Is the Easter Island Mystery solved?

A team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), however, may have cracked the Rapa Nui mystery. A new study published by Jo Anne Van Tilburg of the Easter Island Statue Project claims to have deciphered the meaning behind the stone heads or Moai.

What is the mystery behind the Moai statues?

Two Moai are shown during excavations by Jo Anne Van Tilburg and her team at Rano Raraku quarry on Rapa Nui, better known as Easter Island. Rapa Nui (or Easter Island, as it is commonly known) is home to the enigmatic Moai, stone monoliths that have stood watch over the island landscape for hundreds of years.

What is a fact about Easter Island?

Easter Island is the world’s most secluded inhabited island The only way to get there is by plane, as it doesn’t even have any harbours. The shortest flight is five hours from Santiago, and you can also fly there in seven hours from Tahiti. So what are the benefits of being so far away?

How did moai get moved?

Even specialized priests were known to move moai at the request of those who wanted them on their family land or ahu. Method: Tied statue on its back to a sledge (sled) made from a tree fork. 180 islanders pulled the statue using two parallel ropes tied to each side.

Why is Easter Island important to history?

The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early Rapa Nui people. In 1995, UNESCO named Easter Island a World Heritage Site, with much of the island protected within Rapa Nui National Park.

Who lives on Easter Island?

The Rapa Nui are the indigenous Polynesian people of Easter Island. The easternmost Polynesian culture, the descendants of the original people of Easter Island make up about 60\% of the current Easter Island population and have a significant portion of their population residing in mainland Chile.

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