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Aku-Aku Eclipse
Easter Island
July 11th, 2010 |
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Rano Raraku (Moai Quarry)
2010-07-09 21:44 UTC |
Click images for enlargements. |
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One of the most fascinating sites on the island is the volcanic
crater of Rano Raraku, where volcanic
tuff
from which the moai
are carved was quarried. This is the only location where
this stone occurs on the island, and hence all moai, wherever
found, were originally made here and transported to the platforms
on which they were erected.
It is said that the moai were quarried and carved by a class of
artisans specialising in this work. They were made to order for a
clan, and perhaps one reason so many still remain at the quarry site
is that they were never paid for as the society collapsed.
The holes in the skin of some of the moai are believed to represent
tattoos.
I've had days like this.
This unique figure, named Tukuturi, was almost entirely buried when
discovered; it has since been excavated and erected along the trail up
the mountain. Unlike any other moai, it is kneeling, and has a fairly
natural rounded head and a goatee. In the distance, to the right of
the statue's head, you can see the moai of Tongariki along the coast.
These two large moai were never completed and remain attached
to the underlying rock. Most of the carving of a moai was done
in place with the figure horizontal, then the statue would be undercut
into a keel, then finally separated from the rock below.
For some reason, this moai's head reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock.
This monster moai, 21 metres in height, was never finished. Perhaps those
who commissioned it had second thoughts about transporting such a behemoth
from the quarry all the way to its destination somewhere along the coast.
This document is in the public domain.