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| Rapanui
(Easter Island) : The most fascinating land on Earth |
| Rapanui
is a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It is
one of the most isolated places on Earth. This page is a tribute
both to the Rapanui people and to the extraordinary culture
they were able to build.
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The
most well-known landmark of Rapanui culture is the
Moai,
a face and a body (no legs, though) carved in volcanic stone.
The
picture on the left was taken at Ranu-Raraku,
the volcanic mountain where all moais
were crafted. Most of the moais in the island are to be found
in this quarry ¾some
ready to be hauled to the shore, many still unfinished. |
Here
I am with Edmundo Edwards in Ranu-Raraku. He is a living
encyclopaedia of Rapanui.
He
has been living on the island for forty years and has written
papers and books on the subject.
I
cannot thank him enough for all the things he taught me
about this fascinating culture.
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The
one below is the ahu (several moais in a row) overlooking
the beach of Anakena, where the first settlers arrived from
Polynesia some 1500 years ago. These are the oldest moais
of all..
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Ahu
Tongariki has the tallest moais. |
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This oval base was covered with long twigs and willows bending
from one side to the other, fashioning an inverted-boat looking
structure. It might have been a Rapanui home. On my left,
not shown on the picture, stands ahu Tahai. |
