three price that has been known to reach sectors. During construction of the The traffic of tourists who unknowingly $1,000 - for photographs to be taken. To Mataveri airport in 1965, it was deter­ walk on half-buried petroglyphs or stat­ stop this traffic, which also caused dam­ mined that the rock was too close to the ues causes severe erosion that eventually age to the stone from the extra handling, runway and had to be removed for secu­ obliterates carvings. The houses at the the Rapanui Council of Elders deter­ rity reasons. A proposal to cut out the Orongo village are also susceptible to mined that one statue should have per­ significant area of the rock and relocate traffic. Their construction was never manent eyes. The moai selected was the it in the same orientation in the local meant to support weight, and over time one at Ahu Ko te Riku, to the dismay of museum was never carried out. The rock they collapse due to stresses caused by archaeologists, since no evidence points was dynamited and the smaller rocks visitors and occasional free-ranging to it ever having had eyes. were removed, and no information exists horses, who manage to get into the area as to their whereabouts. Since the con­ even though it has been fenced off. Damage can also be caused by a lack of struction company (Longhi) had diffi­ interest in or respect for the local cul­ culty finding sufficient gravel, many While local residents and tourists may ture. In the 19th century, for instance, rocks may have been broken up to serve be excused by their ignorance, this is cer­ when stone walls were built for sheep as landfill. tainly not the case with professionals and cattle raising, nearby boat house working on the island. As mentioned

49 50 Anakena

1. House damaged in the Orongo village during recent filming on the island. The three moai above were movie props, (photo: Tricia Allen) 2. and 3. Head of a moai at the Rano Karaku quarry. Photograph in fig. 2 was taken in 1986; fig. 3 photo­ graph, taken in 1990, shows the detrimental effect of a 1988 casting, which removed the lichens and the surface patina. Orongo Motu Kaokao 4. Erosion on the neck and bosom of a half-buried Shading defines the area within the Rapa Nui National Park. Motu 'Id statue in the quarry, which tourists walk over. Motu Nui

earlier, in 1960 part of the back wall at A temporary iron structure was the island, and roughly follows the coast, Ahu Te Peu collapsed because a trench mounted at the Rano Raraku quarry that except for the Poike peninsula and the was left unfilled by the archaeological required the drilling of pits and the coastline by Hangaroa. The park con­ team of the 1955-56 Norwegian expedi­ pouring of concrete to support it. Even tains most of the island's monumental tion. In 1987 a Hawaiian firm (Interna­ though care was taken, some fragments archaeological heritage within its bound­ tional Chemical Systems) applied a of statues were broken with the intense aries, and its aim is to provide the pro­ "conservation" product on some statue traffic this operation required. At tection and long-term maintenance fragments at Anakena. During the treat­ Orongo the process of constructing a needed to preserve these monuments ment, the stone turned blue-gray; the fake ahu caused the final collapse of an within their natural setting. Unfortu­ color has faded over the years, but no already unstable house. nately, the means provided for this pur­ documentation or information about pose do not adequately support the this treatment is available. The following These are just a few examples of the demands placed on the institution. year casts of two moai heads at the Rano threats posed by careless human actions; Raraku quarry were made to prepare it is not the aim here to provide an The park is visited annually by 7,000 to replicas for the 1989 Frankfurt exhibi­ exhaustive list. 8,000 visitors, not including the local tion. Since the surface of these statues is population of approximately 3,000. very friable, the casting detached all the Until 1992 there were only eight rangers, powdery and flaky material, as well as Protection Measures whose duties were to guide and inform pulling off lichens and the surface strata visitors and to patrol the park. Of these, they were attached to. The patina was In 1935 Easter Island was designated four were permanently posted at each of totally removed. both an historic monument and a the major sites: Tahai, Orongo, Rano national park, but it was not until 1966 Raraku and Anakena. The other four One last example needs to be mentioned. that official personnel were established patrolled the rest of the island. Four During 1993 a film crew received per­ on the island. The administrator and maintenance workers were responsible mission to film a fictional history of the local staff, employees of the Ministry of for the upkeep of the sites (with only Rapanui. The impact on the population Agriculture, were devoted primarily to two weed trimmers available), as well as of the island was tremendous, as was the developing a field-management system, overseeing the nursery where native disturbance and damage caused to vari­ with the initial emphasis on the affores­ trees, bushes and other ornamental ous archaeological sites. The alteration tation of eroded areas and an increase of plants are grown and administering fire of the floor of the Ana Kai Tangata cave tourism. In 1972 the Corporación control and prevention measures. to accommodate a boat ramp is a rela­ Nacional Forestal (CONAF), under the tively minor, and reparable, damage aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture, was The situation is even more problematic compared to the major disruption of the established to manage all of Chile's when tourist ships, carrying about 1,000 delicate micro-environment around the National Parks and Reserves. passengers, arrive at the island. Since painted ceiling caused by the filming they usually make only a one-day stop, lights, by fires called for in the script and The Rapa Nui National Park covers an this results in a practically uncontrolla­ by the number of people concentrated in area of 66.66 square kilometers, approxi­ ble invasion by the many visitors who this small space over many hours. mately 42 percent of the total surface of try to make the most of their short stay.

51 52 Ahu Ature Huki Ahu Ñauñau

1. Detail of the petroglyphs on the boulders of the sacred precinct Mata Ngarau at Orongo, zoom down 1 A Kivi-Vai Teka Complex Tongariki by tourists walking over them. i Ahu Hanga Kio'e 2. Flaking and spalling on a petroglypb-covered » Taha: SRiku boulder at Orongo. 3. Petroglyph eroded by traffic at Tongariki. lO Kava Ahu Hur: (photo: Georgia Lee) 4. Weathering produces this flaking of a boulder carved with petroglyphs at Orongo. 5. Detail of the boulder in fig. 4. Orongo 6. Petroglyphs carved on papa at Tongariki, outlined in chalk by islanders.

Any change in the park that may entail Mulloy and Gonzalo Figueroa's restora­ then director of the Anthropological a new tourist attraction, such as the res­ tion of the Akivi-Vai Teka complex in Museum on the island, were supported toration of an ahu, requires the develop­ 1960. As a result of these restorations, in part by the Fundación del Pacífico, a ment of an appropriate plan for site the Chilean government requested sup­ Chilean private organization that is no conservation, interpretation and man­ port from UNESCO for a general study longer active. agement, which must be carried out of the island's monuments. In 1966 simultaneously with the restoration so as UNESCO's first mission to the island In early 1972 UNESCO sponsored a sec­ to be ready at the same time. was overseen by Mulloy and Figueroa ond mission to the island, in which con­ with the assistance of architects Charles servator Giselle Hyvert was sent to The circumstances are even more com­ Peterson and Raul Bulnes. The mission's study the state of conservation of the plex when local development programs report elaborated a project for the statues and to suggest possible treatment are considered. The relevant government investigation, conservation and restora­ procedures. agencies may not take into account the tion of the archaeological heritage as problems posed by their activities, such well as outlining suggestions for a The restoration of Orongo took place as the construction of new roads, hotels, master plan for the Rapa Nui National from 1974 to 1976 under the direction of restaurants and recreation areas. These Park. Mulloy and was continued by Hans activities may interfere with the preser­ Niemeyer and Luis Arrau, supported in vation of an archaeological site in its nat­ Following this mission, the moai at Ahu part by IFM. ural setting or may even destroy some of Ko te Riku was raised by Figueroa it, as described above. (1968), with the sponsorship of Paris- At the request of the Chilean govern­ Match, which devoted two long articles ment, a third UNESCO mission was con­ CONAF is to be commended for the to the island that served to promote ducted by Wieslav Domaslowski in late fact that under these conditions it has tourism. The remainder of the Tahai 1981. The main purpose of this mission been able to improve its organization complex was restored by Mulloy and was to suggest possible treatments to and develop a better management plan. William Ayres (1968-70), a project that stop or slow down the deterioration of During the film project the number of comprised the restoration of Ahu Tahai the monuments. As a result, and follow­ park rangers was temporarily increased and Ahu Vai Uri. These last two restora­ ing the recommendations given, a con­ to 12. Two full-time archaeologists have tions were sponsored in part by the servation treatment was applied to the been added to the permanent staff, as International Fund for Monuments Hanga Kio'e moai in 1986-87. This was well as an anthropologist under a tempo­ (IFM), now the World Monuments Fund accomplished by the National Conser­ rary contract. (WMF). This institution continued to vation and Restoration Center of Santi­ support Mulloy in his restoration of ago within the framework of the CHI/ Ahu Huri a Urenga and two ahu at 79/013 project, with support from the Past Conservation Actions Hanga Kio'e (1972). United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and UNESCO, and the assis­ The 1956 restoration of Ahu Ature Huki The restorations of Ahu O Kava, Ahu tance and collaboration of Wacker Che- served as the impetus for William Tautira and Ahu Naunau (1978-80), car­ mie, GmbH. ried out under the aegis of Sergio Rapu,

53 54 1. Islanders sometimes use the space under the top­ pled moai as temporary shelter, occasionally even lighting fires there. 2. The standing moai by Tongariki, locally known as the "traveling moai, " was sent on loan to an exhibi­ tion in japan, and upon its return was left in this posi­ tion. The crane in the background was used during the reconstruction of the ahu. (photo: R.V. Gianzone) 3. This house at Orongo collapsed due to the weight of free-ranging horses and careless visitors walking over it. 4. The site of Ahu Tongariki, which was destroyed Orongo by a tidal wave in 1960. More than 15 statues were tossed and tumbled over some three and a half acres.

In 1988 a small international meeting Only those programs related to conser­ While international cooperation has was called by the Dirección de Bibliote­ vation and restoration have been dis­ contributed substantially to many of the cas, Archivos y Museos (DIBAM), cussed. But many archaeological studies programs carried out on the island, long- CONAF and the International Centre have also been undertaken. Of these, term support and a better coordination for the Study of the Preservation and the documentation projects, the basis for of efforts is required. A more flexible Restoration of Cultural Property any preservation action, deserve special system is needed to combine interna­ (ICCROM), with the sponsorship of mention. The central project, carried out tional contributions with the national WMF, to survey the conservation needs by the IEIPA, is still under way and the programs for the island. for the preservation of the Easter Island results will be published upon comple­ heritage. As a result of the meeeting's tion. Included in this project were the The key national agencies involved in recommendations, a two-year study of six-year (1981-87) survey and documen­ this effort are the Council of Monu­ the deterioration problems of the Ana tation of the island's petroglyphs by ments (Consejo de Monumentos Kai Tangata cave was undertaken, spon­ Georgia Lee and the survey and stylistic Nacionales); CONAF, through the Rapa sored in part by the Organization of analysis of the moai by Jo Anne Van Nui National Park; DIBAM, through the American States (OAS) and with some Tilburg (1982-86). Both of these surveys National Conservation Center and the support from WMF. have been published. island's Anthropological Museum (Museo Antropológico Sebastián Eng- Another outcome of these recommenda­ lert); and the University of Chile, tions was the International Meeting on Future Preservation through the IEIPA. Lavas and Volcanic Tuffs, held on Easter Island in 1990. Organized by DIBAM, The monuments of Easter Island repre­ Any study, archaeological investigation CONAF, ICCROM and WMF and spon­ sent a unique cultural heritage, not only or related activity to be undertaken on sored mainly by the last two organiza­ for the Rapanui community but for the the island must be authorized by the tions, the meeting served a twofold whole world. It is therefore fitting that Council of Monuments, and any activity purpose: to prepare a volume incorpo­ their preservation be carried out with falling within the Rapa Nui National rating the current knowledge on the international support. Given the various Park also requires authorization from deterioration and conservation of these complicated problems that can affect this CONAF. Professionals from the particular types of stone; and to formu­ heritage and its sites, a concerted effort National Conservation Center are in late recommendations for the preserva­ at conservation and protection is needed. charge of studying the deterioration of tion of this heritage. Even though restoration and conserva­ specific monuments and the appropriate tion interventions are necessary, these do conservation measures, while the curator The current reconstruction of Ahu Ton­ not ensure future preservation, which of the Anthropological Museum is gariki, under the direction of the Insti­ requires day-to-day maintenance: moni­ responsible for the study and care of the tute for Easter Island Studies of the toring, repair and upkeep of monuments relatively small collection housed there. University of Chile (IEIPA), was begun and sites. Unless regular and consistent in late 1992 with support from a private support is provided for these apparently While the museum and the IEIPA deal Japanese crane company (Tadano) as humble tasks, any effort toward restora­ with the archaeological investigation of part of a commercial campaign. tion and conservation will be to no avail. the monuments, the National Park and

55 56 1. The interior slope of the Rano Raraku with statues. I. Rano Raraku volcano, as seen from the south. 3. Ahu Naunau seen from the seaside.

National Conservation Center staff are preservation and restoration of the cul­ primarily responsible for preservation. tural heritage of Easter Island. The aims The park staff is in charge of "maintain­ are to coordinate the activities of the var­ ing" the monuments and their sites, ious government agencies on the island whereas the center staff is responsible in order to prevent conflicting actions, for "making them last." Unfortunately, and to increase the general awareness of the center does not yet have a resident the monuments' susceptibility to dam­ conservator or the necessary facilities on age. But the Chilean government has yet the island to carry out this difficult task. to request that the island's monuments be included in UNESCO's World Heri­ The preservation of this monumental tage List. heritage requires the cooperation and collaboration of all entities responsible The challenge of preserving Easter for the various activities on the island, Island's heritage for the future is a com­ including local development, environ­ plex and variable one. The problem has mental conservation, socio-anthropolog- no unique solution; it can be approached ical and archaeological research, and the only through an ongoing, continuous establishment of a comprehensive con­ effort that matches the changing nature servation plan for the monuments and of the problems. sites. These programs must be construc­ tively interrelated to assure adequate conservation measures as well as the commitment to long-term maintenance.

To establish a comprehensive conserva­ tion policy, government officials must be fully informed. But good legislation is not enough to bring about a successful policy; implementation and enforcement are also necessary. Only public pressure is capable of motivating the government to take these actions; thus, raising public awareness of the threats to this heritage is crucial for its preservación.

In late 1992 an Interministerial Commis­ sion (Comisión Chilena Interministerial) was established for the conservation, Appendix I: The Archaeological Elements of Easter Island

The following text, revised by Gonzalo Ahu Ahu Moai Figueroa G.-H., describes the most sig­ Ahu moai constitute the most outstand­ nificant archaeological elements of Eas­ Ahu are ceremonial and burial structures ing aspect of Rapanui prehistoric ter Island. It has been adapted from the where ancestors were worshiped. They architecture. Their distinctive features Archaeological Field Guide, Rapa Nui were sacred places protected by specific are the megalithic statues (moai). These National Park, published by CONAF tapu. The essential element of an ahu is sanctuaries are more elaborate than any (Corporación Nacional Forestal), Minis­ an elevated rectangular platform, delim­ other of the various types of ahu, exhib­ try of Agriculture, Republic of Chile. ited by large blocks of cut or shaped iting high quality in their stonework. The guide was prepared and edited by selected stone, filled with cobbles, gravel the academic staff of the Institute for and earth. The upper part is flat and The interpretive drawing at the top of Easter Island Studies (Instituto de Estu­ paved, and associated with an open space the following page represents an ahu of dios Isla de Pascua) of the University of or plaza in front of it. Ahu are generally the Middle Period (1100-1680), with all Chile. Illustrations are by R. Forster M. located on the coast and oriented parallel the elements that might be associated The text and the drawings are reprinted to it. Some have astronomical orienta­ with it. with the permission of CONAF. tions related to the solstices and the equinox. The oldest structures of this A The central platform, where the type have been dated to the eighth cen­ statues were placed (some held as many tury. These structures were the politico- as 15), is set on a large base of cut stone. religious centers of the different tribes The front wall generally consists of and lineages and find their direct worked rectangular slabs, very well fit­ equivalent in the marae of central and ted together, and, sometimes, above eastern Polynesia. these a cornice composed of rectangular blocks of red scoria. Ahu evolved over a period of more than B The wings extend from the limits 1,000 years, incorporating numerous and toward the sides of the central plat­ architectural, aesthetic and cult elements. form. On occasion there are lower Among these are stone pavings, lateral platforms or inclined ramps, paved with wings, crematoria and statues. stones and delimited by a rear as well as an end wall. In general terms we can refer to three C In front of the central platform and types of ahu: the ahu moai, the semi- abutting it is an inclined ramp, paved pyramidal ahu and the ahu poepoe. With with cobblestones of marine origin. the exception of the ahu moai, they seem D The plaza, an open space extending to have been constructed with the pri­ inland, served as a meeting place for all mary function of containing burials. the ceremonial and religious community During the Late Period (1680-1868) the activities. In the plaza of some ahu circu­ great majority of ahu moai were trans­ lar areas were defined by an alignment of formed into large collective tombs. stones. Known aspaina, these areas were

58 g2g^^P5^^^PPPK^^g^.'4BT^p^yp^

used in ritual commemorative ceremonies Semipyramidal Ahu Ahu Poepoe to honor famous deceased men. The major intertribal wars that began The name of this type of ahu derives E Moai are statues of volcanic tuff, around the 17th century resulted in the from its shape: it is an elongated struc­ the majority of which were carved in the destruction of the ahu moai and the ture with both extremities raised, resem­ quarries of the Rano Raraku volcano. deliberate toppling of their statues. bling a boat (poepoe). Ahu poepoe were p Pukao, topknots or headdresses of Many of the ruined ahu were converted constructed of selected stones, closely red scoria, were carved in the quarry of into enormous heaps of stones (tumuli) fitting but not cut. They usually contain the Puna Pau hill. that completely covered the original a collective funerary chamber in the inte­ Q Crematoria are situated m the rear structure. Beneath these large masses of rior that extends the length of the struc­ part of the ahu, generally on high ground. stones, and below the big toppled stat­ ture. There are few of these ahu and the They are rectangular structures defined ues, large chambers and funerary cists majority can be found on the north by walls or, in some cases, mounds delim­ were built. coast. ited by an alignment of stones. They now contain fine debris, including small frag­ These transformed ahu moai, as well There are also wedge-shaped variants ments of red scoria; among them can be as other structures originally built as of this type of ahu in which the long axis found fragments of burned bone. tumuli, have been called semipyramidal is usually oriented perpendicular to the H Near or abutting the rear wall of ahu because they resemble low, bisected coast. In some, a stone covered with some ahu are rectangular funerary cists pyramids with slopes inclined toward coral or a lump of scoria is set up as a (avanga, a general term denoting any the front and perpendicular rear walls. marker in the center of the ramp at its type of burial), in which deposits of Although these structures are commonly highest point. Ethnographic evidence burned bone have been found. In other called ahu, they are only tumuli or indicates that these ahu were probably ahu, there is evidence that the structure collective funerary platforms. Their constructed after the European discov­ was reutilized and that large chambers chronological position has not been sat­ ery of the island. or funerary cists were constructed on the isfactorily determined, but they appear ramps or on the central platform and to be late, and many show signs of hav­ wings. The skeletons found in these cists ing been used into the first half of the show signs of having been exposed to 19th century. the sun. 9 Some small bays in the vicinity of an ahu moai have areas paved with stone and walls defining a canoe ramp. 4P In front of the ahu, on the inland side, there is usually a cluster of hare paenga, houses used by chiefs, priests and other people of high rank.

59 Moai In the quarries and slopes of the Rano Pukao Raraku volcano, 394 moai have been The extraordinary proliferation of recorded in different stages of quarrying On the heads of some statues, like those monumental stone statues constitutes or abandonment during transport. Three of Ahu Naunau, was a kind of cylinder one of the outstanding expressions of of them have prominent breasts, which of red scoria that was brought all the Rapanui culture. They represent the suggests female representations. The way from the quarry of Puna Pau in the founding chiefs of different lineages and largest statue measures 21.6 meters in vicinity of Hangaroa, and could weigh form part of the cult of deified ancestors, length and is still attached to the rock up to 11 tons. The significance of these a common feature in Polynesia. There in the external quarries; the (completed) pukao is unclear: some authors claim are about 1,000 statues on the island, the weight is estimated to be between 250 that they represent the hairdo or top­ majority conforming to a single stylistic and 300 tons. Among those that were knot observed on the islanders when the form carved in volcanic tuff from the transported to an ahu, the largest is the first Europeans arrived; others suggest quarries of the Rano Raraku volcano. Moai Paro of Ahu Te Pito te Kura (on that they represent a hat. The absence of the north coast), with a height of about pukao on a large number of statues sug­ Analysis of the statues seems to indicate 10 meters and an approximate weight of gests that they were a later feature, added that over time they became progressively 80 tons. for embellishment. stylized and increased in size. Evidence also shows that those found farthest from the quarries are consistently smal­ Above: ler, suggesting an atemporal relationship A. Red scoria moai at Tahai. between size and distance of transport. B. Moai Tuturi at Rano Raraku. C. Moai from Ahu Vai Uri (Tahai). The earliest date for the classic Rano D. Moai from Ahu Ko te Riku (Tahai). Raraku statue, as exemplified by the E. Moai from Ahu Tongariki. moai from Ahu Ko te Riku (Tahai F. Moai Paro from Ahu Te Pito te Kura. complex), is 1100-1205. Its average size G. Largest unfinished moai at Rano (5.2 meters high) suggests a date limit Raraku quarry. of perhaps A.D. 900 for the appearance of the classic form, on the premise that the first statues were smaller in size. Ear­ lier dates have been proposed for aber­ rant or prototypical forms, which were generally carved in other materials (basalt and red scoria) and tended to be smaller and more naturalistic, with rounded heads and lacking the lobes of the elongated ears. It is estimated that statues were probably first associated with ahu around A.D. 700.

60 APPENDIX I

« "MíT(« il

Ana Hare Paenga Common House

Because of its volcanic nature, Easter Throughout Rapanui prehistory hare The majority of the houses found in Island has a large number of caves. These paenga were used as the living quarters the interior of the island are common were utilized in prehistoric times as for people of high rank; some continued houses, comprising the family domestic permanent or temporary dwellings and to be inhabited into the historic period. unit. They seem to have had basically as hiding places; during the protohistoric the same form as the hare paenga, al­ and historic periods, many of them were Commonly called boat-houses because though the blocks, when present, are not used as places of burial. The great major­ of their similarity in shape to an up­ of cut stone. Generally the remains of ity of the skeletons found in the caves turned boat, hare paenga have an ellipti­ these houses include only a socle defin­ today represent deaths occurring during cal plan and are made up of carefully cut ing the entrance and part of the exterior various epidemics that devastated the basalt plinth blocks. Posts to support the pavement, which is usually smaller than island during the last century. superstructure of vegetal material were that in the hare paenga and not as care­ inserted in cavities in the upper surfaces fully laid out. The absence of plinth Caves used for occupation were fre­ of these blocks. The entrance was a nar­ blocks suggests that in these cases the quently modified by adding stone walls row, low passage, defined by slabs and posts were inserted directly into the soil. that blocked their natural openings, covered with straw. In front is an exte­ leaving a small access passage in the rior semicircular pavement made with The domestic units were usually com­ form of a long, narrow tunnel (either rounded stones (poro) alternating in par­ posed of a house (hare) and one or more vertical or horizontal) that connected allel rows. The interior space was gener­ earth ovens (umu pae), garden enclo­ the cave chamber with the outside. ally very simple and served only for sures (manavai) and stone chicken sleeping; all other activities took place houses (hare moa), a typical complex of Rock overhangs and small caves, called outside. The average hare paenga is 10 to elements that varied slightly due to the karava, were used for temporary occu­ 15 meters long and 1.5 to 2.5 meters presence of other structures suggesting pation and were usually left unmodified. wide, although some houses are as long a more varied function. The secondary Some caves, called ana kionga, were used as 40 meters. structures tend to be within 20 meters of by the defeated in time of war for refuge the house. or concealment and were considered tapu (forbidden) places.

61 SURFACE MANAVAI

imwrfmrifo,

STONES U^DEUGftOyND MANAVA WRAPP/N& OF LEAVES FOODS

Manavai Hare Moa Umu Pae

Manavai are garden enclosures or agri­ Hare moa are structures of rectangular Before the introduction of European cultural structures that, like the stone plan with rounded ends, thick double cooking utensils, the islanders cooked chicken houses, seem to represent an walls of unworked stones with gravel their food using hot stones in earth adaptive response to an ecological fill, and heavy foundations. A narrow ovens, hearths excavated in the soil to change. They were constructed to pro­ chamber runs the length of the struc­ an average depth of 60 centimeters and tect plantations from wind and salinity, ture's interior and has access to the defined by stones. Umu pae of pentago­ and to conserve humidity. They are gen' exterior via one or more small passages nal, rectangular and circular shape have erally associated with family domestic in the sides. been found, made with five, six or seven structures. rectangular stones set on edge in the The hare moa, which has a wide distri­ ground. In some cases stones from the Manavai appear on the surface and bution on the island, is commonly foundations and pavements of hare underground. Those on the surface are found on living sites and is associated paenga were reused. structures of various shapes defined by with agricultural structures. Although thick double walls of unworked stones they have been identified ethnographi- The diameters of umu pae vary from filled with gravel, standing between 1 cally as chicken houses, a detailed study 50 to 65 centimeters; they are frequently and 1.5 meters above ground level and of them indicates that there are two found in the center of an artificial delimiting an area of 3 to 10 meters in types of very similar structures that mound approximately three meters in diameter. They are found as individual may have fulfilled different functions diameter. Some hearths were surrounded examples or in groups of up to 40 struc­ and differ fundamentally in the type and by a circle of stones that seem to have tures. The underground manavai were size of the interior chamber. According been used to support a kind of wind­ built by deepening or making use of a to Patrick McCoy, the hare moa seems break. natural depression and defining it with to be a structure characteristic of the late simple walls of superimposed rocks. prehistoric period. Their depth varies from one to three meters. Although they are of smaller size, they fulfill basically the same func­ tion as the surface manavai and are asso­ ciated with the same type of structures. They are typically found at the foot of slopes and in low-lying sites.

62 APPENDIX I

Hare Oka Houses of Rectangular Plan Houses of Stone Masonry

The foundations of these circular-plan Since rectangular-plan houses were not The ceremonial village of Orongo occu­ houses are made with basalt slabs that discovered until the 1960s (by Patrick pies a small triangular area between the show no signs of having been cut. In McCoy), they are not mentioned in precipice of the Rano Kau crater and its some cases, these foundation stones were ethnographic accounts. About 250 exterior edge at 300 meters above sea inserted in the ground, slightly inclined of this type of house are found in the level. It is composed of 53 structures of toward the interior, and another concen­ highest areas of the island's interior, masonry, built in contiguous groups and tric alignment was formed by stones many of them on the southeast slopes forming a unique architectural complex that were set horizontally in the ground of Mauriga Terevaka and some on Rano that has interesting features with proto­ and seem to form an external paving. In Kau in the vicinity of the basalt quarries. types in other structures of the island. the small space between the two align­ ments the posts and curved framework Their foundations are of rectangular The basic form of the dwellings is a long of the vegetal superstructure were stones inserted on edge in the ground, and narrow ellipse, with a low lateral installed. Hare oka are found in the inte­ often in parallel lines. A small exterior entrance passage and a vaulted interior. rior of the island, usually close to pavement, rectangular and composed of The houses are oriented toward the three sources of raw materials. Near the struc­ flat, irregular stones, is found in front islets that are related to the cult and ture are frequently found small areas of the structure or, occasionally, sur­ located near the foot of the cliff. They covered with obsidian chips and debris. rounding the entire structure. The super­ are arranged in an irregular half-ellipse, structure was of vegetal material, but its in a series of continuous structures Based on archaeological evidence, it shape is not known. These were presum­ adapted to the upper part of the sloping is believed that these houses were ably huts of seasonal or temporary use, ground. temporary habitations. In general, they and they are usually associated with have neither the secondary domestic lithic working sites and large pens built The walls of the houses are very thick structures nor the deposits of associated of stone- The encampments situated and are constructed of two dry stone refuse characteristic of permanently among the ravines of Maunga Terevaka skins - angular basalt slabs obtained occupied sites. are probably related to the exploitation from quarries in the area - and earth fill­ of timber, which existed in good supply ing the space between them. The roof is a in areas 350 meters or more above sea corbeled dome formed of cantilevered level. The structures that have been slabs covered with earth. The site is dated correspond to the Early Middle related to the most recent period of local Period (H00-1200). prehistory. The earliest dating corre­ sponds to 1410 and the last ceremonial activity seems to have taken place in 1876.

63 Tupa Pipi Horeko

The function of tupa has not been Pipi horeko are stone landmarks of determined archaeologically, but ethno­ different forms, ranging from small graphic accounts report that they were heaps to elaborate round towers in the dwellings used by priests to carry out form of truncated cones. They were observations of the stars. Their astro­ constructed with selected unworked nomical observations allowed them to stones, reaching a maximum height of predict changes in the equatorial marine 2 meters and a basal width of up to 1.8 current, which brought turtles to the meters. The interior was filled with island (a sacred food and one destined stone rubble. for the king), and to determine the beginning of the lunar year, the time for Certain sources report that some of planting, harvesting and religious festi­ these constructions carried a flag or vals, and the arrival of the migratory distinguishing mark on the upper part birds and fish that constituted important to indicate their function. Some served food resources. to mark tapu areas or family and tribal properties, while others were used by Tupa are round stone towers of oval or fishermen to identify spots for fishing. circular plan with a flat roof. The inte­ rior, a room with a vaulted roof, is con­ nected to the exterior through a straight, narrow passage. The width of the room varies from two to four meters at ground level and the interior height reaches a maximum of three meters. About 30 of these structures still remain, the majority distributed around the coasts.

64 Appendix II: Glossary

ahu: ceremonial platform on which maika: banana {Musa sapientum) poporo: indigenous shrub (Solanum statues (moai) may have been erected Makemake: creator deity forsteri) ahu moai: ceremonial platform on which mako'i: Oceanian rosewood poro: rounded cobble statues (moai) were erected (Thespesia populnea) pua: turmeric (Curcuma longa) ahu poepoe: boat-shaped ahu mana: supernatural power pua nakonako: indigenous bush akuaku: supernatural spirit manavai: stone-walled garden (Lycium carolinianum) ana: cave enclosure pukao: cylindrical topknot of red scoria ana kionga: caves used by the defeated manu: bird adorning some moai for concealment manu piri: motif of two birdmen facing rano: crater lake ariki: chief; head of descent groups; king each other, joined by hands and feet rongorongo: Rapanui's undeciphered ariki henua: paramount chief manu tara: sooty tern (Sterna fuscata) script; by extension, the wooden tablets ariki mau: paramount chief marikuru: soapberry tree (Sapindus inscribed with it ariki paka: royal family saponaria) tangata: man; human being avanga: sepulchral niche in an ahu mata: clan tangata honui: head of lineage; chief of hanga: bay matato'a: warrior clan other than the Miru hare moa: chicken house moai: statue; carving tangata manu: birdman hare oka: house of circular floor plan moko: lizard tangata maori: craft expert hare paenga: boat-house moko uruuru kahu: indigenous lizard tangata maori hanga moai maea: hauhau: indigenous small tree or shrub (Lepidodactylus lugubris) expert in carving stone statues (Triumfetta semitriloba) moko uriuri: indigenous lizard tanoa: morning glory-like creeper heriki hare: indigenous grass (Ablepharus boutonii) (Ipomoea pes-caprae) (Paspalum forsterianum) motu: islet tapa: bark-cloth, textile prepared from hopu: servant or proxy for the motu 'iti: small islet the bark of the mahute birdman contest motu kaokao: craggy islet tapu: forbidden; taboo hurumanu: common people motu nui: big islet taro: edible root (Colocasia esculenta) ivi: extended family naunau: sandalwood (Santalum sp.) tavari: kind of bistort, subaquatic plant ivi 'atua: priest ngaatu: totora reed (Scirpus californicus) (Polygonum acuminatum) kaha: gourd {Lagenaria siceraria) ngaoho: indigenous bush (Caesalpinia Te Pito 'o te Henua: navel of the earth; karava: small cave or rock overhang major) end of the land keho: thin basalt slabs used in the con­ ngarua: stone pillow ti: shrublike agave (Cordyline terminalis) struction of stone houses like those at niu: endemic palm tree, now extinct toa: sugar cane (Saccharum officinarum) Orongo (Paschalococos disperta) toki: basalt pick used for carving kiea: red earth paenga: carved and smoothed stone toromiro: endemic mimosa-like tree kio: servant; slave shaped for structures (Sophora toromiro) kio'e: Polynesian rat (Rattus concolor) paina: circular area located in the plaza in tupa: towerlike stone structure usually kohuo rongorongo: wooden tablets front of an ahu and used in ritual ceremo­ found by the coast whose original inscribed with Rapanui script nies function is still unclear kumara: sweet potato (Ipomoea batata) pipi horeko: small stone cairn that served uhi: yam (Dioscorea sp.) mahute: paper mulberry tree as boundary marker umu or umu pae: stone-lined earth oven (Broussonetia papyrifera) poepoe: boat ure: lineage; tribe

65 Appendix III: Bibliography

General Routledge, Katherine. The Mystery of McCoy, Patrick C. Easter Island Settle­ Easter Island. Reprint. New York: AMS ment Patterns in the Late Prehistoric Bahn, Paul, and Flenley, John. Easter Press, 1978. and Protohistoric Periods. Bulletin 5, Island, Earth Island. London: Thames Easter Island Committee. New York: and Hudson, 1992. Chauvct, Stephen. La Isla de Pascua y sus International Fund for Monuments, Misterios. 2d ed., trans. José Maria Souvi- 1976. Campbell, Ramón. La Cultura de la Isla ron. Santiago: Zig-zag, 1965. de Pascua. Mito y Realidad. 2d ed. Santi­ . "Easter Island." Chap. 6 in The ago: Andrés Bello, 1987. Prehistory of Polynesia, edited by Jesse Archaeology, Anthropology and D.Jennings. Cambridge: Harvard Uni­ De Velde, Henk. Navel der Aarde. Har- Ethnology versity Press, 1979. derwijk, Netherlands: Albatross, 1987. Domaslowski, Wieslaw. Les Statues en Métraux, Alfred. Ethnology of Easter Englert, Sebastian. Island at the Center Pierre de iTle de Paques. Paris: Island. Bernice P. Bishop Museum Bulle­ of the World. New York: Charles Scrib- UNESCO, 1981. tin 160. Reprint. Honolulu: Bishop ner's, 1970. Museum Press, 1971. Drake, Alan. Easter Island: The Ceremo­ Gatermann, Horst. Die Osterinsel. nial Center of Orongo. Old Bridge, New Mulloy, William. Preliminary Report of Cologne: DuMont Buchverlag, 1991. Jersey: Cloud Mountain Press, 1992. Archaeological Field Work, February- July, 1968, Easter Island. Bulletin 1, Heyerdahl, Thor. Aku-Aku. The Secret Englert, Sebastian P. La Tierra de Hotu Easter Island Committee. Reprint. New of Easter Island. London: George Allen Matu 'a: Historia y Etnología de la Isla de York: International Fund for Monu­ &Unwin, 1958. Pascua. 3rd ed. Santiago: Editorial Uni­ ments, 1975. versitaria, 1983. Lee, Georgia. An Uncommon Guide to . Preliminary Report on the Resto­ Easter Island. Arroyo Grande, Califor­ Hyvert, Giselle. Les Statues de Rapa Nui. ration of Ahu Vai Uri, Easter Island. Bul­ nia: International Resources, 1990. Conservation et restauration. Paris: letin 2, Easter Island Committee. UNESCO, 1973. Reprint. Washington, D.C.: Internation­ Mann, Peggy. Easter Island: Land of al Fund for Monuments, 1979. Mysteries. New York: Holt, Rinehart Lee, Georgia. The Rock Art of Easter and Winston, 1976. Island. Symbols of Power, Prayers to the . Preliminary Report of the Resto­ Gods. Monumenta Archaeologica 17. ration of Ahu Huri a Urenga and Tivo Ramirez Aliaga, José Miguel. Cultura Los Angeles: Institute of Archaeology, Unnamed Ahu at Hanga Kio'e, Easter Rapanui. Serie Patrimonio Cultural University of California, 1992. Island. Bulletin 3, Easter Island Commit­ Chileno - Colección Culturas Aborí­ tee. Washington, D.C.: International genes. Santiago: Ministerio de Edu­ McCall, Grant. Rapanui: Tradition and Fund for Monuments, 1973. cación, Departamento de Extensión Survival on Easter Island. Honolulu: Cultural, 1988. University Press of Hawaii, 1981. . Investigation and Restoration of the Ceremonial Center of Orongo, Easter Island, Part I. Bulletin 4, Easter

66 Island Committee. New York: Interna­ Necesidades de Investigación. Santiago: Une Énigme? Brussels: Musées Royaux tional Fund for Monuments, 1975. Universidad Católica de Chile, 1987. d'Art et d'Histoire, 1990.

, and Figueroa, Gonzalo. The Ar­ Charola, A. Elena; Koestler, Robert J.; Nouveau Regard sur L lie de Paques. chaeological Heritage of Easter Island. and Lombardi, Gianni, eds. Lavas and Rapa Nui. Saintry sur Seine: MOANA Paris: UNESCO, 1966. Volcanic Tuffs. Proceedings of the Inter­ Editeur, 1982. national Meeting on Easter Island, 1990. . The A Kivi- Vai Teka Complex Rome: ICCROM, in press. Skjolsvold, Arne, ed. TheKon-Tiki and Its Relationship to Easter Island Museum Occasional Papers. Vol. 1. Oslo, Architectural Prehistory. Asian and Zizka, Georg. The Flowering Plants of 1989. Pacific Archaeology Series 8. Honolulu: Easter Island. Palmarum Hortus Franco- University of Hawaii, 1978. furtensis 3. Frankfurt: Palmengarten Stadt Frankfurt am Main, 1991. Issues of Periodicals Devoted to Porteus, J. Douglas. The Modernization Easter Island of Easter Island. Western Geographical Series, vol. 19. Victoria: University of Published Collections of Papers CLAVA, no. 4 (1988). Museo Sociedad Victoria, 1981. Fonck, Viña del Mar. Cristino, Claudio, et al., eds. First Inter­ Seelenfreund H, Andrea. Ahu Tautira: national Congress on Easter Island and Chile: Los Primeros Americanos y sus Secuencias y Cambios Arquitectónicos de East Polynesia, 1984. Santiago: Univer­ Descendientes. Chap. 14: Rapa Nui, un Antiguo Centro Ceremonial Sagrado sidad de Chile, 1988. Un Milagro en el Pacífico Sur. Editorial en Isla de Pascua. Ph.D. diss., Univer­ Antartica, Santiago (1988). sidad de Chile, Santiago, 1980. Estudios sobre la Isla de Pascua. Serie de Monografías anexas a los Anales de la Journal of New World Archaeology VII, Thomson, William J. Te Pito Te Henua, Universidad de Chile. Santiago: Univer­ no. 1 (1986). Institute of Archaeology, or Easter Island. Smithsonian Institution, sidad de Chile, 1980. University of California, Los Angeles. U.S. National Museum. Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1891. Esen-Baur, Heide-Margaret, ed. State Nouvelles du Patrimoine. Paques, a and Perspectives of Scientific Research in l'ombre des gcants de pierrc. Association Van Tilburg, Jo Anne. Power and Sym­ Easter Island Culture. Frankfurt: Couri­ des Amis de 1'UNESCO, Brussels, 1990. bol: The Stylistic Analysis of Easter Island er Forschungsinstitut Senckenberg, 1990. Monolithic Sculpture. Ph.D. diss., Uni­ Rapa Nui Journal. 8 vols. (1986 - versity of California at Los Angeles, Fischer, Steven Roger, ed. Easter Island present). Easter Island Foundation, 1986. Studies. Contributions to the History of Los Osos, California. Rapanui in Memory of William T. Mulloy. Oxbow Monograph 32. Oxford: Ulysse, no. 13 (1990). Les Publications Natural History Oxbow Books, 1993. Historiques, Paris.

Castilla, Juan Carlos, ed. Islas Oceánicas Forment, Francinc, and Esen-Baur, Chilenas: Conocimiento Científico y Heide-Margaret, eds. L He de Paques:

67 Easter Island's Key Sites

# Orongo 12 Ana Te Pora

£ Ahu Vinapu 13 Ana Kekenga

0 Ahu Vaihu 14 A Kivi-Vai Teka Complex

Q Ahu Akahanga 15 Ahu Hanga Kio'e

5 Rano Raraku quarry 16 Tahai Complex: Ahu Vai Uri 6 Ahu Tongariki Ahu Tahai Ahu Ko te Riku 7 Ahu Heki'i 17 Ahu Tautira 8 Ahu Te Pito te Kura 18 Ana Kai Tangata 9 Ahu Ature Huki/Ahu Ñauñau 19 Ahu Huri a Urenga 10 AhuTePeu 20 AhuOKava It AnaTePahu

68 Easter Island

The Heritage and its Conservation

CREDITS

This publication was produced as a project of the World Monuments Fund with support from the Willard and Ruth Somerville Bequest. The project was overseen by Bonnie Burnham, Executive Director, and John Stubbs, Program Director at WMF, and conservation sci­ entist A. Elena Charola, Easter Island Program Consultant. Production super­ vision was provided by Rebecca Ander­ son, Program Administrador of WMF. Photographs were supplied by A. Elena Charola except where otherwise noted. The design and the supervision of print­ ing production were provided by Frank Benedict Design, Livingston, New York: Frank Benedict, Julie Hurst, Maria Clark. Printed at C & C Joint Printing Company, LTD., Tai Po, Hong Kong.

Cover: Ahu Akivi, the first ahu restored hy William Mulloy and Gonzalo Figueroa in 1960. (photo: R.V. Gianzone)

Back cover: The moai on Ahu Hanga Kio'e, the first to receive conservation treatment (1986-87). Mulloy restored this ahu in 1972. MAUNGA TEREVAKA

RANO A R O I

12 Motu Tautara 13

RANO R A R A K U

15 16

P V N A PAD

19 2:

M A U N G A O R I T O * ^ O c c

i IRÁN oy U\K A U Motu v^ Kaokao „ t Motu 'Iti Motu Nui Easter Island The Heritage and its Conservation