Let’s talk about the moai themselves. Legend says that the first kind to arrive to the island, Chief Hotu Matu’a, was a man with pale skin and red hair. This is not uncommon for some polynesian islands. There are other recorded instances of polynesian people having red hair and pale skin, even today. The first moai created was to honor Chief Hotu Matu’a, so naturally the people would want them to look like the chief himself. The ash and rock stone mixture found in Rano Raraku volcano mountainside looks very yellow when it is first carved. The yellow look lasts for about four hundred years before fading.
This ash and rock mixture was also perfectly for carving the moais because not only was it the right color, but it also had the ideal weight and density. The rock cement was hard enough to withstand the rough transportation to the ahu and to resist erosion from the island elements. It was also soft enough that it was capable of being carved into curved facial features without cracking or breaking.
The topknots, or pukao, represented the man-bun that the chief wore. Man-buns might be trendy within the last few years, but they were a staple of power and hierarchy for the Rapa Nui people. The women would grow their hair long and let it be in a simple ponytail. The men would grown their hair long and wear it in a bun on the top of their head. Since Chief Hotu Matu’a had red hair, the pukao were also red. Red coral and rock were easily found on the volcanic island that rose from the ocean. This is what started the trend of the red topknots being placed on the ancient moai. The yellow color with wide eyes and bright red topknots must have looked incredible as they stood erect, looking to the island.
While driving to the quarry mountain, there were abandoned moai beside the road. Many were right in the middle of farm fields. A horse was even scratching his butt on one!! The road to the quarry is a dirt road that will never be paved. The Rapa Nui people today decided to use the exact road that the ancient people used when moving the moai to different parts of the island. It is naturally called the “moai road.” Often when transporting these great statues, accidents happened. When a moai had fallen, was broken, or was later seen as having some imperfections, the people would abandon them. No time or energy was wasted. Time and energy were too precious during this time. Many of the abandoned maoi are badly damaged, some even just look like a pile of rock. However, the most preserved ones are gated and roped off for touristic purposes. They do serve a purpose to us today! These moai did not have carved eye sockets yet. They had very straight lines connecting the brow bones to the cheekbones.
The legends say that this is because of the idea of “the eyes are the window to the soul.” It’s funny that this phrase is known globally, even in the most remote area of the world. It makes you wonder what the ancient people knew that we don’t now….hmmm….
Until the eyes were carved and the coral eyes were put in place, the statues meant nothing. The moai did not contain the mana energy of the man that once lived until they were erected on the Ahu and had the eyes placed. It is said that the eyes were so sacred, that they could not be constructed unless the man had already died, and the man approved of the carver before his death. Unfortunately, many cannot be found today because they were burned or destroyed over the years.
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